UN Women welcomes Women, Peace and Security milestones in the Philippines

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines has today launched the country’s fourth generation National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, coinciding with the 30^th anniversary of women’s entry into the military and uniformed services.

UN Women has welcomed these milestones which reinforce the reputation of the Philippines as a champion for the involvement of women in peace and security.

“UN Women congratulates the Philippines on the launch of its comprehensive National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2023-2033) which brings renewed hope for sustainable peace,” said Alia El-Yassir, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

“UN Women is proud to be among the key stakeholders, alongside civil society organisations and government agencies, which have been part of a collaborative development process led by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity with support from the Philippine Commission on Women,” Ms El-Yassir said.

In 2010, the Philippines became the first country in Asia to launch a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) structured around the global WPS agenda’s four main pillars: participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery.

The Philippines has since built on this foundation, with its fourth-generation plan shifting the focus to human rights and women's agency, and containing strong references to non-traditional WPS issues, such as climate security and cybersecurity, and the inclusion of women in all their diverse and intersecting identities.

The plan is structured around two substantive pillars: Empowerment and Participation, and Protection and Prevention; and two support pillars: Promotion and Mainstreaming, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning.

UN Women will continue to support the country to implement the WPS agenda, including to support Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) with the design of the plan’s monitoring and evaluation framework.

A summit on the 30th Anniversary Fellowship of Women in the Uniformed Services in the Philippines will be held tomorrow to showcase women’s salient contributions to peacekeeping and security since 1993.

Commenting on the anniversary, Ms El-Yassir underlined the importance of boosting efforts to ensure security institutions are representative, accessible and responsive to the needs of women and girls.

"Women’s participation strengthens security institutions by building community trust and accountability, and is essential to peaceful societies. UN Women looks forward to continued substantive participation and leadership by women in the Philippines’ security sector,” added Ms El-Yassir.

The summit follows an event on 30 November, the 30-Year Journey: Roundtable Discussion of Women Leaders in the Uniformed Services, which elicited women’s experiences and insights to inform recommendations related to enhancing women’s leadership in the uniformed services in the Philippines.

Along with the roundtable, the summit is also being implemented by UN Women Philippines and Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), supported by the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC).

UN Women’s technical assistance for peace and security initiatives in the Philippines is possible with the generous support of the governments of Australia, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom and Global Affairs Canada.

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.