UN Women Executive Director announces collaborative study with Asian Development Bank

During a two-day Mission in the Philippines, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, addressed the Eminent Speakers’ Forum of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote gender equality and women’s rights within a regional context.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Takehiko Nakao, President of Asian Development Bank are having a discussion about the collaboration between the two organizations. Photo: UN Women Philippines/Alamid

ADB and UN Women will work together on a collaborative study announced during the Mission that will help Asia and the Pacific track its progress in realizing gender equality. It will prioritize Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) five but also include all targets relevant to the empowerment of women and girls.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka meets with Takehiko Nakao, President of Asian Development Bank, and right after the meeting; President Hakao announces that he is a "HeForShe". Photo: UN Women Philippines/Alamid

On 8 September Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka visited the ADB headquarters to meet with President Takehiko Nakao and Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development BamBang Susantono. She also attended a meeting with the Gender Equity Thematic Group Committee.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka meets with Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Hon. Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles. Photo: UN Women Philippines/Alamid

The Executive Director highlighted key learnings within the framework of the SDGs during her presentation "The Gender Goal": The Promises of SDG Five, the Challenges, and the Cost of Delivering Planet 50–50 by 2030.

At the Eminent Speakers’ Forum of the Asian Development Bank, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke about a collaborative study that will assist in tracking the realization of gender equality in Asia and the Pacific. Photo: UN Women Philippines/Alamid

She then met with the Philippines’ Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Hon. Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles.

Next stop

On 9 September Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka will travel to the Malacanan Palace where she will speak with members of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), including Executive Director Emmeline Verzosa.

In Quezon City later that day, she will meet Mayor Herbert Bautista, as well as officers of the Gender and Development (GAD) Council, a Safe Cities partner.

The Executive Director will also take part in the high-level dialogue “Economies that Work for Women” attended by governmental, non-governmental and development partners to emphasize the key messages and substantive issues of UN Women’s flagship report, “Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights.” She will meet with representatives of women’s organizations and other civil society organizations to discuss UN Women’s programmes and projects in the Philippines, as well as emerging issues on gender equality.