...the UN body chief

Phl heads UN body on status of women

              

By Pia Lee-Brago

The Philippine Star

September 23, 2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has assumed chairmanship of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Libran Cabactulan has assumed the chairmanship of the Bureau for the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, a move that is seen as the international community’s recognition of the Philippines’ leadership.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Every year, representatives of member states gather at UN headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women's empowerment worldwide.

In a statement, Cabactulan said that the Philippines is thankful for the “confidence placed by the international community” in an important UN body.

“The Philippines is honored by this position of leadership which recognizes the country’s long-lasting and continuing commitment to gender equality and the advancement of women. Under the Philippines’ leadership, we will continue to build on the Commission’s accomplishments and help ensure that current efforts contribute to a future of gender equality and empowerment of women,” Cabactulan said.

The priority theme for the 58th session of the CSW, which will take place in March 2014, is “Challenges and Achievements in the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for Women and Girls.”

Other members of the bureau for the 58th CSW session include Christine Loew (Switzerland), representing the Western European and other states group; Neli Shiolashvili (Georgia), representing the Eastern European states; Mohamed Elbahi (Sudan), representing the African states, and Carlos Garcia (El Salvador), representing the Latin American and Caribbean states.

The Philippines served as vice chair representing the Asia Pacific group during the 56th and 57th sessions of CSW.

It facilitated the agreed conclusions of the 57th session of CSW and played an instrumental role in breaking an impasse from 2003, when states were unable to reach common ground on ending violence against women and girls.

A record 146 UN member and observer states and 11 groups of states addressed the meeting.
Nearly 3,000 representatives of nongovernment organizations attended.

Media coverage in more than 50 countries was unprecedented, including a prominent editorial in The New York Times.

 

...the OFW Ambassador

OFW is first UN Citizen Ambassador

by Don Tagala, ABS-CBN

North America News Bureau
12/24/2011

NEW YORK City – Twenty-three year old Jonathan Eric Defante's 30-second-pitch on Youtube, his entry to the 2011 Citizen Ambassador's Video Contest, earned him one of the three spots to become the first Filipino Honorary United Nation's Citizen Ambassador.

Honored as best in concept, originality and execution, Defante's "One Bottle, One Life" pitch to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is about using plastic bottles to build model communities around the world.

On his Youtube pitch, Defante said, "So let's create a model community in every Nation, made of used plastic bottles or eco-bricks, built by the people themselves, and are sustained by livelihood from plastic recycled bottles. The communities can be organized into cooperatives to sustain their livelihood for the years to come, changing lives, one bottle at a time."

Defante's entry bested 600 other Youtube entries from 50 countries around the world.

Defante said, "I was like literally jumping (for joy), kasi hindi ko talaga siya in-expect. Kasi after I submitted the video, marami nang pumasok, yung iba talaga may professional editing pa, kasi ako I just used iMovie 11, lahat hiniram ko lang, pati flipcam."

Defante, an OFW working at a Virgin Megastore in Dubai, in the Middle East, together with two other video contest winners from Sudan and Guatemala received round trip tickets to New York and met with the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in person privately last Friday.

“Sinabi niya na “Jonathan, I'm impressed with your idea to build communities in each member State. So, I, myself, as an environmentalist, I would like you to continue this work of yours.” So sana daw hindi lang mag-serve yun as an idea, maging reality daw yun," he said.

The UN Secretary General's inspiring words encouraged Defante to do even more.

"Parang now, I want to do more, to be more involved in humanitarian activities especially sa mga Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), like My Shelter Foundation, saka sa Hug-It Forward in Guatemala," said Defante.

The UN video contest was made in observance of the World Humanitarian Day. Defante encouraged Filipino youths from all over the world to do more humanitarian work, even without getting a prize for doing so.

“Sa mga kabataan especially, this is the best time to express any idea that would benefit mankind kasi we have tools for it, di katulad dati, ngayon we have social networking, we have Youtube, Facebook, etc." he said.

Defante will hold the honorary title as UN Citizen Ambassador for two years but it may be extended by the United Nations if he continues his humanitarian work.