Woman Peace and Security Agenda

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NATIONAL ACTION PLAN
By Amporn Marddent

Duanghathai Buranajaroenkij
Fareeda Panjor

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NATIONAL ACTION PLAN

Published: 2022
Authors:
Amporn Marddent

Center of Excellence on Women and Social Security (CEWSS),
Walailak University
Duanghathai Buranajaroenkij
Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP),
Mahidol University
Farida Panjor
Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity (CSCD),
Prince of Songkla University
Translator:
Unique Translation Company, LTD.
Editorial and Management Team:
Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat
Madihah Wayusof
Awoot Yeesaman
Yasmin Sattar
Imron Sahoh
Rohanee Juerana
Sirikanya Santayakul

Artwork Design: Salmar
Publisher:

Institute for Peace Studies, Prince of Songkla University,
Hat Yai Campus
Funded by:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,
Government of the United Kingdom

TofaCbolnetents

4Preface

Introduction and Background of

7Women, Peace and Security

Review of Women, Peace and Security

14Agenda (WPS) in Thailand

Advancement of Women, Peace, and
Security Agenda and the Changing

2 0Security Context

Review the Status of Women, Peace, and
Security Agenda in the Philippines and

Indonesia
22 30Situation in the Deep South

Recommendations on the Process of

Creating a National Action Plan
5 1 39Reference

3

Preface

Women play an important role in peacebuilding and security.
At an international level, “Women, Peace, and Security” (WPS) agenda
was adopted as Resolution 1325 by the United Nations Security Council
on 20 October 2000, a significant movement that has made it an
agenda driven by many countries around the world. Focal points of
the WPS include increased participation of women in al levels of
decision-making, protection of women and girls from severe conflicts,
and the inclusion of gender perspective in conflict and peacebuilding.

As part of the effort to achieve tangible implementation of the
WPS agenda, UN member states were urged to declare a commitment
through the development of a “National Action Plan” (NAP). In Southeast
Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines are the two countries with a WPS
NAP. In addition, ASEAN member countries has adopted the
“Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN”
in November 2017, ilustrating ASEAN countries’ joint intent to drive the
WPS agenda, at least verbaly.

There has been an effort to drive the development of a NAP in
Thailand in recent years, but it stil fals short of impact and consistency.
The government’s undertaking alone would not be sufficient to
successfully drive the WPS agenda. Involvement of civil society
organizations including academics, journalists, non-profit organizations,
and religious leaders is essential to ensure that the government is
actively advancing the agenda. A concrete action should be the
declaration of WPS NAP as a framework to be integrated across
government policies and implementation, including an appropriation
to facilitate the advancement of the Women, Peace, and Security
agenda.

4

With funding from the Government of the United Kingdom’s Foreign,
Commonwealth & Development Office, the Institute for Peace Studies, Prince
of Songkla University in partnership with the Center of Excelence in Women
and Social Security, Walailak University, and the Institute of Human Rights and
Peace Studies, Mahidol University arranged three workshops between November
and December 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the workshops were
conducted online with two key objectives:1) to provide knowledge on WPS
to several sectors including government and civil society organizations in
Southern Thailand; 2) to facilitate exchange of ideas and suggestions regarding
development issues related to women, peace, and security, particularly in the
context of long-running conflict in the southern border provinces of Thailand
which has continued for over 18 years. A team of academics has compiled
feedback and suggestions from the forum and drafted a proposed policy for
the development of the National Action Plan. The team comprising of academics
from the three organizing institutes held another discussion meeting in February
2022, where representatives from several stakeholders were invited to provide
feedback and recommendations on the report, of which the revised version is
presented to you now.

A key lesson captured from speakers from Indonesia and the Philippines
at the online workshops was that the civil society played a crucial role in driving
the WPS agenda and could even push the government to adopt it and develop
a National Action Plan. Therefore, civil society sector and the public at large
are important actors in driving this agenda.

On behalf of the three academic institutes, I hope that the report,
“Women, Peace, and Security Agenda: Recommendations for Development
of the National Action Plan” wil play a significant part in contributing to the
advancement of the WPS agenda and l look forward to Thailand’s version of
WPS NAP in the near future.

Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, PhD 5
Institute for Peace Studies

Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai Campus

6

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NATIONAL ACTION PLAN

Introduction and Background of Women, Peace
and Security


The Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) was announced
in the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on the date of 31 October
2000 and in many other subsequent resolutions. It is recognized and
understood in the field of academic and policy communities as to its
status with important mandates for various public and private institutions
in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The National
Action Plan (NAP) is established to set requirements with guidelines for
different sectors in their respective context. It is also the biggest chalenge
in ensuring equality and participation of women in building a secure
society.
The National Action Plan (NAP) is a policy document and guidelines
that the state sets up as an action plan to achieve the objectives and
relevant goals. The government institutions take the lead and serve as
representatives to lead the development according to the national
action plan with the initiation of drafting process and seeking partnerships
in both government and other institutions, including civil society. The
action plan according to Resolution 1325 (hereafter referred to as the
1325 NAP) was first introduced in Denmark in 2005, folowed by many
countries in Europe whereby the 1325 NAP was edited and integrated
as part of foreign policy rather than to specificaly aimed for peacebuilding
processes (Swaine 2009: 426).
The discussions about the need to raise awareness have been
witnessed in several meetings, as the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
(hereinafter referred to as WPS) has made very little progress. There was
a lack of women in peace negotiations and peacekeeping
operations, as wel as no progress on meaningful representation of women

7

at the negotiating table. It was reflected at various meetings
that there was a lack of networking cooperation among
women’s rights organizations and working representatives
to strengthen cooperation to develop the 1325 NAP.

At the same time, lessons were learned from the
experiences and successes in the development of key
strategies and programs in other countries in the Middle
East and North Africa, including in Southeast Asia where
the 1325 NAP has been created, such as Indonesia and
the Philippines, resulting in motivations to support the
commitment to protect women’s rights through the drafting
of the law in paralel. When we compare the participation
of women in peace negotiations and peacekeeping forces,
the setting of quotas for women in electoral politics is more
advanced and successful, judging from the adoption and
enforcement of quotas for women in national political
organizations in many countries in the past decades.

However, there is a debate raised by feminist groups,
women’s civil society organizations, and scholars, expressing
that there are neither good benefits for women even though
they are elected through a quota system, nor progress
when women are at the forefront of policy formulation. But
at least, more numbers of women in political positions
resulted in an exemplary effect on the next generations
and explicit trend to promote women’s political opinions,
especialy for the future development of WPS. When we
look at changes in the past, the early 19th century was
a time for the expansion of civil rights and the liberation
of women’s rights in the light of the struggle for women’s
voting right until an important mechanism; the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, was declared in 1995
at the overlap between the centuries. That can be regarded

8

as an era of widened struggle for women’s rights since the concept
foundation of The UNSCR 1325 was in the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action, which was signed by 189 countries, particularly
the role of women in the conflict-affected areas where arms are
used (Sharp 2013), including the stipulations in the Convention on
the Elimination of Al Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

In addition, the recommendations for the development of the
1325 NAP reflected by experts and practitioners outside Europe state
that the 1325 NAP shal enable the governments to be responsible
for their obligations, as wel as have characteristics that relate to the
respective countries’ context or be interconnected to localizing
context, thus helping promote decentralization and roles within
advocacy and accountability groups for the UNSCR 1325 in
low-income countries that are supported by international
organizations, i.e. UNFPA, UNDP, UN Women, including regional
agencies, i.e. the EU and OSCE. As an example, Nepal has the 1325
NAP that has internal decentralization with certification of folow-up
activities in the locality through coordination with district offices
as wel as supports civil society sector in the mobilization until
the government adopts and implements the 1325 NAP successfuly.

One of the important success factors in the expansion of
knowledge and understanding until society is aware of the
significance of initiating WPS and the 1325 NAP eventualy is to
promote the initiatives of local women. Resolution 1325 proposes
that representatives concerned support the initiatives of people in
society, particularly local women and indigenous peoples, to be
included in the conflict resolution process. The government shal
declare its wilingness to cooperate with organizations in honoring
and protecting women’s rights for the benefit of the people, which
reflects the government’s efforts in pushing to create a society with
stability, peace, and justice.

9

To understand the characteristics of the gendered nature
of conflict and peacebuilding, we do not focus only on
understanding that conflicts occurred to women and girls are
different from conflicts between men. The roles of women in
conflict management and peacebuilding are varied and
complex. Women and girls are the targets of war and are often
subjected to sexual and gender-based violence and even
sexual enslavement in the war zones. It is found that women
are active in protecting their homes and communities. Women
act as mediators of conflict in the community, participate in
peacebuilding including works done through councils, women’s
organizations and communities, and are also agents of violence,
acting as supporters or combatants in the armed groups. Finaly,
women may move between the roles depending on the
situations, including moving from the role of armed combatant
to that of peacebuilder.

In the past few decades, conflicts did not only occur in
the form of wars or conflicts between states or between armies,
but also those of armed insurgents and extremist groups, al of
which had a greater impact on women. Despite feminist
movements’ efforts to manage the impact of conflict’s gendered
nature, the deployment of peacekeeping, and the increase in
peacebuilding by the UN since the 1990s, there is less interest
in meeting the specific needs of women in conflict-affected
contexts. Women are stil being overlooked and excluded from
peacekeeping operations. The ongoing efforts of the women’s
movements have escalated into efforts to call on the
governments to take action as proposed by the UN Security
Council in the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS). That
reaffirms the important role of women in conflict prevention
and resolution, including peacebuilding initiatives.

