Cearlovey Granali, a third-year Bachelor of Arts in Political Science major in International Relations and Foreign Service Program student, actively participated in the 68^th Convention of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) on March 11–22, 2024 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S.A. 

With the theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective,” CSW68 convened global leaders from the government, feminist organizations, and youth organizations to accelerate efforts for gender equality and to influence policy instruments for women empowerment. CSW68 is the largest intergovernmental commission dedicated to gender equality and empowerment around the world. 

Granali served as the youngest resource speaker for the panel “Shared Vision to End Gender-based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation,” which was hosted by the United Nations Population Fund. Granali shared her personal story that ignited her advocacy journey with the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP). 

Granali interacted and pitched ideas during the following parallel learning sessions:

• Feminist Economic Justice during Crises: Perspectives from Asia (convened by Women’s Fund Asia); 
• Accelerating Gender Equality through  Social Protection and Digital Innovation in Malawi (convened by Malawi and Plan International); 
• Harnessing Social Protection to Tackle Poverty and Empower Women and Girls (convened by Permanent Mission of Belgium and the Delegation of the European Union to the UN); 
• Empowering Peace: Unveiling the Cost-effectiveness and Value-added of Women’s Conflict Prevention Work (convened by The Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding); 
• Closing the Gender Gap in Education: How To Address Long-Term Barriers and Emerging Challenges in a World of Complex Crises? (convened by Office of the President of the General Assembly and UN Women); 
• Role of Media in Preventing Violence Against Women (convened by ADVU-JWF); 
• Innovative Partnerships to End Trafficking in Women and Girls: The Santa Marta Group Model (convened by Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations, and Santa Marta Group); and
• In Conversation with Adolescent Girls: What it Means to be Girl’s Ally on the Global Stage (Adolescent Girls Investment Plan). 

Granali is the Visayas Region Girl Representative to the Central Board of the GSP and was the National Outstanding Girl Scout in 2020.

She is also an active student leader of the Carolinian Political Science Society (CPSS) and the Carolinian Circle of Young Diplomats (CCYD) of the University of San Carlos.

With reporting from the Department of Political Science