The Philippines and the United States committed to strengthening the inclusion of women in the security agenda of the Southeast Asia region during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on women, peace, and security (WPS).
“The Philippines has proudly stood at the forefront of women empowerment, trailblazing a path to ensure the meaningful and substantive representation, participation, and leadership of women in all their diverse and intersecting identities in all spaces of peace and security,” Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez announced.
The MOU signing also marked the launch of the Philippines’ Center of Excellence on Women, Peace, and Security. This center will serve as a regional hub to “advance the WPS agenda across Southeast Asia through local and national policy engagement, standardizing national action plans, and fostering collaboration among WPS communities.”
“We envision carrying this out through local and national policy engagement, standardizing approaches for national action plan development, and bridging existing WPS communities together,” Galvez said.
During the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS) in Manila, 84 countries and their ministerial representatives reaffirmed women peacekeepers’ vital role and participation in peacemaking and peace negotiations, underscoring the need to further increase their involvement in these processes.
“The scope and breadth of the activities in the conference underscore that Women, Peace, and Security is a multi-stakeholder agenda, drawing strength from partnerships across governments, regional institutions, international organizations, civil society, and local communities,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said.
“This is to contribute to international stocktaking in shaping a new consensus on the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Women, Peace, and Security is an advocacy that resonates deeply within our own national Philippine story and our own pursuit of peace, reconciliation, and inclusive progress,” he added.
