Women’s achievements in peacebuilding lauded by UN Philippines chief

MANILA — United Nations Philippines chief Gustavo Gonzalez lauded the milestones reached by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) during the closing event of the partnership platform on 16 August.

In a video message, Gonzalez highlighted the achievements of the Philippines in pushing forward progress in the Women and Peace Agenda, starting from the adoption of a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in 2010 — the first country to do so in Asia.

Among the other developments Gonzalez mentioned include the crafting of an emerging model for women-led early warning and early response; the empowerment of women leaders for peacebuilding in conflict hotspots; the continuous generation of knowledge on the challenges faced by women mediators in the Bangsamoro, which has led to an increase in the roles of women in mediation spaces in the region; and the registration of 77 grassroots women’s organizations with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and another seven with the Department of Labor and Employment.

“As a UN representative, I am definitely very proud of the achievements of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund in the country for empowering an important number of civil society organizations (CSOs) and community associations and localizing peacebuilding investment,” Gonzalez said.

The platform’s 11 implementing partner organizations, local women champions, development partners and other global contributors and stakeholders took part in the 2-day event to discuss lessons learned and identify emerging models from the project.

The WPHF is a global campaign that channels funding and capacity support to women’s organizations that work to prevent conflict, respond to crises, and accelerate peace in their communities. The Philippines is one of over two dozen countries where the fund has been implemented.