When the Miss Universe candidates from Pakistan, Egypt, and Bahrain walk the stage in Mexico tonight (10 a.m. on Nov. 17, Philippine time), a Filipino in the audience will be the proudest person in their journey.

The Filipino is Josh Yugen, the Miss Universe franchise owner in those three countries, who is helping make history by lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding Arab and Muslim women, giving them representation in the world's most prestigious beauty competition.

Considered "baby joiners"  in Miss Universe, Pakistan, Egypt, and Bahrain still have to bag the elusive crown. There have only been two winners from the Middle East in the pageant's 72-year history: Georgina Rizk of Lebanon (1971) and Rina Messinger of Israel (1976).

Cognizant of the fact that his franchises are not pageant powerhouses, Josh is confident that the first Muslim woman, or the third Arab beauty, will be proclaimed Miss Universe, if not now, then in the future -  for the simple reason that they deserve to be celebrated too.

"Everyone is always asking me how I manage these three country franchises - it's because of my passion, perseverance, and purpose - and of course because of my great team," Josh wrote in an Instagram post yesterday.

Expounding on teamwork, he pointed out that "it's not just about the girl but the people who surround her."  Josh said he makes sure that his queens train in the Philippines, not just because "trainers here are the best" but also to provide jobs and opportunities for them.

He stressed that it was always about championing equality "ever since I started to open Miss Universe in the Gulf, revive MU Egypt, and pioneered MU Pakistan."

"I believe in taking risks. As I always say, you cannot cross the ocean unless you dare to lose sight of the shore," he remarked.

"We have had many challenges with Miss Pakistan, Bahrain, and Egypt. These include visas and not being able to show so much skin because of their culture or religion. But we have to go through that. Because, for me, success is a journey. It's a continuing story. I always say to myself that we are a work in progress. We always have to work harder and work more on whatever goal we have," said Josh, who owns a magazine and PR agency in Dubai.

He is certainly proud of the three well-spoken, beautiful women under the Yugen Group in this year's Miss Universe because they are "all trailblazers and have solid credentials."

Miss Universe Pakistan 2024 Noor Xarmina has lived in many countries as the daughter of a diplomat. She is a biology major and has a master's degree in management from London Business School. 

As a former venture capitalist, she advocates for something very relevant to the times. "I want to speak up about climate change and the battle against that as a collective species. I want to spend my time on this platform to raise awareness about this issue, mobilize the youth to take action, and lobby with different organizations to try and implement change."

Miss Universe Bahrain 2024 Shereen Ahmed is an accomplished journalist and has already made waves in this year's Miss Universe by being named one of the seven Silver winners of the pageant's Voice For Change. Her advocacy is helping single mothers, having been raised solo by her Filipina mom. She has made significant strides in this area by being the ambassador of Hope Amel UAE and Bahrain.and reaching out to women in distress.

"For some of the single moms who may not have jobs at the moment, or do not have any resources, our base is really there to provide them with the essentials so that they can reduce the worries that they already have so much of. What I do as an ambassador is to use my social media platform. It may not be much but you never know who you will reach," Shereen stated.

Lastly, there's Miss Universe Egypt 2024 Logina Salah who is making history in her own way by being the first woman to join Miss Universe with vitiligo, a rare skin condition where one part of her face is whiter than the rest. She is also a single mother and a professional make-up artist.

In the recent Miss Universe National Costume preliminaries, Logina echoed the grandeur of Egypt's iconic Queen Cleopatra. She was garbed up in an elaborate blue, gold, and bronze ensemble designed by Simeon Cayetano - the Filipino designer who made Franki Russell win the NatCos contest in Miss Cosmo 2024.

Logina is very much thankful to Josh and the culture of inclusivity in Miss Universe. "I used to sit on the couch and dream that if my daughter joined a pageant, I would let her wear this and that. But now I am making this dream come true for myself. So I ask myself, am I dreaming? No, I'm living my dream!" she closed.