PH Hosts ASEAN Meetings on Advancing the Rights of Women and Children
The Philippines, through the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), is hosting high-level ASEAN meetings on gender equality and women’s rights in the Province of Bohol from November 10 to 15, 2025. The six-day event will feature back-to-back meetings of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee (AGMSC) immediately followed by the ASEAN Conference on Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB).
These gatherings reaffirm the country’s strong leadership in women empowerment, gender mainstreaming, gender-responsive budgeting, and ASEAN’s shared commitment to transform gender equality from a policy aspiration into a lived reality. By aligning regional policies, strengthening cooperation, and promoting gender-responsive governance, the meetings aim to generate concrete actions that ensure women and girls—especially those from marginalized and vulnerable sectors—have equal access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making processes.
ACW, ACWC and AGMSC Meetings
The Philippines currently serves as the Co-Chair of both the ACW and ACWC. Upon turn-over of ACW Chairship on the first day of the event, the Philippines through the PCW, will lead the ACW meetings with the theme, Shaping the Future of ASEAN: Women’s Leadership in Advancing People Empowerment, Regional Security, and Economic Prosperity.
Discussions during the ACW, ACWC, and AGMSC meetings will center on advancing women’s economic empowerment, addressing gender-based violence, implementing the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (AGMSF), promoting and protecting the rights of women and children across ASEAN Member States, and other key priorities that advance gender equality and inclusive development in the region.
ASEAN Conference on GRB
As the Vision Lead for gender mainstreaming in ASEAN and as part of ACW Philippines commitment to the ACW Workplan 2021-2025, PCW will also spearhead the ASEAN Conference on GRB on November 14–15, 2025. The Conference is expected to deepen understanding and foster the implementation of GRB across ASEAN Member States (AMS), contributing to the broader goal of gender equality in the region.
The event will gather officials from the ministries of women, finance, and planning in the eleven AMS, AGMSC members, as well as experts from ASEAN partners. By convening, policymakers and practitioners in gender, planning, and finance, the Conference will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices, and promoting innovative approaches to gender-responsive budgeting.
A key output of this initiative will be a Compendium of GRB Practices in ASEAN, which will serve as a vital reference for Member States in strengthening GRB mechanisms and ensuring that public resources are used effectively to promote gender equality and inclusive development.
The ASEAN Secretariat, which facilitates coordination and supports implementation of initiatives across Member States, will participate in the meetings and conference, with the delegation to the Philippines headed by H.E. San Lwin, Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
Building on these efforts, and with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s sustained commitment to ensure that all initiatives under the Philippines’ Chairship of ASEAN in 2026 are ‘practical, inclusive, and measurable’, these week-long events further reaffirm the country’s leadership and commitment to placing gender equality and women’s empowerment at the core of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 — toward a resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centered ASEAN.
About ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and newest member Timor-Leste. Established in 1967, ASEAN aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, while promoting regional peace, stability, and collaboration among its Member States.