Reflection Workshop and Seventh Meeting of the ASEAN Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security

In recent years, ASEAN has shown its commitment to promote the inclusive, equitable, and effective participation of women in all fields and at various levels of political, economic, and socio-cultural life of society. The effort is accelerating after the adoption of the Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN during the 31st ASEAN Summit in 2017 which recognizes that peace and security are essential to the achievement of sustainable development and are interconnected and vital to the future of ASEAN.

The 31^st ASEAN Summit also adopted the ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals. The declaration “reaffirms the need to mainstream a gender perspective and analysis, which may include targeted actions and investments, and gender-responsive budgeting, in the formulation and implementation of policies, plans and programmes of all relevant sectors in the three ASEAN community pillars for the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Following the adoption, ASEAN organised the First Regional Symposium on Implementing Women, Peace and Security Agenda in 2019, which brought together representatives of ASEAN Member States, ASEAN sectoral bodies and institutions across three ASEAN community pillars to move forward the commitment made under the Joint Statement. This led to the development of ASEAN Regional Study on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to enhance understanding of the WPS agenda and contextualise the issues and challenges in Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on Strengthening Women’s Role for Sustainable Peace and Security organised in September 2020 took note of the need to develop a regional plan of action to synergise efforts at the national, regional and global levels as well as to facilitate cooperation and collaboration with external partners. The Ministers encouraged cooperation to include the WPS agenda in the wider ASEAN economic integration efforts and facilitate women’s economic empowerment which is crucial in the process of conflict prevention, resolution and recovery. The Ministers also urged for greater coordination and synergy of efforts on promoting effective and substantive cooperation on WPS among relevant ASEAN’s sectoral bodies, including the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW), the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry (AWPR).

Jointly developed by the ACW and ACWC with the support of USAID Prospect, UN Women, the ASEAN Secretariat and in consultation with relevant ASEAN bodies and entities, the ASEAN Regional Study on Women, Peace and Security was launched on 8 March 2021. The study reviews progress and challenges across AMS, consolidates lessons learned, proposes a common understanding and presents evidence-based recommendations to support AMS to enhance women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, resolution, and post-conflict processes, in line with regional and international commitments. The launch event emphasised the need to establish a coordination mechanism to oversee the WPS agenda covering the three ASEAN Community Pillars, and encouraged the development of a concrete regional plan of action (RPA) on WPS.

The recognisation of women’s vital role in promoting peace and security was further translated through the adoption of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace, and Security (ASEAN RPA on WPS) during the 40^th and 41^st ASEAN Summits under Cambodia’s chairmanship.

Aimed at translating the WPS commitments into actionable outcomes, the ASEAN RPA on WPS focuses on implementing the four key pillars of the WPS agenda, including protection, participation, prevention, and relief and recovery, along with mechanisms for coordination, reporting, and monitoring.

As the ASEAN RPA on WPS enters its fourth year of implementation, the Advisory Group on WPS recognised the need for a reflection workshop where the members of Advisory Group, sectoral bodies, and partners could discuss implemented and pending agendas, as well as challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned from the implementation of the ASEAN RPA on WPS, including emerging best practices and the way forward to ensure that the WPS agenda is institutionalised in the post-2025 ASEAN Community Blueprints/Strategic Plans.

Objective

This workshop aims to assess milestones, exchange insights on challenges, lessons learned, and best practices in advancing the WPS agenda, as well as concrete next steps in advancing the WPS in the region. Furthermore, the workshop will identify opportunities for collaboration and advocacy at the regional and national levels and offer strategic guidance to support the implementation of the ASEAN RPA on WPS. The workshop will explore strategies to integrate the WPS agenda into the post-2025 ASEAN Blueprints and Strategic Plans of the three ASEAN Community Pillars, including strategic opportunities to enhance partnerships and interventions to institutionalise the WPS agenda in the region.