Broadcast journalist Karen Davila was officially named the first-ever United Nations (UN) Women Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines. She took the good news to Instagram, on Saturday, September 23.
"THE UN FAMILY [...] I honestly didn’t know what to expect but was so surprised with how warm, welcoming everybody was at the UN Women Asia Pacific office!" the news anchor remarked on her Instagram post.
Karen shared that the UN Women Asia Pacific Regional Director Alia El-Yassir personally welcomed her in their office in Bangkok, Thailand.
She also gave a glimpse of all the issues and concerns that the UN Women have been working on including climate change, women's economic empowerment, and more.
As a Goodwill Ambassador, Karen is set to forward far-reaching campaigns for women's rights and welfare not just in the Philippines but also in the Asia Pacific region. She admitted that the issues she'll be handling are not new to her, especially that she has decades of experience covering women's stories.
"I always say the best investment one can make to lift a family out of poverty is educating a girl and empowering a mother," she wrote in her caption.
"I will be working with many UN Women champions and advocates back home to help bring about change in mindsets, behaviour and hopefully, in the everyday lives of women and girls through projects we will be involved in," Karen added.
The new Goodwill Ambassador revealed that the final meeting for her new role will be in October and it will be done at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.
Doing groundwork for women and advocating for their rights have always been a part of Karen's passion projects. It's no secret how active and giving she is as a volunteer with the UN Women.
In May 2023, exactly six years after its siege, Karen and her youngest son Lucas went together on volunteer work in Marawi. They had in-depth conversations with the former women combatants and residents of the war-torn city.
"Exposure and experience are great teachers. He’s (Lucas) only seen war in films so stepping into Marawi was such a transformative & eye-opening experience for him," Karen said.
Their volunteer work in Marawi was just one of the many times that Karen had devoted her time and effort to open conversations on women's rights and to bring help where it is most needed.
We are extending our heartfelt congratulations to you, Ms. Karen!
* This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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