5th AGMSC Meeting Highlights ASEAN’s Ongoing Commitment
to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Gender mainstreaming, first introduced at the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, remains a cornerstone of ASEAN’s commitment to gender equality. As a guiding principle for policy and program development, ASEAN developed and adopted the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (AGMSF) 2021–2025 and established the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee (AGMSC) to advance gender-responsive action across all sectors.
Members of the Steering Committee during the 5th AGMSC Meeting
On November 13, 2025, the 5th AGMSC Meeting was held in Bohol, Philippines, where the Committee reviewed progress on the operationalization of the AGMSF Implementation Plan which has been extended to 2027. The AGMSC members discussed priorities for 2026, and identified key initiatives to strengthen gender mainstreaming across the ASEAN Community Pillars.
H.E. Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Philippine Representative to the AMMW, and H.E. Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres,
ACWC Vice-Chair representing Malaysia, co-chaired the 5th AGMSC Meeting
Composed of senior officials from ACW, ACWC and select ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, the meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Philippine Representative to the AMMW, and H.E. Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres, ACWC Philippines Women’s Rights Representative and ACWC Vice-Chair who represented Malaysia, the ACWC Chair.
“In ASEAN, gender mainstreaming is our collective practice of justice. We do not mainstream gender because it is our mandate. We mainstream gender because without it, our development agenda is incomplete, our resilience is fragile, and half of our population wallows in injustice,” H.E. Valdeavilla emphasized in her opening remarks.
PCW Executive Director and ACW Philippines Focal Point Nharleen Santos-Millar during one of the meeting’s presentations
During the session, ACW Philippines’ Focal Point and PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar presented the initial findings of the ASEAN GAD Capacity Assessment Form, establishing a baseline to strengthen ASEAN sectoral bodies’ gender mainstreaming capacities. Updates were also shared on the operationalization of the ASEAN Gender and Inclusion Community of Practice, the concept note of which will soon be finalized to enhance regional collaboration.
PCW Executive Director and ACW Philippines Focal Point Nharleen Santos-Millar,
with PCW Deputy Executive Director for Operations Anita E. Baleda and ACW Philippines Alternate Representative, during the Philippines’ presentations
ACW Philippines further proposed to come up with an ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, aiming for its adoption during the Philippines’ Chairship in 2026. ACW Philippines also proposed the establishment of an ASEAN Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (ACE GEWE) to be hosted by the Philippines.
ACW Cambodia provided updates on the capacity-building project, ‘Operationalisation of the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework through the Ad-hoc Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming,’ and noted that they will work with the ASEAN Secretariat to coordinate with development partners on the potential implementation of the project in 2026. The meeting continued with an open session where representatives from ASEAN partners—including the ASEAN Secretariat, the Australian Mission to ASEAN, the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia, UN Women, and the Asian Development Bank—were invited to share ongoing support for the implementation of the AGMSF, highlight their priorities on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and social inclusion, and explore potential areas for further cooperation and collaboration.
The Committee welcomed the membership of ACW Cambodia and ACW Timor-Leste to the Steering Committee. Members also agreed to invite other relevant sectoral bodies under the ASEAN Political-Security, Socio-Cultural and Economic Communities, to become members of the Steering Committee, further strengthening cross pillar collaboration on gender mainstreaming.
As the meeting concluded, H.E. Valdeavilla delivered a compelling closing message, emphasizing the deeper responsibility that comes with advancing the AGMSF.
PCW Chairperson and Philippine Representative to the AMMW, H.E. Ermelita Valdeavilla delivering her closing remarks.
“Our dialogue today has also reaffirmed that the implementation of AGMSF is not merely an agreed strategy — it is also the very measure of our integrity as a regional community. It must be pursued with vigor and consistent quest for measurable improvements in the lives of women and children — such as enhanced economic self-reliance, end to violence in all its forms and in all spaces, greater representation in decision making, longer life expectancy, increased access to STEM training and job opportunities, enjoyment of peace and security, and others,” H.E. Valdeavilla stated.
Members of the Steering Committee, together with the ASEAN Secretariat and the PCW Technical Working Group,
during the 5th AGMSC Meeting
Looking ahead, the 5th AGMSC Meeting reinforced ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening gender-responsive policies and programs across the region. Through sustained collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and joint initiatives, the region continues to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment as integral components of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.