On November 13 at 9 AM Collegium Civitas will host the lecture “Advancing an Independent Philippine Foreign Policy in Accordance with National Interests” by  H.E. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.

Philippine Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro will deliver a lecture on the Philippines’ Independent Foreign Policy on 13 November 2024 at the Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. The lecture will put into context  the Philippines’ paramount principles when drafting foreign policy, provide insights into the Southeast Asian country’s  perspectives on the global order, and highlight the centrality of ASEAN in the Indo Pacific. The Undersecretary will also discuss developments in the West Philippine Sea, a geopolitical flashpoint in the Indo Pacific.

Undersecretary Lazaro is a career diplomat with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Maryknoll College and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. She held various positions, including Head, at the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs between 1993 to 2014, and served in various Philippine foreign service posts including in Bangkok, Geneva, Madrid, New York, and Sydney. She was the Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland in 2008-2011 and to France in 2014-2020.

The lecture will be held on Wednesday, November 13, at 9 AM in lecture room D. We encourage Collegium Civitas students and faculty members to attend the event.

RSVP: The lecture is open to public, however, registration is required at: international@civitas.edu.pl