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ASEAN advances next Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women
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ASEAN representatives gather in Bangkok for the Regional Consultation on the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women, held 1–4 December 2025. Photo: UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member States are joining forces to prepare the next Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women (RPA EVAW). Drawing on almost 10 years of implementing the 2016–2025 Regional Action Plan, an in-depth end-term review process is collecting insights, learning, progress and unfinished business to shape the next 10-year plan.
This process has featured national consultations in seven Member States – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam – and a major regional gathering. Convened by national governments and representatives of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), the consultations spurred reflection on achievements, challenges and emerging issues for the next RPA EVAW for 2026–2035.
The regional consultation in Bangkok from 1–4 December 2025 was hosted by ASEAN, with support from Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, ACWC Thailand, the Chulalongkorn University Institute of Asian Studies and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. The consultation was also supported by UN Women and UNFPA through the Australia-funded UN Joint Programme on Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Southeast Asia, UN Women’s European-Union-funded PROTECT Project, and by UNICEF. The meetings gathered representatives from ASEAN Member States, sectoral bodies and various experts, including from civil society.
Speaking at the opening, Ratchada Jayagupta, ACWC Representative for Thailand, said: “The review of the ASEAN RPA on EVAW has shown both our progress and the work that remains. As we prepare the next RPA, we have a clear responsibility to build a framework that is practical, grounded in evidence and responsive to the needs of women and girls across all ASEAN Member States.”
Discussions highlighted cross-cutting themes, including: technology-facilitated violence, violence in emergencies and disaster contexts, in politics and public life, and against migrant women and women and girls with disabilities. Member States also stressed the need to strengthen prevention and safeguarding, improve coordination across services, and invest in more reliable data, evidence and research systems.
A dedicated session focused on the forthcoming Common Chapter on the intersections between violence against women and violence against children to be included in the upcoming ASEAN RPA. This discussion highlighted opportunities for more coordinated prevention and response efforts, while recognizing the need for specialized systems for both areas.
Reflecting on new evidence showing how violence can be prevented, Melissa Alvarado, Regional Programme Manager for Ending Violence against Women at UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, said: “Violence can be reduced when prevention is planned, funded and implemented at scale. This means addressing harmful norms, strengthening institutions, and ensuring that prevention is not treated as a stand-alone activity but as a core part of national and regional policies.”
The consultation also served as a platform to review the draft ASEAN Guidance Note on Disability Inclusion in Violence against Women and Girls’ Policies and Programmes, which aims to address persistent gaps in national prevention and response programmes. Sujata Tuladhar, Gender-based Violence Technical Advisor at UNFPA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, characterized it as “a strategic road map to dismantle systemic barriers by institutionalizing disability inclusion across national prevention, protection and justice frameworks, ensuring that both violence prevention efforts and survivor-centred services are accessible to all women and girls.”
The consultation inputs will help finalize the RPA EVAW 2026–2035, be endorsed at an ASEAN Summit in 2026. Once adopted, it will provide a regional road map for coordinated action to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls across ASEAN.