The international WPS Agenda proposes four pillars;
prevention, protection, participation, and relief and recovery.

10

11

Moreover, the WPS has been conceptualized and
implemented in line with the Sustainable Development
Goals 2030 Agenda which came into force in January
2016. Al governments are currently proceeding with policy
implementation to achieve the goals by December 2030,
particularly Goals No. 5, 8, and 16 that are closely linked
to the WPS.

Goal No. 5 commits countries to achieving gender
equality and the empowerment of women and girls that
aim to eliminate al forms of violence against women and
girls in public and private spheres, including human
trafficking and sexual exploitation. The role of women in
decision-making is added to this goal. Women may be
at risk of gender discrimination, harassment and violence
as part of their work environment. Therefore, the WPS
emphasizes that the governments shal have policies and
mechanisms to ensure safe conditions for women, and
equal participation in the work of the legislature.

Goal No.8 commits countries to promoting
sustainable economies, providing productive employment
and decent work for al men and women, caling for an
end to forced labor, slavery and human trafficking.
The latter part cals for the states to ensure a safe working
environment for al workers, including women immigrants
and those unemployed.

Goal No.16 commits the states to promoting
peaceful societies for sustainable development, providing
access to justice for everyone, and creating effective and
accountable societies. Conflict and violence are reflected
from development results. Injustice and deprivation or

12

discrimination on the grounds of race, economic status,
beliefs, gender, or others that may cause violence, insecurity,
lack of access to justice and inequality are cyclical and
mutualy reinforcing that may even lead to the outbreak of
violent conflict. In this case, the states must focus on the rule
of law, protect people from violence, and address the causes
and effects of conflict. The states must, therefore, ensure
the expansion of responsive, participatory and representative
decision-making at al levels, and emphasize the role of
parliament in promoting gender-based decision-making.
This approach recognizes that WPS agenda is inseparable
from society’s peace and security.

Thus, Resolution 1325 is the UN’s commitment to
protect the rights of women and to support the peace
process through equal participation. It also shows concern
for gender issues, or the dimension of the relationship of men
and women and the latter’s experiences of violence
in-between and after the end of the war. As the previous
UN resolution was based on the view that women are victims
of war and violence, activists, policy makers, and academics
on women’s rights and security agree that Resolution 1325
provides an opportunity for society to see the different
experiences of women and men in conflict. Sexual violence
during war is defined as a weapon of war rather than an
inherent misfortune, such as the rape of women and men
during the war. It was discovered that more women were
raped than men, regardless of the nature of the war —
whether it was a war in the name of a nation, religion,
ethnicity, or political ideology. There is also an emphasis on
the roles of grassroots women and civil society and their
participation in the peace process.

13

Review of Women, Peace and
Security Agenda (WPS) in Thailand

On November 7, 2017, the of measures and guidelines for
Cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s women and the promotion of peace
participation in the adoption of the and security. The National Committee
Declaration on Promoting Women, on Women’s Status Development
Peace and Security in ASEAN at the Policy and Strategy had appointed
31st ASEAN Summit in Pampanga, a subcommittee to study conflict
Philippines in November 2017. situations affecting women and apply
The statement reaffirmed the Resolution 1325 and other relevant
commitment to the goals of eliminating covenants, such as CEDAW, to specify
violence against women and children supporting measures and guideline
in accordance with the Hanoi as reflected in the 5 main pillars
Declaration 2013 and the Regional (under the MSDHS’s plan).1 However,
Action Plan 2015. Thailand recognizes the process of knowledge and
the adoption of WPS and the leveraged awareness creation, and preparation
importance of the role of of the 1325 NAP has not yet been
intergovernmental organizations in accomplished and lacked continuity.2
supporting the fulfil ment of international At present, the “Coordination Center
obligations and commitments. for Children and Women in Southern
Border Provinces” had been
Thailand has promulgated the established to be mechanism for
Gender Equality Act, B.E. 2558 (2015) implementation of agenda related
and specified women’s rights according to women and children in the
to the human rights plan. Thai Women southern region while the Department
Empowerment Funds was established of Women’s Affairs and Family
in 2012, whereby the Ministry of Social Development (DWF) is working with
Development and Human Security relevant agencies on the development
(MSDHS) was the host for the preparation

1 Measure 1 Prevention, Measure 2 Protection and recovery, Measure 3 Capacity Building, Measure 4
Empowerment and Participation, Measure 5 Mechanism and Implementation
2 The National Human Rights Commission had previously proposed implementing a strategy based on UN
Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2016, Retrieved from https://www.m-society.go.th/ewtadmin/ewt/
mso_web/ewt_news.php?nid=18372 (10 February 2022)
14

of an action plan for the situation in the southern border provinces
and recommendations.

