09 December 20l3 - Senator Loren Legarda, as President Benigno Aquino’s Personal Representative, receives the prestigious Award for Leadership on Closing the Gender Gap (Winner by Region: Asia) at the Women in Parliaments Global Forum Annual Summit Award Ceremony held on November 27, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

In accepting the Award for the Philippines, Senator Legarda highlighted the country's success in closing the gender gap through relevant policies and programs of the government, including laws for the protection of women; the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Domestic Workers Act, among others. 

Senator Legarda took the opportunity to convey the Philippine Government's appreciation for the international community's generous humanitarian support for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
 

She recounted the critical role of Filipino women doctors, nurses, paramedics and civilian volunteers' role as first responders in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, and vowed to work towards integration of gender into emergency responses as part of the change that needs to be introduced. 

Senator Legarda's speech struck an poignant note to an audience of more than 400 women parliamentarians around the world who came together for the very first time to contribute to this agenda setting conference, entitled "The Spirit of Women in Parliament: Advancing Society.

The Award for the Philippines was presented by Ms. Kathy Calvin, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Other recipients of the Award are Israel (Middle East), Lesotho (Sub-Saharan Africa), Iceland (Europe and Central Asia) and Mongolia (East Asia).       
   

During the three-day conference, Senator Legarda met with leading women activists, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Ms. Jody Williams, and other women policy makers and fellow women parliamentarians from 100 countries. END