At launch of BARMM plan on women, peace and security, UN Resident Coordinator declares women must be not just engaged but ensured rights and justice

[Watch the UN Resident Coordinator's video message here]

MANILA, 30 October 2020--At the launch today of the Bangsamoro Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez declared that "women must be not just consulted but heard, not just invited but included, and not just engaged but ensured rights and justice."

"Women often work on the frontlines of efforts to transform their communities and addressing the needs of those left furthest behind," said Gonzalez. "And yet, women continue to be actively sidelined once peacebuilding processes move from the grassroots to the formal, political, national and international levels."

"Women must not just be consulted but heard, not just invited but included, and not just engaged but ensured rights and justice."

Gonzalez said that in situations of conflict, it is often women who broker peace at the community level. Yet, data through 2018 shows that globally, women comprised only 13 per cent of negotiators, three per cent of mediators and four per cent of signatories.

Gonzalez cited UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres report on Women, Peace and Security which was presented at the Open Debate in the Security Council and which highlighted five goals to realize inclusive, sustainable peace through the women, peace, and security agenda in the next decade. He said that these goals are highly relevant to the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, as follows:

1. We need a radical shift (and tangible results) in women’s meaningful participation in peace-making, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.

This is a non-negotiable political priority for the UN. This means that women must be fully involved as equal partners and from the earliest stages in every peace and political process that the UN supports.

In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao this could be realized by greater representation of women in the Normalization process and by following the provisions in the Bangsamoro Organic Law including ensuring women’s meaningful political participation via the new Electoral Code.

The needs and priorities of women community leaders must be reflected in order to inform the legislative, policy and programmatic agendas of BARMM governance institutions.

This would include five per cent of the BARMM budget for programmes on gender and development. It is also crucial to incorporate women’s needs in rehabilitation and development programmes for internally displaced people.

2. We must turn the unconditional defence of women’s rights into one of the most visible and identifiable markers of the UN’s work on peace and security.

The urgency in defending women’s rights and the rights of women activists has become even more pronounced during the pandemic.

3. We must reverse the upward trajectory in global military spending and encourage greater investment in the social infrastructure and services that buttress human security.

COVID-19 has emphasized that human security is the foundation of all aspects of security and underscored the need for greater investment in health, education and social protection. Given their role and advocacy in these sectors, women should also be better represented on COVID-19 taskforces. It is not entirely a coincidence that women leaders have led the best national and subnational COVID-19 responses.

4. We must galvanize the donor community for universal compliance with a minimum of 15 per cent of Official Development Assistance to conflict-affected countries dedicated to advancing gender equality.

The remaining 85 per cent must also integrate gender considerations, including multiplying by five the direct assistance to women’s organizations, currently at 0.2 per cent.

There is compelling evidence in the Bangsamoro to invest in community-based women’s networks as equal partners in or der to ensure sustainable peace and sustainable development.

5. We must bring about a gender data revolution on Women, Peace and Security for evidence-based decision-making that reaches the general public, focuses on closing data gaps and increases our knowledge around today’s most pressing issues

The gender data revolution should start from the local level upwards and the UN is here to support the technical capacity building required."

"The UN strongly supports these goals as we continue to intensify our work with governments and civil society to accelerate sustainable peace and ensure cohesion with humanitarian efforts," said Gonzalez.