Gen-Forum 2024: Young Leaders for Women, Peace and Security in Asia and the Pacific

Date: 21st – 23rd May 2024
Location: Bangkok, Thailand, with selected live-streaming

Gen-Forum 2024: Young Leaders for Women, Peace and Security in Asia and the Pacific brought together a rising generation of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) advocates from across Asia and the Pacific to examine regional peace and security challenges, including new and emerging security issues.

The forum served to build the expertise and leadership of young champions in advancing the WPS agenda and place youth perspectives at the forefront of accelerating WPS commitments. The forum also provided a platform for the participants to foster alliances and networking opportunities with fellow WPS champions and partners in the region.

The forum’s objectives were to:

1. Identify peace and security priorities of young women leaders and their allies, including young men advocates and foster a shared understanding of the fundamental principles of promising approaches to advance the WPS agenda in the Asia-Pacific region, given the new dimensions of security threats in the region and globally.
2. Foster the next generation of young WPS leaders to advance the WPS agenda in Asia and the Pacific and promote gender equality.
3. Generate partnerships to support young WPS leaders by exploring innovative tools and approaches to advance young women’s participation and leadership in tackling traditional and new domains relevant to the WPS agenda.

UN Women organized this youth event under the Regional Framework Towards Peaceful, Inclusive Societies in partnership with the Australian Government. The forum’s opening session featured remarks by:

• Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda — UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Programme Results
• Stephanie Copus — Campbell Australian Ambassador for Gender Equality
• Susan Ferguson — Regional Director, a.i. UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
• Khishigjargal Enkhbayar, co-founder of the United Nations Association of Mongolia and Gen-Forum 2024 participant.

The opening also included the launch of groundbreaking research by UN Women and the UN University Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) which explores the connections between artificial intelligence, digital security, and the WPS agenda in Southeast Asia.

Gen-Forum 2024 outcomes

A key feature of the Gen Forum was consultations with the WPS young leaders to contribute to global, regional, and national processes on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, such as the Summit of the Future, Peacebuilding Architecture Review, Beijing+30, and the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which established the WPS agenda in the year 2000. Drawing on their diverse experience and perspectives, as well as exchanges with UN Women experts and other WPS practitioners, the participants, aged 22-35 years from 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific are finalizing an outcomes document reflecting actionable commitments to advance the WPS Agenda in the region.

Elisa Shafiqah Binto Shaheilnizam was nominated by the group to deliver a video message reflecting all participants’ input for the regional Peacebuilding Architecture Review consultation hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, May 2024. Photo: UN Women

Further details about the Gen-Forum outcomes document will be provided here. For more information, please contact: [ Click to reveal ].

Unity Blossoms by Kainat Kamal

Created by a participant from Pakistan, Kainat Kamal, this origami artwork is entitled Unity Blossoms: A Tribute to Collective Endeavours in Pursuit of Women, Peace and Security. “Its design embodies unity and collaboration. The deliberate use of empty space underscores the ongoing journey towards advancing the WPS. National flowers of participating countries accentuate the artwork, suggesting a platform for additional contributions to UN Women initiatives,” Kainat explains. (Photos: Courtesy of Aroosa Younis Nadeem).

Social media reporters

Meet the young influencers who were part of a social media reporting team at Gen-Forum 2024 with UN Women’s Poompat Watanasirikul:

• Kimyuoy Klaing, Cambodia (@mjelly16)
• Nongtach Amornvivat, Thailand (moosom.a)
• Muhamad Solahundi Al Ayibu, Indonesia (solah_ayubi)

They posted videos, photos and interviews in various languages on their own social media accounts to amplify the participants’ perspectives. See our call for women, peace and security social media reporters. More than 100 expressions of interest were received.

Follow Gen-Forum 2024: #WomenPeaceSecurity #WPS4AP

Related links

See joint press release: New UN research reveals impact of AI and cybersecurity on women, peace and security in South-East Asia