26 March 2014- The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo celebrated Women’s Month with the conduct of a seminar on the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP WPS) on March 6. It was attended by the officers and staff of the Embassy and its attached agencies, and members of the Filipino community.

The seminar was facilitated by Dr. Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, Assistant Professor of Political Science Department at Ateneo de Manila University and a consultant of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). Dr. Rallonza trains personnel of government agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine National Police, as well as Philippine UN Peacekeepers, on gender-sensitivity. 

Dr. Rallonza introduced the concepts of conflict and peace in the context of gender, the international legal and normative frames which serve as the basis of the NAP WPS, and the need to effectively implement the NAP WPS through structures, programs, and projects of the government.

Launched in 2010, the NAP WPS is the Philippine Government’s plan to protect and empower women in the context of peace and security.

The seminar also provided an opportunity for Embassy personnel to enhance gender sensitivity while providing consular services and assistance to Filipino nationals in Japan. END