PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR SPEAKS AT

WORKSHOP ON "WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN DIPLOMACY”

Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia Maria Amelita C. Aquino was one of the panelists at the workshop on “Women Empowerment in Diplomacy” organized by the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (NIDIR) of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC)  and  Konrad Adenauer Stiftung-Cambodia.

In the roundtable discussion on “Challenges and Opportunities of Women in Senior Positions in Diplomacy and as Female Ambassadors,” Ambassador Aquino shared her experiences and challenges as a woman diplomat, citing the breakthroughs of Filipino women ambassadors in a traditionally male-dominated field. She noted that the first female Philippine Ambassador was appointed in 1958 and assigned to Vietnam and was concurrent non-resident Ambassador to Cambodia and Laos. 

Ambassador Aquino highlighted some of the qualities of women that are their strengths in the diplomatic profession and the importance of a woman’s perspective on international issues.  She also spoke of the Magna Carta of Women and other regulations that promote the equality and empowerment of women in the Philippines.

The other panelists in the roundtable were Ambassador Carmen Moreno of the European Union, Ambassador Ulku Kocaefe of Turkiye and MFAIC Undersecretary Rath Many.