THE aftermath of terrorism and typhoons has twin needs for women’s participation to combat their negative impacts.
So much ground energy rejuvenated the passion in me to brainstorm solutions to these two major problems confronting humanity at the ongoing International Conference on Women, Peace and Security (ICWPS) hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Oparu, PWC, and the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy.
With the theme, “Forging Collaboration and Convergence for Advancing Women, Peace, and Security,” this year’s ICWPS aims to convene governments, civil society, academe, and other key stakeholders to discuss key issues, challenges and breakthroughs on advancing women’s participation in achieving sustainable peace and development.
The workshop I participated in discussed how post-conflict actions remain crucial to building institutions. Participating were BARMM representatives and academics.
From Indonesia, Dwi Kholifah of the Asian Muslim Action Network tackled civilian efforts addressing women, peace and security. Dwi spoke about women in early detection (of terrorism).
In one panel discussion, I spoke about the vital role of women in crisis, citing the Marawi siege in 2017, which displaced almost half a million people.
At the Interfaith Forum on Women, Peace and Security at Lanson Place, MoA, stakeholders shared the vital role of faith leaders in mobilizing communities.
White flag campaigns, text blasting and rescue teams — all of these which constitute soft diplomacy, were tapped as a strategy for women to urge government and the terror group to allow humanitarian aid in the no-entry zone during the exchange of fire.
We shared a prayer for typhoon victims as climate change awareness remains a household task for mothers who lead families.
The conference came out with the Pasay Declaration to address the underrepresentation of women in security.
Some 700 delegates from 80 countries are attending the ICWPS, which kicked off at the PICC on Oct. 28, as the world commemorates the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security (2000).
UNSCR 1325 calls for women’s increased participation in conflict prevention and resolution, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and post-conflict reconstruction and for the protection of their human rights in conflict and humanitarian contexts.
The Philippines is the first country in Asia to have crafted a national-level action plan in response to the UNSCRs 1325 and 1820, a testament to the country’s commitment to championing the rights and welfare of Filipino women.
Its formulation was a result of the strong collaborative efforts between the government and various civil society organizations that started in 2007.
A diploma course on WPS is now to be offered by Mindanao State University (MSU) Maguindanao, a first for Southeast Asia.
The three-day conference features two high-level panels with four thematic discussions, including enhancing partnerships between states for sustainable, gender-responsive peace frameworks; implementing actionable strategies that promote women’s roles in all phases of peace and security; roles of women in peace processes with a focus on National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP WPS); and intersections between WPS and climate change.
Twenty-three side events are designed to enhance global and local cooperation on the WPS agenda “that include dialogues on interfaith collaboration, the role of youth in the peace processes, and initiatives supporting women in the security sector. There are also sessions that focus on women’s health, security, and justice access, especially in conflict-affected regions.”
We urged organizers to upload into action the discussions by cascading them to the media and households.
