Womens Leadership Programme Strengthens UAE Philippines Bilateral Cooperation In Governance

The UAE plans to host a high-level Philippine delegation in April 2026 for a specialised Women’s Leadership Programme. The initiative targets ministers and senior officials and aims to boost women’s participation in decision-making roles. It also supports wider cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Manila on leadership development and institutional capacity-building.

The programme will welcome about 20 to 25 government leaders from the Republic of the Philippines. Participants will come from both public and private sectors. Sessions will address women’s leadership, governance models and talent pipelines. The design reflects a shared goal to strengthen female representation while deepening government-to-government collaboration between the UAE and the Philippines.

The recent meeting between the UAE Gender Balance Council and Louise Araneta Marcos, First Lady of the Republic of the Philippines, advanced this cooperation track. Organised with the Government Knowledge Exchange Office, the session gathered Abdullah Nasser Lootah and Mouza Al Suwaidi. Discussions centred on leadership capacity-building and structured knowledge exchange between both governments.

Officials framed the Women’s Leadership Programme as part of a broader strategic partnership between the UAE and the Republic of the Philippines. This work aligns with a Memorandum of Understanding that runs from February 2025 to February 2028. The agreement targets government development, institutional performance and knowledge sharing across priority sectors, including gender balance and women’s empowerment.

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The Women’s Leadership Programme, launched by H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, focuses on practical leadership skills. It aims to build strong leadership pathways for women in the Philippines. The initiative supports women in public and private organisations, strengthens institutional readiness and encourages scalable governance approaches that can be adapted to different sectors.

The programme is designed to develop emerging leaders and expand the pool of qualified female professionals. It also aims to translate successful practices into institutional frameworks. Through targeted training and policy dialogue, the initiative seeks long-term institutional and societal benefits, using structured knowledge exchange between Emirati and Philippine teams.

H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, emphasised the importance of this constructive collaboration, stating, "The partnership between the UAE and the Republic of the Philippines embodies a solid model of international cooperation based on trust, knowledge exchange, and institutional capacity-building."

Women’s Leadership Programme and high-level perspectives

Louise Araneta Marcos used the meeting to underline the value of cooperation with the UAE, describing it as central to preparing governments for future challenges. During the session, Louise Araneta Marcos, First Lady of the Republic of the Philippines, expressed her appreciation to the UAE, emphasising that the partnership represents a key pillar in enhancing governments’ readiness for future challenges, stating, "We greatly value our strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates, with which we share the aspiration in advancing women’s leadership and building institutional capacities. We are eager to explore new areas of collaboration that will strengthen shared development and translate women’s empowerment into tangible results. Knowledge-sharing initiatives are especially important, as they allow us to add new knowledge and fresh perspective, recognising both countries’ experience in creating practical, actionable programs, defining clear leadership pathways, and turning lessons into concrete steps within our institutions."I am pleased to reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to advancing the ‘Women’s Leadership Support Program’ as a hands-on platform that maximises the impact of this partnership at both institutional and societal levels."

Following these remarks, Louise Araneta Marcos reaffirmed that the Philippines will continue to support the Women’s Leadership Programme. The First Lady highlighted that the programme offers a structured way to turn shared learning into applied practice. She stressed that the partnership is intended to benefit institutions and wider society across both countries.

Louise Araneta Marcos also recognised the broader work under the Government Knowledge Exchange Programme. The First Lady commended efforts to design and deliver initiatives that raise the capabilities of government and female leaders. She linked these actions to the strong bilateral relationship and a common focus on human capital development and institutional performance.

In this context, Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, stated, "The launch of the Women’s Leadership Programme reflects the UAE’s firm commitment to strengthening international cooperation and knowledge exchange in the field of women’s empowerment and leadership, contributing to policy development, enhanced institutional readiness, and the creation of sustainable leadership pathways with long-term impact."

Meanwhile, Mouza Mohammed Al Ghuwais Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General, said, "The Women’s Leadership Programme has been designed to translate the UAE’s gender balance and women’s empowerment priorities into practical outcomes through an integrated institutional approach. Achieving lasting positive change cannot be accomplished by a single entity alone; it requires effective partnerships and ongoing coordination between the public and private sectors, as well as civil society institutions."

The governments of the UAE and the Republic of the Philippines strengthened their partnership in February 2025 through the Government Knowledge Exchange Office, which plays a pivotal role in facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise in government excellence, performance development, institutional and leadership capacity-building, and innovation—supporting the achievement of sustainable development impact.

Taken together, the Women’s Leadership Programme, the long-term Memorandum of Understanding and the Government Knowledge Exchange Office form an integrated cooperation framework. These elements link gender balance goals with government innovation efforts. For the UAE and the Philippines, the work offers a structured path to develop women leaders and enhance institutional readiness over the coming years.

With inputs from WAM