Multilateralism in action: WFWP and CITU agree to implement permaculture project in the Philippines
By Dr. Marivir R. Montebon
New York – The multi-stakeholders meeting of the Beijing Plus 30 at the UN on a scorching summer day was one of the conferences I attended at the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development here.
Maria Victoria Cabrera, CEO of the New York-based Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, addressed government officials and civil society leaders to continuously engage with each other to act.
“Now more than ever, multilateralism is needed. Each issue (we are facing) is interrelated and must be addressed by multi-stakeholders,” said Cabrera, referring to the pressing and overlapping concerns on poverty alleviation, gender equality, climate action, and peacebuilding which the ECOSOC is addressing in the next five years.
Maria Victoria Cabrera-Balleza: Multilateralism is the key to development.
The international community of nations is lagging behind in addressing poverty and curbing wars worldwide, marred by politics and large-scale environmental threats, a bitter reality each member state have agreed on.
Multilateralism is a slow process, said Amb. Mario de Leon Jr. on another occasion, “but that is how diplomacy and development really looks like.”
Ms. Merly Barlaan of WFWPI and CITU President Engr. Bernard Villamor sign an MOU to partner in an earth-regenerative Permaculture project in Cebu, Philippines.
In its hyper localized sense, this multilateralism or multi-stakeholder approach is seen in the recently concluded parallel event when the Women’s Federation for World Peace International UN Relations Office and a Philippine university signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 23, 2025, for a joint project called “Mainstreaming Permaculture Education for Climate Action.”
This event, held at the New Yorker Hotel, aimed to address the issues on food security, environmental regeneration and action, youth and women empowerment, and economic development all in one.
Cebu Institute of Technology-University president Engr. Bernard Villamor and WFWPI vice president for administration and UN Relations director Merly Barlaan signed the MOU to implement a joint permaculture education program in Cebu City as a commitment to the UN General Assembly Resolution 76300, the human right to clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
CITU and WFWPI agreed to promote a joint education program on permaculture, implement at the community level regenerative food production systems, and build the capacity of local leaders and students to institutionalize permaculture education in the secondary and tertiary level of education of CIT-U.
“Our collaboration with CITU is in support of the realization and localization of the UN sustainable development goals as well as the Philippines’ Republic Act 8044 Youth in National Building, RA 7192 Gender & Development (GAD), and women empowerment through UN Reso. 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security,” the MOU reads.
At the local level in Cebu, both parties agreed to establish safe and healthy university-based and regenerative food production systems in the communities.
They will also trailblaze a global network of 10,000 student leaders who are conscientious, altruistic, and peace-loving environmental stewards led by the WFWPI and CIT-U.
In the neighboring province of Bohol, permaculture project has been initiated by Barlaan in her hometown in Carmen, collaborating with youth and local agricultural officers of the government. The Cebu project comes in as an institutional partnership with the academe.
The WFWPI permaculture project in Bohol, tapping on youth leaders.
Villamor expressed gratitude for the partnership. “I don’t know where to start. But like Merly, I’d like to say I couldn’t do this without you. I learned permaculture many years ago. But it is difficult. It takes collaboration to do this. I am inspired by my wife, my senior adviser. Today, my wife and I think not for ourselves, but for the next generation. I am inspired by my son and the youth. How can we empower them.”
Villamor cited the dire need for the youth to have proper and quality nutrition to help solve the “learning crisis” in the Philippines. He said that permaculture, which is a small-scale regenerative food production system, could be the answer to ensure that the children get a proper meal before going to school.
In the permaculture project, he said that mothers could cook and feed their children properly with food coming from their own regenerative urban gardens. “We can do a pilot community of mothers and let our students participate. Permaculture is a way to live practically.”
Clementine Villamor said that as a hands-on parent, she is concerned that hunger and the learning crisis is a fundamental problem in the Philippines. “Good nutrition for the children is basic. But sadly, this is still a problem in the Philippines. Thank you for the inspiration. I will prove to you that we will do this project together.”
De Leon closed the MOU event with a note of inspiration and hope. “As you saw in the video on permaculture in Bohol, there is a proof of concept that this project will work. It is our action to end hunger and to develop youth leaders.”
In January 2026, WFWPI and CIT-U will hold a permaculture summit in Cebu and a permaculture tour in Bohol with the ambassadors for peace and youth leaders. This will be a major multistakeholder endeavor where we are doing a deep-dive into the locality while thinking globally for the greater good. #
