Marcos: No real progress without women’s full participation

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers a national statement at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, United States on Monday (March 9, 2026, local time). In his speech, Marcos emphasized the importance of empowering women and protecting their rights. (Photo: Presidential Communications Office/Facebook)

NEW YORK CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday (local time) emphasized that meaningful progress can only be achieved if there is women’s participation in development efforts and decision-making processes.

Speaking at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City, Marcos said the status of women remains one of the most fundamental measures of a nation’s progress.

“We gather here to discuss what is, in truth, one of the most fundamental measures of a nation’s progress: the status of its women,” he said.

Marcos noted that countries often measure development through economic growth, infrastructure, technology, and trade.

He, however, said there is a “human measure” that determines whether a society is really moving forward.

“We often speak of development in terms of economic growth, infrastructure, technology, or trade. But there is a simpler and more human measure: How are the women doing,” Marcos said.

Marcos said societies advance when women are educated, safe, and able to lead and participate.

“If women are educated, safe, able to work, able to lead, able to decide the course of their own lives — then a society is moving forward. If they are not, then no level of prosperity can truly be called progress,” he said.

He stressed that women must be present whenever important decisions are made, including in government, business, science, diplomacy, and peacebuilding.

He also cited the many contributions of Filipino women in shaping the Philippines’ democracy, economy, and national identity.

Marcos said women in the country have long served as leaders in government and business, as innovators, educators, health workers, entrepreneurs, and as the steady strength within families and communities.

“In the Philippines, we are proud to say that we have long believed that empowering women is not merely a matter of fairness — it is a cornerstone of nation-building,” he said.

Marcos also emphasized the women’s crucial role in addressing global challenges such as conflict, climate change, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological advancement.

“We cannot hope to solve the great challenges of our time if half of our humanity is excluded from shaping those solutions,” he said.

The CSW serves as the UN’s principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to promoting gender equality, women’s rights, and women’s empowerment.