Event Type: Contests

Date: November 1, 2024 to December 20, 2024

Venue:


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Background

Civil society organizations (CSOs) and social organizations are crucial in advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, particularly in the ASEAN region, where diverse cultures and complex socio-political landscapes pose significant challenges to women’s roles in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

The ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on WPS[1] (ASEAN RPA WPS) acknowledges the critical contributions of CSOs and the varying conditions that influence their participation.  The ASEAN RPA WPS aims at raising awareness to advance ownership of the WPS agenda among policymakers, government departments and civil society, including by enhancing the capacity to apply WPS to tackle emerging non-traditional security challenges, including pandemics, cybersecurity, climate-related disasters and natural hazards and displacement, among others. In this context, it is crucial to capture and showcase successful grassroots initiatives that demonstrate the WPS agenda in action, highlighting the benefits of women’s participation and the integration of gender perspectives into peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

To raise awareness and elevate the efforts of CSOs, UN Women is launching the CSOs Peace Award Competition entitled “CSOs PEACE Award: CSOs Competition on Good Practices in Women Peace and Security in Southeast Asia”. The competition targets CSOs actively working on WPS in the ASEAN region and Timor-Leste. The aim is to highlight innovative, replicable, and impactful initiatives that empower women and promote their participation in peace and traditional and non-traditional security initiatives. By sharing these narratives, we not only celebrate the achievements of these organizations but also create a platform for learning collaboration, and increased awareness of the WPS agenda.

This initiative falls under the ASEAN Regional project “Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: Preventing Violence and Promoting Social Cohesion in ASEAN,” generously funded by the Governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Korea.

As we embark on this journey, we invite all eligible CSOs to participate, sharing their unique experiences and insights. Together, we can amplify the voices of women and ensure their integral role in shaping a more peaceful and secure future for all. 

Objectives  
  1. Awareness raising of WPS Agenda: Enhance awareness in the ASEAN region about the importance of implementing existing regional and national policy frameworks on WPS by sharing concrete examples and success stories of grassroots initiatives. 
  1. Compile a catalogue of Good Practices in WPS: Identify and document innovative and impactful initiatives by civil society organizations that effectively empower women in peace and security. This will create a comprehensive resource for sharing successful strategies.
  1. Facilitate Knowledge Exchange: Provide a structured platform for participating CSOs to share their experiences lessons learned, and good practices. This will foster collaboration and enable the replication of successful WPS initiatives in diverse contexts.
  1. Acknowledging the efforts of CSOs: Recognize and celebrate the contributions of CSOs in advancing the WPS agenda in the region. This recognition will highlight their critical role in promoting women’s participation in peace and security.
Submission Criteria:

Eligibility: Open to civil society organizations (CSOs) operating in the ASEAN Region and Timor-Leste. Submissions must document initiatives from these countries. 

Focus: Submissions should reflect initiatives that enhance women’s participation, empower women, and integrate gender perspectives to contribute to sustainable peace and security, emphasizing local context. Concrete results should be showcased. Key topics include: 

  • Support for WPS normative development/National Action Plans 
  • Women’s participation in peace processes and conflict prevention 
  • Gender perspectives and women’s participation in peacekeeping/gender responsive security sector  
  • Women’s participation in preventing violent extremism.  
  • Women participation and gender perspective integration into conflict prevention and early warning systems  
  • Women’s participation in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR)  
  • Women’s participation in disaster risk reduction, protection in crisis and disaster response  
  • Women’s participation in social cohesion and promotion of community resilience  
  • Women’s participation in cybersecurity
  • Access to justice  
  • Gender-responsive planning, budgeting, data and statistics  
  • Preventing and combating trafficking in persons 
  • Women’s political participation   
Submission Guidelines 
  • Format: Written narratives should be between 800 and 1500 words and should include at least a photo of the initiative. The information should be submitted in English. If English is not feasible, a local language submission must include an English translation. 
  • Deadline: Applications should be submitted by 20th of December 2024 through an online form accessible here: APPLICATION SURVEY
Judging Criteria and scoring  
  • Relevance (30%): Alignment with the WPS agenda  
  • Evidence-based Impact (40%): Clear and measurable evidence of positive outcomes from the initiative on women’s roles in peace and security. 
  • Innovation (10%): Originality and creativity in approach and implementation presenting unique methods or approaches that differentiate the initiative from existing practices. 
  • Sustainability (20%): Potential for long-term continuation and impact of the initiative.  
Evaluation Process 

The submissions will be reviewed by an independent panel composed of qualified experts and UN Women staff. The evaluation will include initial screening, detailed review, and final selection of awardees based on the established criteria. 

Prizes and Recognition 
  • One winner will be selected from each participating country and announced on the 28thFebruary 2025. Winners will receive support to attend the ASEAN WPS Summit in Malaysia in 2025. 
Timeline 
  • Submission deadline:  20 December 2024  
  • Winner announced: by 28 February 2025 
  • Award ceremony:  8 March 2025 

For questions or clarifications, please contact Jennifer Mbithi jennifer.mbithi@unwomen.org.

Copyright: Contestants will still retain all rights to any material they submit. However, entering this contest, participants are accepting that the rights to use their materials will be transferred permanently and legally to UN Women Indonesia. UN Women Indonesia will enjoy the full rights to use the works in publication, website, or other non-commercial activities. Contestants will be required to sign a consent form for this.

[1] ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security. (2022). ASEAN. Available at: https://wps.asean.org/resources/asean-rpa-wps/


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