Bangsamoro women’s summit set

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), through the Regional Commission on Bangsamoro Women (RCBW), will hold the 2nd ARMM Bangsamoro Women’s Economic and Development Summit here on March 14 and 15.

Sittie Jehanne Mutin, chairperson of the RCBW, said the summit’s main objective is to strengthen the capacity of women leaders in the region in assuming various roles in economic development leading to a more progressive autonomous Muslim region.

With the theme “Meaningful Change for Economic and Political Participation from Bangsamoro Women,” the event is expected to attract at least 500 women leaders from regional government agencies and local government units as well, and from civil society groups and representatives from internally displaced communities.

The summit will attempt to answer questions on women’s participation in economic development. Among the questions are:

• How can women from conflict-affected areas meaningfully participate in politics and the economy?
• What is the economic dimension of women’s political participation?
• Is there a link between women’s economic development and their participation in the political arena?
• How can Bangsamoro women build a peace economy, one that takes into account transitional justice and the prevention of violent extremism?

The RCBW noted the summit is anchored on policies of the national and regional government aimed at empowering women. At the national level, the Magna Carta of women guarantees women’s right to political participation and representation, as well as access to economic opportunities.

The region’s Gender and Development Code, meanwhile, emphasizes equal rights among women and men in the political front and that covers involvement and representation in regional and local institutions. Thus, the current ARMM leadership has given priority to women’s active participation in economic development.

For instance, ARMM’s Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for the years 2017 to 2019 provides specific action points on women’s empowerment and participation aimed at building an enabling environment for peace.

The summit’s welcome remarks will be delivered by ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and Commissioner Maria Rowena Guanzon of the Commission on Elections. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process lawyer Jesus Dureza will then give the summit’s keynote address.

A series of discussions such as ‘How Women Make a Difference in an Era of Change’; ‘Women and the Bangsamoro Basic Law’; ‘Protecting Bangsamoro Women thru Social Protection Services’; ‘Women as Transformative Leaders’; ‘Halal and Micro-Financing for Bangsamoro Women’; ‘Livelihood Opportunities and Challenges’; and ‘Linking Political Participation to Economic Empowerment’ would be covered by experts during the two-day summit.

In February 2016, RCBW also organized a two-day summit among women leaders in Bangsamoro provinces. The event, also held here, was aimed at enhancing women’s participation in good governance. (Bureau of Public Information)

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