The UP Asian Center, the UP Center for International Studies, and the Program on Alternative Development, UP Center for Integrative and
Development Studies (CIDS) will host the onsite symposium "Global South Action on Palestine: A Symposium Engaging the Hague Group" on 29 October 2025, 2 PM, PHT, at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, UP Diliman. The symposium is free and open to the public. Online registration is encouraged due to limited slots.
ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM
On 31 January 2025, convened by Progressive International, nine Global South countries (Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa) established the Hague Group, an international organization committed to supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the United Nations in its efforts to ensure Israel’s accountability to international humanitarian and human rights law in its ongoing war and genocide against the Palestinian people.
From 15-16 July, the Hague Group convened the Emergency Conference on Palestine in Bogotá, Colombia, to coordinate actions for the enforcement of international law. The Bogotá summit was attended by 30 countries, including Global North countries such as Ireland, Portugal, and Spain, and by the major ASEAN country Indonesia.
The Hague Group is unique in two regards: first, it is a Global South-initiated and led effort to end the genocide against Palestine; second, it is so far the only international formation explicitly committed to support the “realisation of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.”
The symposium aims to inform Filipino scholars, students, civil society, media, and policymakers regarding the initiatives of the Hague Group and provide the public with official update on Palestine and the Gaza occupation.
ABOUT THE GUEST SPEAKERS
H.E. MOUNIR Y. K. ANASTAS
Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Philippines
His Excellency Mounir Y. K. Anastas serves as the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Republic of the Philippines, to which he presented his credentials in February 2025. Before his appointment to Manila, he held significant diplomatic posts, notably as the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to UNESCO in Paris, where he led efforts in cultural heritage diplomacy and chaired key UNESCO conventions on cultural preservation. Educated in the fields of arts, diplomacy, and international relations, Ambassador Anastas has dedicated his career to advancing cultural dialogue, heritage protection, and multilateral cooperation. In the Philippines, he has actively worked to strengthen bilateral relations through engagements in media, cultural, and diplomatic exchanges, while promoting a deeper understanding of Palestine’s history and the enduring importance of international solidarity and humanitarian partnership.
H.E. BARTINAH NTOMBIZODWA RADEBE-NETSHITENZHE
Ambassador of South Africa to the Philippines
Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe is the Ambassador of South Africa to the Philippines. She holds an MBA from the Management Institution of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) earned in 2004, along with a Post Graduate and an Advanced Diploma from the same institution. Ambassador Radebe-Netshitenzhe's expertise spans a wide array of areas including microfinance strategies, human resources development, project management, stakeholder engagement, and strategic management. Her career trajectory as civil servant span for over 25 years which includes significant roles within the African National Congress (ANC) and governmental agencies such as the National Intelligence Agency and the Energy Department, where she served as Head of Ministry. Beyond her professional achievements, Ambassador Radebe-Netshitenzhe is recognized for her activism in human rights, workers' rights, and gender equality. A longstanding member of the ruling party in South Africa, she is esteemed as a freedom fighter and a champion for community empowerment and gender rights.
ABOUT THE REACTORS
SOL DOROTEA R. IGLESIAS, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, UP Department of Political Science
Dr. Sol Iglesias is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, teaching subjects such as Political Analysis, Comparative Politics and Human Rights & International Relations. She has a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian Studies and a M.A. in Political Science from the National University of Singapore as well as a M.A. in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of New Mandala and co-convener of the Women in Southeast Asian Social Sciences (WISEASS). Read more.
NASSEF ADIONG, Ph.D.
Director, Policy Research and Legal Services, BARMM
Dr. Nassef Manabilang Adiong is the director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – Parliament’s Policy Research and Legal Services (PRLS) and founder of four academic networks including the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He researches policy issues affecting the Bangsamoro society and explores decolonial knowledge sources of the global south as well as interdisciplinary study between Islam and International Relations. Since 2012, he has initiated the founding of one academic journal, five book series, and published a number of edited books, numerous journal articles, policy papers, book chapters, discussion papers, encyclopedic essays, and reference entries. Dr Adiong has received more than 23 accolades including the Noam Chomsky Global Connections Emerging Scholar Award, the BTA legislative resolution of commendation, UP Scientist conferment, UP Centennial Professorial Chair award, the Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) honor, PUP Professorial Chairholder award, amongst others. Read more.
FAYE CURA
Gantala Press
Faye Cura is a writer and editor and the publisher of Gantala Press, a feminist small press in the Philippines whose recent publications include ‘PAGKAT TAYO MAN AY MAY SAMPAGA: NEW PHILIPPINE WRITING AND TRANSLATION FOR A FREE PALESTINE. Faye represents Gantala Press at Publishers for Palestine and the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, speaking recently on Palestine and publishing at the Literal PRO Radical Book Fair in Barcelona. Faye also volunteers with the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women and helps in their campaigns for food security, peasant women's rights and welfare, and national sovereignty.
MARIA MARANAN
Komikeros 4 Palestine
Maria Maranan is an activist, organizer, and artist. They are the National Education officer of the socialist youth organization Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), and was previously the head of the local SPARK chapter in Ateneo. They graduated in 2024 as the Program Awardee of AB History and as a recipient of the DALISAYAN art award for illustration. Maria tries their best to balance komiks, political work, and a day job. Some fandoms that have been a big part of their life are The Terror and Les Miserables.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
This symposium is organized by the UP Asian Center in partnership with the UP Center for International Studies and the Program on Alternative Development of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS).
For inquiries, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.