CEDAW/C/PHI/Q/6/Add.1 Optional protocol 30. Please provide information about steps taken to make the Optional Protocol, which the Philippines ratified in 2003, more widely known. The Philippine government has widely disseminated information and advocacy on the convention, including the Optional Protocol. Through the project “Facilitating CEDAW Implementation Towards Realization of Women’s Human Rights in South East Asia” or CIDAUNIFEM CEDAW-SEAP, the NCRFW and other project partners including Ateneo Human Rights Center (HRC) Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA), Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of the Miriam College, Women’s Feature Service (WFS), Women’s Legal Bureau (WLB) and the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies (CWS), are currently undertaking several national and regional information and advocacy campaigns to make widely known the CEDAW and its Optional Protocol. The CEDAW SEAP is a regional program that aims to assist seven countries in Southeast Asia to implement CEDAW more effectively. The Philippine program involves the following elements: Public Awareness Raising, Capacity Building and Training, Research and Advocacy, CEDAW Monitoring and Reporting, Technical Assistance, and Partnership building and Networking. Through this program, nationwide orientations, fora and workshops about CEDAW to government officers at all levels (cabinet members and technical officers) and in all branches (executive, legislative and judiciary), NGOs, academic institutions and other organizations are being conducted. Also through the assistance of CEDAW-SEAP, the WFS and NCRFW published the CEDAW 2006 Planner distributed to GO and NGO partners which includes a briefer on CEDAW and the Optional Protocol, and a CEDAW Primer translated in seven major Philippine dialects to popularize CEDAW nationwide. The CEDAW Annual Planner has been issued by the NCRFW as early as 2004 and has proven to be a popular and effective way of disseminating the Convention to both the public and private sectors. The 2006 Women's Month Celebration revolved around the theme "CEDAW ng Bayan: Karapatan ng Kababaihan"* (CEDAW of the Country: Women’s Rights). The celebration focused on raising public awareness on the provisions of the CEDAW and the Optional Protocol on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the Convention. About 30% - 40% of national government agencies and local government units have celebrated Women’s Month in their own localities, carrying the theme. Some 800 local councils on women and members of the Lady Municipal Mayors Association of the Philippines (LMMAP) have participated in the nationwide celebrations as well, with their own commemorations. One of the highlights of the Women’s Month celebration was the presentation by the Chairperson of the NCRFW, Ms. Myrna Yao of the Philippine Report to CEDAW and the Follow-up questions of the Committee to the President and her Cabinet as well as to members of Congress. __________________ CEDAW is pronounced sounding like “sigaw,” meaning a shout, or Cry, which makes the slogan also mean Cry of the People. * 30