Guest Speaker: Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela
Commissioner, Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines
Former Director, SEAMEO Secretariat (first female Director)
On Friday, August 14, 2026, we will host our 13th AWLF Online Summit via Zoom.
AWLF Online Summit is a recurring, dialogue-based series designed as “A Third Place to Connect with Asian Women Leaders.” It brings together participants across generations and borders to engage in meaningful conversations, learn from lived experiences, and reflect on leadership and life.
Our special guest for this session is Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela — a pioneering education leader who has dedicated her career to shaping the future of learning across Southeast Asia and beyond, from the halls of UNESCO to the classrooms of the region’s most underserved communities.
As the first female Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat — the executive body serving 11 Southeast Asian member states — Dr. Pascua-Valenzuela has led landmark regional initiatives spanning peace education, literacy, global citizenship, and educational assessment. She led the implementation of SEA PLM, the first regional assessment of Grade 5 learners in reading, writing, and mathematics across Southeast Asia, and spearheaded the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the SEAMEO CARES Programme and the SEAMEO Border Schools Project. She represents SEAMEO at UNESCO’s High-Level Steering Committees and the Education 2030 SDGs Steering Committee, and serves as advisory member to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and UNESCO ISCED-T. She currently serves as Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines, where she continues to shape national and regional education policy at the highest level.
At this session, Dr. Pascua-Valenzuela will share her journey and insights on the future of education in Asia — on what it truly takes to build systems that nurture peace, equity, and the next generation of leaders.
The AWLF Online Summit is a dialogue-centered gathering, combining a keynote talk from our guest with interactive conversations among participants. We invite you to join us for a space where new perspectives and cross-border connections can emerge beyond generations and backgrounds.
■ Guest Speaker
Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela
Commissioner, Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines
Former Director, SEAMEO Secretariat (first female Director)
- First female Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat, the executive body serving 11 Southeast Asian member states
- Serves as ASEAN Advisor on the Future of Education at the ASEAN Secretariat
- Represents SEAMEO at UNESCO’s High-Level Steering Committees and the Education 2030 SDGs Steering Committee
- Advisory member to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), and UNESCO ISCED-T
- Led the SEA PLM — the first regional assessment of Grade 5 learners in Southeast Asia — and spearheaded the SEAMEO CARES Programme and Border Schools Project during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Has dedicated her career to advancing peace education, literacy, and global citizenship across Asia and beyond
■ Event Details
- Date & Time: Friday, August 14, 2026 | 7:00–8:30 PM (JST)
- Platform: Zoom (access link will be sent to registered participants in advance)
- Participation Fee: Free
- Language: English (Japanese interpretation available)
■ How to Register
- Add AWLF’s official LINE account
- Register via this form: https://forms.gle/5N5aKMqaN3rtNUpZ6
■ Looking Ahead
We continue to work toward its vision of cultivating one million women leaders from Asia by 2030, with a major international summit scheduled for September 2026 in Bangkok, bringing together 300 Asian women leaders — including 100 youth leaders.
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