COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) were eyeing to launch the next cycle of the BARMM’s action plan on Women, Peace, and Security (RAP-WPS) in March 2023.
On Feb. 6-9, a 4-day technical write-shop to jumpstart the next cycle of RAP-WPS was held in this city, which will be followed by a series of validations in the different areas of BARMM for finalization.
This week, various women representatives from BARMM ministries, offices, agencies (MOAs), civil society organizations, grassroots women peace-builders, and national and international non-government organizations participated in the said technical write-shop to identify solutions for the shortcomings of the existing BARMM RAP-WPS.
Accordingly, the new RAP-WPS is a 10-year action plan intended to address the various needs of women and to establish a more concrete and gender-sensitive plan for the promotion of the protection of women towards achieving sustainable peace and gender equality in the Bangsamoro region.
The participants discussed the necessary changes and enhancement of each of the four (4) pillars of the said plan, namely: the Protection and Prevention, Empowerment and Participation, Promotion and Mainstreaming, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
BWC Chairperson Bainon Karon said that the Commission is hopeful that the next cycle of RAPWPS will be more inclusive and participative, and relevant to the stakeholders to strengthen women’s active and meaningful participation in various spaces.
The various spaces included peacebuilding and conflict prevention, and the integration of important emerging issues relevant to WPS such as climate change, cybersecurity, and the engagement of men and boys, diverse populations, as well as young persons with disabilities.
“Women are also active agents of peace in armed conflict, yet their role as key players and change agents of peace are still yet to be recognized here in the Bangsamoro. But I concede to your different understanding, experiences, and capabilities, to all aspects of women, peace, and security that are essential in sustaining peace in the region,” Karon stressed.
Meanwhile, UN Women Peace and Security lead Nery Ronatay emphasized that when it comes to WPS, BARMM is one of the models around the world.
“Sinusubukan natin sulatin iyong pangatlong cycle ng RAP-WPS. Ito ay ang commitment ng Pilipinas at ng BARMM para i-address natin yung mga needs and vulnerabilities ng mga kababaihan at mga batang babae na naiipit sa giyera (conflict),” he said.
He also stressed the need to focus on issues involving women in the Bangsamoro Peace Process Normalization.
“Kinakailangan din natin patingkarin iyong issue ng kababaihan sa normalization, mga former combatants, mga kababaihan na naiipit sa giyera,” Ronatay said.
RAPWPS was anchored to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council and The National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAPWPS) on October 31, 2000. (Myrna Tepadan/BIO)
