On April 21, 2026, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) launched the first-ever International Day of Women in Industry with the theme “Sulong Juana: Women Leadership in Shaping the Future of Industry.” The event was held at the Crowne Plaza Galleria in Quezon City, bringing together more than 150 participants, including senior representatives from government, the private sector, academia, and the development community.
The program featured two panel discussions in the morning centered on the critical and growing role of women in advancing innovative, inclusive, and sustainable industrial development. In the afternoon, thematic breakout sessions produced concrete and actionable recommendations across key areas.
One of these sessions, focused on women in the green and circular economy, was co-organized by HOPEx Environment Group Inc. and BAN Toxics — both currently implementing UNIDO projects in partnership with the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), with funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). HOPEx is the executing partner for the Plastic Reboot project, and BAN Toxics for the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project (HCWM Project).
The session discussed the impacts of a linear economy, with particular emphasis on its disproportionate effects on women, and examined existing barriers to, and best practices for the effective and meaningful participation and leadership of women in circular and green economy initiatives.
Setting the context of the session, Jam Lorenzo, BAN Toxics executive director and HCWM Project manager discussed how the linear economy disproportionately burdens women — who make up the majority of the informal waste sector — exposing them to hazardous chemicals with serious health consequences. Rasheila Yanina Antasuda, Senior Environmental Management Specialist and HCWM Project focal person of the DENR-EMB, outlined the Philippines’ evolving policy framework driving the country’s shift toward a more circular, inclusive waste management system.
A moderated discussion with Dr. Kristine A. Obmerga of the City Health Office of Quezon City, Erica Cardoso, Managing Director of Evergreen Labs Philippines Consulting Inc., and Mara Medrano, Regional Engagement Manager of Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia, highlighted that women are already driving circularity across the healthcare, community, and informal waste sectors. Yet they remain in need of formal recognition, empowerment, and support through long-term, inclusive systems and governance.
Following the discussions, the participants were invited to participate in a Solutions Café. There, they identified deep-rooted cultural and structural barriers — from misogyny and gender bias to limited funds, skills gaps, and weak policy enforcement — as the key obstacles for women in the circular economy. To address these, they called for gender-inclusive policies, better wages, microfinancing, incubation programs for women-led MSMEs, and stronger multi-sectoral partnerships involving LGUs, government agencies, Civil Society Organizations, and the private sector.
In closing the breakout session, Athalie Reyes of HOPEx and Project Manager of Plastic Reboot Philippines said that true circularity requires institutionalization, not just projects — and women must be at the center of that system, not just included as an afterthought.
Other breakout sessions during the event included a Solutions Lab on Gender-Responsive E-Mobility, Women Powering the Water–Energy–Food Nexus, Empowering Women to Lead in Future-Ready Skills, and Advancing Women’s Participation in High-Value Sectors.
The event also featured a photo gallery celebrating Filipino women shaping industrial transformation. Among those spotlighted were key figures from the HCWM Project, including Asec. Jacqueline Caancan, OIC Assistant Secretary for Environment and Concurrent Director of the DENR-EMB, Dr. Evelyn Victoria Reside, Medical Center Chief of Quirino Memorial Medical Center, and Dr. Cherry Lou M. Antonio, Medical Center Chief of Cagayan Valley Medical Center.
Adding a memorable and spirited moment before the closing ceremonies, the HCWM Project’s mascot, Nurse Susie, was introduced to the audience and performed a dance number to her very own theme song, championing the project’s advocacy for the Toxics-Free Hospitals campaign.
The event concluded with a strong call to accelerate collective action across government, industry, and development partners to ensure that women are not only participants in industrial transformation, but leaders shaping its future. It was made possible through UNIDO’s collaboration with key partners, including DFA, DTI, DENR, DepEd, TESDA, PCW MinDA, UNFPA, Clean Air Asia, BAN Toxics, and HOPEx Environment Group Inc.