SEOUL, 15 March 2022 - In celebration of International Women's Month, Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined a panel discussion convened by Sookmyung Women's University President Yunkeum Chang with seven Ambassadors of Diplomatic Missions in the Republic of Korea on 8 March 2022. The topics of discussion included ways to empower women and making this count through education, COVID-19's impact on access to education for women and girls, and whether women are using available opportunities to make their power count.

During a vibrant and lively discussion, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega shared the Philippine experience on bridging the gender gap as well as working on inclusivity and access of women and young girls to education.

On education, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega highlighted the importance of platforms and venues aside from formal classroom settings for women to learn and for their voices to be heard. The Ambassador also stressed the importance of gender education in all stages of life. "We talk about education which is very important in itself, but we also need to create opportunities for women and girls after education and beyond the classroom so they can contribute significantly in their chosen fields," the Ambassador said.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega likewise noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is an important lesson for governments to build better education safety nets in the future, particularly for women and girls as they were among the most vulnerable to disrupted access to education, the full impact of which may not be felt until many years later.

She highlighted that there are numerous gender and development achievements in fields such as STEM, including more girls and young women pursuing work and study in this area. The rise of non-profit organizations like Girls Who Code or Women in Tech, along with a growing number of women trailblazers in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and space science, are all positive developments.

In response to a question on access to STEM, the Ambassador emphasized that opportunities are forged by a collective understanding of the need to create multiple pathways for women and girls to pursue these disciplines. She highlighted the Philippines' initiatives to get more women and girls in STEM, creating a conducive environment in these fields, and the impact of pioneering role models to normalize women in these disciplines.

"Women and girls need to play an active role in breaking societal gender bias. Stereotypes have to be broken. Beyond education, young girls and women have to be able to see what lies ahead for them. That there are opportunities for career advancement for girls who code, girls in physics, girls in knowledge industries. These are career paths they are free to pursue."

Aside from the Sookmyung University roundtable discussion, the Philippine Embassy will take part in other activities commemorating International Women's Month. END