A four-day on-site assembly for Women’s Rights Action and Advocacy Project (WRAAP) partners focused on various women's sector issues was held last November 21 to 24, 2023 in Clark, Pampanga.

The activity aims to intensify the capacity of our partner Women’s Rights Organizations and Networks to advocate for gender equality and women's rights effectively.

The learning session and workshop covered policy advocacy strategies and techniques to drive meaningful change within the sector. Atty. Clara Rita Padilla, Executive Director of EnGenderRights, tackled Basic Feminist Advocacy alongside Policy Advocacy on the history of factors hindering women’s rights, and advocacies, especially in the Philippine context. Atty. Padilla shared her experiences as a lawyer defending women’s rights in cases related to gender-based violence and abuses of women and female adolescents. Further, she reminded and urged the Women’s Rights Organizations to assert women’s rights in political participation and representation.

Likewise, the learning session also became an avenue to discuss the policy advocacies being lobbied by our WRNs in the WE-EngAGE grant stream namely, (1) Enhancing Women’s Participation in Politics and Good Governance; (2) Capacity building to Support Workplace Gender Equality in the Philippines; (3) Women-centered and rights-based provision of post-abortion care; (4) Empowering communities to fight trafficking in persons and OSAE of Children and Young People; (5) Strengthening Women’s Engagement in Community Peace and Security; and (6) Feminist Solidarity Network against Extra-Judicial Killings (EJKs), to foster alliance-building.

WRAAP is a 5-year project funded by Global Affairs Canada, aims to improve the quality of life of women and girls by supporting the work and advocacies of local Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) and Women’s Rights Networks (WRNs) in the Philippines.