Mission to WTO Celebrates International Women’s Month

GENEVA 29 March 2022 –The Philippine Mission to the World Trade Organization (Mission) facilitated a webinar on the 2021 Civil Service Administrative Disciplinary Rules on Sexual Harassment Cases (Rules) on 23 March 2022, in line with the celebration of the International Women’s Month.

Civil Service Commission (CSC) head of legal division Maricar Cancino informed webinar participants that the new Rules is more comprehensive as it governs sexual harassment cases among peers and even without any moral ascendancy between the parties. It also incorporates some provisions of the Safe Spaces Act as part of the expanded version of the 2017 CSC administrative rules. Atty. Cancino also reminded participants that each government office is mandated under the 2021 Rules to create a committe on decorum and investigation (CODI) that would handle sexual harassment cases. She said small foreign service posts within a country may create only one CODI.

The webinar was participated in by Mission officers and staff members and some personnel of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations.

The Mission also conducted a GAD planning session with the WTO on 08 March 2022 and agreed to collaborate and jointly implement GAD-related projects and programs in 2022 and beyond based on the WTO Action Plan on Trade and Gender 2021-2026, including  capacity-building trainings for government officials and women entrepreneurs; “Aid for Trade Global Review 2022,” a public forum through the WTO Gender Research Hub; research works; adoption of a joint ministerial declaration on trade and gender equality; data collection on trade impact on women entrepreneurs; and gender audit on gender policy. 

WTO’s trade and gender focal point Ms. Anoush der Boghossian told Mission that the WTO welcomes Mission’s willingness to work closely and proactively with the WTO on women economic empowerment issues and initiatives. She envisions that the Philippines would soon be a pilot area for some new GAD-related projects of the WTO. For more information, visit https://wtopm.dfa.gov.ph/  END

Personnel of the Philippine Mission to the WTO listen to the virtual lecture on the 2021 CSC Administrative Disciplinary Rules on Sexual Harassment Cases by CSC legal division head Atty. Maricar Cancino. (WTO-PM photo)