Advancing Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN: Overall Progress of the Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: Preventing Violence and Promoting Social Cohesion in ASEAN Project (ASEAN WPS Project)
Publication Date: December 1, 2025
Total Pages: 4
Organization: ASEAN, UN Women
Languages: English
Country/Region: Southeast Asia
Topic Area: Gender Mainstreaming, Gender equality and women’s empowerment, Peace and security, Conflict prevention, Relief and Recovery, Governance, National planning, Civil Society, Localization, Disaster Risk Reduction, Violent extremism and terrorism, Economic empowerment, Leadership and political participation
Year: 2025
Resource Type: Briefs
Abstract
Since 2021, ASEAN and UN Women have worked together to translate the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into tangible regional and national change. The five-year project Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: Preventing Violence and Promoting Social Cohesion in ASEAN – endorsed by ASEAN and generously supported by the Governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Korea – has positioned WPS as a shared ASEAN commitment. Guided by the ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on Women, Peace and Security (2017) and the, ASEAN Regional Study on Women, Peace and Security (2021) the initiative has laid the foundations for a regional WPS architecture that strengthens the capacities of Member States, and fosters women’s leadership, in peace and security.
When the collaboration began in 2021, only three ASEAN Member States – Indonesia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste – had national action plans on WPS. Four years later, ASEAN stands out for having one of the most comprehensive WPS policy architectures and policy frameworks, demonstrating how regional collaboration and investment in gender equality drive institutional transformation, social cohesion and inclusive governance.
