UN Women considers it essential to promote digital literacy so citizens and activists can counter with messages of tolerance and peace.In Mindanao, separatist groups fought the central authorities for decades; tens of thousands died. A 2014 peace treaty between the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front led to the establishment in 2019 of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. But challenges persist because of the slow progress of the new governance system, communal conflict, violent extremism, and threats to social cohesion brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. 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...