CALD Women Participate in the Inaugural FNF Global Innovation Hub Empowerment Camp for Women in Politics

“Women’s political leadership is not only about who sits at the decision-making table. More importantly, it’s about whether that table can change what it is able to see.”

This powerful message from Ngalim Tiunn, Member of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, during the welcome dinner panel set the tone for the first-ever FNF Global Innovation Hub’s Empowerment Camp for Women in Politics, held from 2–7 July 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan. Facilitated by Marike Groenewald of Anew Europe, the camp brought together around 20 women leaders and political practitioners from Asia and Europe to exchange experiences, strengthen leadership skills, and build cross-regional partnerships.

The CALD delegation included Gov. Trina Firmalo-Fabic and Jessica Amon of the Liberal Party of the Philippines, Heng See Lin of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, V. Srivarathanabul of the Democrat Party of Thailand, Jaslyn Go, Chair of the CALD Women’s Caucus, and Julienne Faustino, CALD Communications Officer.

Throughout the week, participants engaged in interactive discussions on their personal leadership journeys, the history and electoral success of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), political campaigning, political communication and social media, crisis management, and building healthy organizational and team cultures. Sessions also explored how party structures contribute to electoral success and how liberal political parties can adapt to changing political environments.

Speakers included Michael Chen, Director of the DPP International Department, who introduced the DPP’s organizational structure and international engagement; Wei-jyun Huang, former spokesperson for former Premier Su Tseng-chang; Julia Tzu-han Hsieh, former Deputy Spokesperson of the Executive Yuan; Kang-hao Fan, former Director of the DPP Media Innovation Center, and Formosa Lee, former Campaign Director for the 2016 DPP Presidential Election.

Delegates were also exposed to a series of outdoor visits. They visited the DPP Headquarters, where they met with representatives from the International Affairs Department, New Resident Department, New Media Center, and Indigenous Affairs Department to better understand the party’s organization and priorities.

The delegation also observed a campaign rally of Taipei City Councilor Rita Yen and visited the campaign headquarters of DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chiao-Hui Su, where they learned how grassroots organizing, strategic messaging, and digital engagement are translated into successful election campaigns.

A highlight of the program was the public forum “How Can Liberal Women Tackle Online Misogyny Worsened by Rising Extremism,” organized by the DPP Gender Equality Department. The discussion addressed the growing challenges posed by online misogyny, extremism, and political polarization, issues affecting women leaders not only in Taiwan and Germany but across democracies worldwide.

The forum brought together more than 60 participants, including students, women leaders, political practitioners, and civil society representatives. Moderated by Ya-wei Chou, Programme Manager of the FNF Taiwan Office, the panel featured Susanne Seehofer, Member of the Federal Executive Board of Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Vice Chairwoman of FDP Bavaria; Gov. Trina Alejandra Q. Firmalo-Fabic of the Philippines; and former DPP Legislator Pin-yu Lai.

During the discussion, Gov. Trina shared her experiences of online misogyny during election campaigns, recalling sexist comments about her appearance and fabricated stories intended to damage her reputation. Rather than allowing these attacks to discourage her, she emphasized responding strategically by mobilizing supporters and remaining focused on public service.

“They want these misogynistic remarks to affect you so much that you will withdraw from the battle. But you have to be strong enough and confident in who you are, because you know that you can make a difference.”

This Empowerment Camp became a platform for women from different regions to learn from one another’s political experiences, exchange best practices, and build partnerships. The conversations showed that even though political contexts and cultures may differ, many of the challenges faced by women in public office are similar and can be addressed more effectively through collaboration and mutual support. As Go said in her  remarks during the during the welcome dinner: “Let’s continue to network, let’s continue to reach out to each other, and let’s continue to help each other.”

Categorised in: News Article

This post was written by CALD