Global summit in Manila bares gaps in women's role in peace processes

MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines struggles to advance peace negotiations with communist groups, a high-level meeting in Manila on Tuesday, October 29, revealed that getting women involved in these efforts remains a major hurdle locally and globally.

The admission came during a parliamentary roundtable of lawmakers from different regions at the Philippine International Convention Center. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) gathered current and former legislators to take stock of why, after 24 years, the United Nations' targets for women's participation in peace and security remain largely unfulfilled.

In a joint statement with co-organizer Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the DFA acknowledged that 24 years after UN Security Council Resolution 1325, “gaps in implementing the [women, peace, and security] agenda” persist worldwide, with disparities across nations, regions, and local sectors.

"Given the growing uncertainty and threats to peace and security that are emerging or persisting in various regions of the world, the organizers consider the recognition of these gaps as one of the most important steps in the stock-taking process that would inform the ways forward for all stakeholders," the statement read.

Lawmakers discussed several solutions, including making the women, peace and security agenda "a cross-cutting concern for all" rather than a separate initiative. They emphasized the need for "fiscal support for WPS-related and adjacent programs, including the protection and empowerment of women and their children." 

The meeting brought together 11 women policy and lawmakers, which organizers noted was itself "an embodiment of UNSCR 1325 in action." 

The discussion is part of the three-day International Conference on Women, Peace and Security (ICWPS) hosted by the Philippine government from October 28 to 30. The gathering has drawn over 600 delegates and dozens of parliamentarians from 84 countries across six regions.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo opened the first day with a speech that highlighted how women account for just 26.6% of signatories in global peace agreements. These figures are "far too low," he said.

He added that evidence shows