PH Convenes ASEAN Consultation to Set Stage for Landmark Gender-Transformative Declaration on ASEAN Community Vision 2045

PH Convenes ASEAN Consultation to Set Stage for Landmark Gender-Transformative Declaration on ASEAN Community Vision 2045

^{ACW Chair and PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar, PCW ASEAN Secretariat, and ACWC Chair Dr. Amaryllis Torres lead ASEAN efforts in advancing a gender-transformative agenda, driving coordinated regional action toward inclusive and equitable development under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.}

ASEAN takes a decisive step toward transforming gender equality commitments into measurable, system-wide outcomes-with the Philippines leading the push for a landmark Declaration set to impact 340 million women and girls by 2045.

The ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), together with ASEAN Sectoral Bodies across the Political-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural Community Pillars, representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, and Philippine government agencies convened a Consultation Workshop on the ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Transformative Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans.

The consultation marks a significant step in advancing ASEAN's commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE), as ASEAN Member States transition toward the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which envisions a "Resilient, Innovative, Dynamic, and People-Centred" region.

^{The consultation was attended by 157 representatives from ACW, ACWC, ASEAN Sectoral Bodies across the three ASEAN Community Pillars, the ASEAN Secretariat, and Philippine government agencies.}

In 2017, under the Philippines' Chairship, ASEAN adopted a landmark Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that advanced gender mainstreaming across all Community Pillars and reinforced commitments to women's leadership, gender-responsive budgeting, sex-disaggregated data, and the elimination of gender-based violence-anchored in global frameworks, such as the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the ASEAN Charter.

The ASEAN Declaration is grounded in Southeast Asia's long-standing legacy of women's leadership-from the Philippines' Babaylan to Indonesia's influential queens and Thailand's matrilineal traditions. It advances a gender-transformative approach to governance.

As ASEAN transitions toward the Community Vision 2045, there is a clear imperative to advance beyond gender-responsive approaches toward gender-transformative action that confronts structural inequalities and fosters enduring systemic reform.

In response, the Philippines, serving as ACW Chair, is spearheading a proposed ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Transformative Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans, aiming to achieve the following:

1. Embed gender-transformative principles into all actions under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans (ACW Work Plan 2026-2030, ACWC Work Plan 2026-2030, AGMSF implementation, ASCC Strategic Plan 2045, AEC Strategic Plan 2045, and APSC Strategic Plan 2045 among others);
2. Strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation and accountability mechanisms;
3. Address systemic barriers and discriminatory norms;
4. Promote gender-transformative participation, leadership, and decision-making; and
5. Ensure that development outcomes across ASEAN are equitable, people-centred, and inclusive.

"The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 calls us to be resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centred. But a people-centred ASEAN that leaves half of its people on the margins is not people-centred at all. It is a painful contradiction that we can no longer afford to ignore," said Her Excellency Ermelita Valdeavilla, ACW Chair and PCW Chairperson, underscoring the urgent need for ASEAN to deliver concrete, structural outcomes that ensure women and girls are fully empowered as equal partners in shaping the region's future.

^{ACW Chair and PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla calls for the urgency of advancing from gender-responsive to gender-transformative approaches to achieve lasting structural change across ASEAN.}

She further emphasized that this revamp requires decisive action: "This is why we must progress-decisively and without turning back-from a gender-responsive approach to a gender-transformative one. Not to concentrate on treating the symptoms of inequality, but in dismantling its root causes. Not to help women navigate and survive discriminatory structures, but to restructure those institutions, systems, and power arrangements in a way that all human beings can thrive."

Multi-sectoral and inclusive consultation

Participants engaged in thematic discussions, breakout sessions, and consensus-building activities to further enhance the ASEAN Declaration based on specific contexts, priorities, and strategic commitments of the ASEAN Member States and Sectoral Bodies; ensure alignment with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans; and strengthen cross-sectoral accountability and cooperation.

Advancing a gender-transformative ASEAN

The Declaration will focus on eight (8) interconnected thematic areas aligned with the Community Vision 2045 and ASEAN's GEWE and gender mainstreaming frameworks:

1. Women's Economic Empowerment and Future Workforce Readiness
2. Health and Well-being Across the Life Course
3. Education and Skills for the Future
4. Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Gender-Based Violence
5. Mainstreaming Gender in Peace and Security Operations
6. Climate-Resilient Development for Gender Equity
7. Building Adaptive Social Safety Nets and Inclusive Welfare
8. Ensuring Equitable Access and Safe Digital Empowerment

These priority areas respond to emerging regional challenges such as digital transformation, climate change, widening inequalities, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which disproportionately affect women and girls.

Toward adoption in 2026: From Gender-responsive to Gender-transformative

A gender-transformative approach to governance positions women not merely as recipients of development, but as key drivers and decision-makers shaping the region's future.

During the workshop, participants clarified that a gender-transformative approach does not pertain to gender transition or changing one's gender identity. Rather, it seeks to reshape systems, institutions, social norms, and power relations that reinforce inequality and restrict opportunities for women and marginalized groups. While gender-responsive approaches often focus on addressing the manifestations of inequality, gender-transformative approaches aim to dismantle its root causes and cultivate meaningful, long-term inclusion.

The approach is not intended to replace previous gains and initiatives, but to reinforce and elevate them. It builds on existing progress in gender equality by advancing deeper institutional and societal transformation toward more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.

Inputs gathered during the consultation workshop will inform the refinement of the draft Declaration, which will undergo further validation and discussion during the 6th ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee Meeting. The finalized Declaration is targeted for adoption at the 49th ASEAN Leaders' Summit in October 2026.

Once adopted, the Declaration is expected to:

• Strengthen regional commitments to gender-transformative governance;
• Enhance data systems and accountability mechanisms;
• Increase women's leadership and participation across sectors; and
• Promote inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development outcomes across ASEAN.

Reinforcing ASEAN solidarity

Through this initiative, the Philippines underscores its leadership in advancing gender equality within ASEAN and reaffirms its commitment to building a more inclusive and resilient regional community.

"The work we have accomplished today is a critical milestone. It is part of a larger, deliberate process. As we move toward the next stage, I urge you to keep the momentum of today's dialogue alive. We are not just drafting a declaration; we are operationalizing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the Community Pillars' Strategic Plans. We are ensuring that the "Resilient, Innovative, and Dynamic" ASEAN we envision is one where every woman, man, girl, and boy can meaningfully contribute to and benefit from our regional community-building agenda," PCW Executive Director and ACW Philippines Focal Person Nharleen Santos-Millar thanked the participants for their tireless dedication, expertise, and unwavering belief in the power of a gender-transformative ASEAN.

^{PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar outlines next steps and the pathway toward the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration, reinforcing ASEAN's commitment to translating gender equality into measurable, transformative results.}

The consultation workshop forms part of a series of engagements supporting the development of a landmark ASEAN Declaration that will shape the region's gender equality agenda for the coming decades.