Philippines Spotlights Women Empowerment Best Practices in the Criminal Justice Sector

SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh presenting the Gender-Sensitive Reforms in the Judiciary (Vienna PE Photo).

VIENNA 04 November 2024 — The Philippines highlighted its best practices for women empowerment in the criminal justice sector at the “Empower Her: Spotlight on a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Women Empowerment in Criminal Justice and Terrorism Prevention” event on 15 October 2024 on the margins of the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (COP-UNTOC) in Vienna. Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh and Department of Justice (DOJ) Margarita N. Gutierrez highlighted the Philippines’ achievements in women’s leadership and participation. 

Associate Justice Singh shared the different reforms that the Philippine Judiciary has instituted towards improving access to justice and ensuring a gender-fair and equitable justice system in the country. She presented the gender-focused reforms under the Philippines Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027. 

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Gutierrez underscored the significant reforms that were implemented by the DOJ in the promotion of gender equality and in addressing gender issues through the DOJ’s Gender and Development GAD Program.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evangelina A. Bernas said that the Philippines co-organized the side event to support the implementation of the UNOV/UNODC Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. She emphasized that the Philippines’ best practices and achievements in criminal justice and terrorism prevention benefited from meaningful partnerships and collaboration, such as the Philippines’ cooperation with UNODC.

As current co-chairs of the Group of Friends for Gender Equality in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Philippines and Australia organized the event.  In her remarks, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly expressed her appreciation to the two countries for facilitating the stakeholder dialogue. END

UNODC ED Waly delivering her remarks on UNODC’s commitment to Women in Justice(Vienna PE Photo).

Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evangelina A. Bernas delivering her remarks on Philippine’ leadership on gender equality at the Empower Her: Spotlight on a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Women Empowerment in Criminal Justice and Terrorism Prevention held in Vienna on 15 October 2024. (Vienna PE Photo).

For more information, visit https://www.viennape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.at or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustria/,  https://www.twitter.com/PHLinAustria  or https://www.instagram.com/phinaustria/