by Luz Maria Martinez

Indigenous people around the world share a commonality—they have paid a price for being the original inhabitants of their countries.

With the onset of colonization this cycle of oppression continues until today. Whether through expansionism or migration, the original inhabitants of the lands we inhabit have suffered and in some instances have been wiped off the face of the earth.

At a recent forum on the plight of the Lumads at Miriam College in the Philippines, I had the chance to hear and talk to a peace advocate from the Lumad indigenous group.

by Luz Maria Martinez

Leticia Ramos Shahani with Congressman Belmonte (L) and elder brother, former President Fidel Ramos.

Dr. Leticia Ramos Shahani, whose life can hardly be categorized into one area of work, was honored on June 9, 2015 by the House of Representatives and the Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the Philippines for her valuable contributions in shaping the women's global agenda and pioneering initiatives for the empowerment of women through a national resolution.

For those of who may not know who she is, she is no less than the first co-author of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The first working draft was known as the Philippine-Soviet Draft, and she is among the top-ranking women of the UN. Shahani, served as Chair of the UN Commission on The Status of Women; Secretary General of both the Third UN World Conference on Women and Seventh Congress on Crime Prevention and Treatment of Offenders. She served as UN Assistant Secretary General for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs.

By Luz Maria Martinez

It felt like we were all there on a mission — to be heard, to tell the world we are here this is how we think, dance, paint, talk, dress but our issues are interconnected.

The 4th Women's World Conference, 1995 in Beijing, China officially turns 20 in September 2015. So not only has this year been a year of review but it is also a time for retrospection about what and who we were in 1995. For me, this hindsight is like a trailer for an up and coming film on a fast forward button.

Where to begin? When in doubt, mid-way always works.

At the time, I along with my colleague and friend Mavic Balleza was part of the Isis communication team. One of our tasks was to cover interesting women to feature in the Isis International third quarter issue of Women in Action (WiA).

Mavic Balleza holding white jacket and Luz Martinez holding folders of the Isis communication team.

As someone new to Asia and to the women's movement, the entire process and trip was an extravaganza of women.