Marawi City, 28 July 2004 – In the gathering of Muslim women leaders and organizations of Mindanao, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today led the opening ceremonies of the 3-day Conference-Workshop on the Role of Muslim Women in Peace-Building and Development, held at the Marawi Resort Hotel, Lanao del Sur.

In her keynote speech, Secretary Albert highlighted her public diplomacy in promoting women’s issues and extolled the Filipino Muslim women and their vital role in peace-building and development agenda of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Mindano. “As the wellspring of peace in the household, the women is also the guardian of peace in society. A woman’s experience and success in negotiations becomes the unifying force of peace”, the Secretary said, while also mentioning two contemporary women leaders, former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who are paragons of peaceful change and transition of power in the country. Exhorted by Islam to pursue education, the Muslim women she said, is encouraged to seek knowledge for the betterment of the quality of her life by being well-trained, competent and excel in government, private business or whatever endeavor she might choose to venture.

In eradicating poverty in Mindanao, Secretary Albert said the Muslim women can do much to this end, saying that there can be no discussion of peace and economic growth in Mindano without the involvement of its women and therefore their voice must be heard in matters of governance and development efforts in Mindanao. For this purpose, she encourages the promotion of women’s studies so that women can actively contribute to solution of problems that pervade society such as drug addiction, infant mortality, poor health, illiteracy and environmental degradation.

The conference-workshop which opens today, is co-organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the funding agency – the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In providing the funds for the conference, the USAID has shown that it actively pursues peace and development of Mindanao. The Foreign Affairs Secretary is joined by Ambassador of India Navrekha Deborah Landey of the UN Development Programme, and Dr. Michael Yates of the USAID.

Other participants include government officials such as Presidential Adviser on Education Hon. Mona Valisno, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Chairperson Hon. Veronica Villavicencio, Dr. Amina Rasul-Bernardo, former chairperson of National Youth Commission and Ms. Marieta Goco, former chairperson of NAPC. Senior women officers and staff of DFA led by Ambassador Erlinda Basilio of the Foreign Service Institute also joined Secretary Albert.

Among the institutions and NGOs which supported the conference are the Mindanao Women’s League, Millennium Women for Peace and Development, the Philippine Women’s University Alumni Association (Marawi City and Lanao del Sur chapters) and the Mindanao State University Center for Women’s Studies. Participants come from various womens organizations from all over Mindanao representing multi-sectoral and multi-cultural groups. These organizations and participants have been involved in advancing women’s interests especially gender mainstreaming and women advocacy work.

Earlier in the day, Secretary Albert was conferred an honorary title of “Bai-A-Rawatun sa Pilimpinas” which means a role model for everyone to emulate. As a staunch supporter of Muslim women advocacy, the Foreign Affairs Secretary was lauded for her commitment to the advancement of interests of Muslim women in the Philippines and her high sense of professionalism and leadership in the foreign service. END