The UP College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) congratulates Professor Emeritus and former Dean Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres on her appointment as Philippine Representative for Women’s Rights to the ASEAN Commission on the Women and Children’s Rights. She will serve as Philippine Representative from April 8, 2025 to April 7, 2028.

Dr. Torres has unparalleled track-record as an eminent scholar-academic and internationally recognized expert in women and children’s rights, human rights, gender and development, and women’s empowerment. She has over 50 years of experience in leading and managing development programs and projects not only in the academe but also with civil society organizations, national government agencies, the UN system, and other bilateral/multilateral development agencies in the Philippines and internationally.

Dr. Torres is a highly respected and well-loved faculty, a dedicated teacher and scholar, and an exceptional academic leader. An indefatigable advocate of gender equality and women’s empowerment within and outside the University, she has played a pivotal role in the inception, development and growth of the CSWCD’s graduate level Master of Arts in Women and Development (MAWD) Program and the Doctor of Social Development.

Outside the academe, Dr. Torres has firmly established her reputation as a socially engaged public intellectual and staunch advocate of gender equality, having completed innumerable research studies, delivered countless lectures and paper presentations, and extended training programs and other technical assistance on various women’s and gender issues among government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, peoples’ organizations, international and national non-governmental organizations, aid agencies, and other universities and colleges.

Her tireless commitment and unwavering devotion to the advancement of women’s empowerment, children’s rights, gender justice, and broader social justice and transformative development is a steadfast reflection of her strong feminist values.

The ACWC is an ASEAN regional human rights body established in 2010 to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children within ASEAN. Being chosen as the Philippine Women’s Representative to the ACWC provides Dr. Torres a broader platform to continue and further advance her advocacy and initiate programs for gender equality and the empowerment of women and children in the ASEAN.