Women, Peace and Security conference starts

MANILA will host starting today the International Conference on Women, Peace and Security (ICWPS). The two-day conference is expected to bring together representatives from over 80 countries as well as national and local officials, partners from civil society, the private sector and the academe. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the ICWPS "is a conversation profoundly important to the country and the global community." The meeting "will reflect on the gains nations have achieved in pushing frontiers for women as integral actors in peace and security processes and governance," Manalo said. "Fully harnessing the power of women's leadership in building peaceful, inclusive, and resilient communities worldwide is not a policy option, but a strategic necessity," Manalo said in an op-ed piece. "The Philippines knows this for a fact. We take pride in Filipino women who have brokered peace processes and rebuilt communities in conflict areas," he said. Manalo said peace advocate and 2023 Ramon Magsaysay recipient Miriam Coronel-Ferrer is the "first woman in the world" to sign a final peace agreement. "We deploy women amongst Filipino troops in UN peacekeeping missions." In 2012, Coronel-Ferrer was appointed as the chief negotiator for the Philippine government in the peace talks with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. She negotiated the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014, which paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The Japanese Embassy in Manila and the Japan International Cooperation Agency will hold, as a side event, a forum on October 29 entitled "Human Security towards a Resilient BARMM — Japan's Approach in Promoting WPS Focusing on Health." Manalo said the ICWPS could "contribute to revitalizing global consensus on this agenda, especially since the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has flagged in his 2024 report, a slackening in momentum if not the reversal of gains, especially amidst the rise of conflict, displacement, and humanitarian emergencies in parts of the world." "The vulnerabilities of women are amplified in these settings, and the impact of conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan has gender dimensions we should not ignore," he added. The ICWPS "will need to take stock of these realities and recommit to putting women at the center of action, approaching them not as victims to assist, but as agents of resilience, source of solutions, stewards of common good, and builders and keepers of peace," he said. "There are remarkable successes and innovations of policies, strategies, and partnerships that have embedded the women in peace and security agenda as a vital part of governance in nations and regions," Manalo added. To date, 110 UN member-states have adopted a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. At least 13 regions and subregional organizations have launched plans and strategies. "Each of them has precious lessons and visions to share," Manalo said. For example, the experience of climate-vulnerable countries like the Philippines underlines the critical connection of climate security, disaster resilience, and women empowerment, he said. Manalo said Africa "demonstrates the wisdom of inclusion policies to engage more women in formal decision-making roles." The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific "strongly leverage networks of women leaders," Manalo said. He said UN funds and programs "have bridged resource gaps and mainstreamed gender in their work on the ground, including in humanitarian operations, despite shrinking funds."