As delivered Madam Chair, Distinguished Members of the Committee, Former President Aquino accepted the invitation to be one of the ten Head of State Champions of the HeForShe Campaign. He committed that the Philippine Government will strengthen support to end violence against women, promote women’s economic empowerment by strengthening micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and promote male engagement for gender equality. The Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) financial and human resources have been significantly strengthened and increased. The PCW is the lead national entity for women’s empowerment and gender equality in the Philippines. Madam Chair, Members of the Committee, We are proud that our humble efforts to advance women’s rights have been recognized outside of our country. The ASEAN has noted the Philippines’ lead role in women’s participation in areas such as peace-building, by promoting their role as negotiators, mediators, peacekeepers and relief workers. In addition, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights mandated our representative, Ambassador Rosario G. Manalo, to undertake the research on the sources of economic growth of Southeast Asia and the sectors responsible for that growth. Ambassador Manalo, in coordination with the Asian Institute of Management, pursued this study which shows that 90% of the economic Page 13 of 16