ASEAN Secretary-General Leads Launch of ASEAN Women for Peace Registry
[Reposting from the Philippines Mission to ASEAN Official Website - http://jakartapm.dfa.gov.ph/]
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi led the historic launch of the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry during an ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) Symposium on 13 December 2018 in Cebu, Philippines.
The landmark initiative was the main highlight of the Symposium on the Establishment of the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry, which was organised by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN in cooperation with the Philippines Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Ateneo de Manila University and Norway.
There is no doubt that collective actions are crucial for mainstreaming womens rights and gender equality in peace and security, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim emphasised in his keynote address. In this regard, the establishment of an ASEAN Women Peace Registry (AWPR) is an important initiative towards addressing this issue and to build the capacity of women as peace-builders and to encourage a more gendered approach to peace and conflict in the region.
ASEAN Secretary-General Lim added that it is through initiatives such as the AWPR that women will be empowered to contribute actively to the maintenance and promotion of peace in the region, which is the very basis for the ASEAN Community.
The AWPR aims to take stock of ASEAN women experts in the field of peace and reconciliation.
These women experts may be approached by ASEAN Member States as well as the ASEAN-IPR in times when a specific expertise is required, such as when resource persons are needed for peace efforts and initiatives of ASEAN Member States.
Three years ago, on this very same island (Cebu), a dream was born, Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines and member of the ASEAN-IPR Governing Council, recalled. Meeting here for an ASEAN-IPR workshop to discuss the role of women in peace processes and reconciliation, participants recommended the creation of a pool of women experts to promote gender perspectives in peace and reconciliation processes throughout ASEAN, as well as to nurture and strengthen the capacities of our home-grown women peace experts.
Ambassador Buensuceso added that the launch of the AWPR fulfilled that dream. But she emphasised that equally important were the various recommendations discussed during the two-day symposium, including on how to operationalise the Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN", which was issued by the ASEAN Leaders during the 31st?ASEAN Summit held in November 2017 in Manila.
The Joint Statement included a call for the integration of gender perspectives in all conflict prevention initiatives and strategies, and to ensure the full participation of women in peace processes, such as in conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation processes.
The Symposium also recommended that a digital platform be established so that members of AWPR can continue their dialogue, exchange ideas and best practices, and build their capacity as peace-builders and experts on peace and reconciliation initiatives.
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