At the three workshops previously organized, the Director-
General and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Women’s
Affairs and Family Development (DWF) presented the progress
of Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Thailand. Department
of Women’s Affairs and Family Development, in the capacity
of responsible organization, is the central coordinating mechanism
at national level for the promotion of gender equality and women’s
empowerment including the gender diversity and the promotion of
family institutions. There are four important working frameworks of
the DWF, namely: 1) the Convention on the Elimination of Al Forms
of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); 2) the Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action; 3) the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), in particular Goal No.5: Achieving gender equality and
empowering women and children, which oblige both civil society
and government sectors to jointly push for achievement in 2030; and
4) the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325)
on Women, Peace and Security.

Thailand is obligated to carry out its international commitments.
The DWF is responsible for formulating national action plan on women
and specifies important “measures,” namely: 1) the measures for
the prevention and resolution of sexual harassment in the workplace,
which the cabinet resolution requests that this measure be applied
in the workplace, especially in government agencies; 2) the
advocacy of a budgeting policy that takes into account the gender
dimensions; the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security
signed an MOU with UN Women in cooperation for gender-responsive
budgeting in December 2021 with partnership from several sectors,
including the Senate, the Budget Bureau and the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC); and 3) the prevention and resolution
of violence against women; the MSDHS focuses on the prevention
and resolution of violence against women, which also covers al
family members.

15

Last but not least, “women’s empowerment” focuses on the aspects
of three fundamental economies, namely: 1) vocational training for
vulnerable groups, particularly single moms’ groups, and vocational
training during the COVID-19 pandemic, which offers 74 online training
courses with the aim of coordinating with the embassies as a channel
for career advancement for the participants who pass standards to work
at international level; 2) the promotion of financial discipline using
“life-changing” books, and training on finance, incomes and expenses,
and various means of savings; and 3) the incubation of smal entrepreneurs
as a significant policy to nurture women entrepreneurs.

Regarding the overal women’s situation, it was found that women’s
roles in society and the economy have increased while their participation
in national development remains moderate. Thailand ranks 79th out of
156 countries according to the Global Gender Gap Index (GGI), while
the participation rate at the decision-making level remains low.
In Thailand, the percentage of women in the House of Representatives
is only 16 percent with an increased number of women in management,
but the percentage is stil at 25 percent, and only 33 percent of women
are managers and executives in the economic sectors.

In regard to the mobilization of the Women, Peace, and Security
Agenda, the DWF works with partners from al sectors in three dimensions:
1) the creation and development of implementing mechanisms; 2) policy
development; and 3) empowerment for women and related sectors.

1) The creation and development of implementing mechanisms:

A sub-committee was established as a national mechanism to advocate
and monitor the operations according to measures and guidelines for
women’s peace promotion and security folowing the resolution of the
UN Security Council with the role of formulating policy, promoting
protection, and providing assistance to women affected by conflict
situations. The sub-committee also has the function to monitor, promote,
and integrate the peace process with the DWF’s Director General as the
chairman, working with various sectors such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

16

the Royal Thai Police, the Southern Border Province Administrative Centre
(SBPAC), and the Coordination Center for Women and Children Affairs
in the Southern Border Provinces (CCWC). In the Deep South, the DWF
supports the work of the CCWC in cooperation with the SBPAC, whereby
the CCWC serves as a coordinating mechanism within the area, a center,
coordinating channel, complaint handling, and problem-solving
mechanism for human rights violations toward children and women.

The operational framework of CCWC covers seven areas:

1. Access to justice and remedies;
2. Violence against children and women;
3. Peace and security vis-à-vis children and women;
4. The welbeing of children and women;
5. Access to government services for children and women;
6. Participation in decision-making at al levels;
7. Gender recognition and equality.

Operating Results:

1. Providing assistance in the cases affected by the COVID-19
pandemic;

2. Supporting vocational activities for women’s groups;
3. Advocating the making of draft proposal on DNA sample
colection of children and women in the southern border provinces;
4. Providing training for frontline staff working at the
observation center (a quarantine facility for people returning from abroad
to the southern border provinces) on the issue of harassment or sexual
abuse;
5. Creating a mechanism for cooperation between civil
society and another sectors.
6. Strengthening existing mechanisms to provide counseling
to women facing problems in the southernmost region.

17

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3) Empowerment: Trainings are organized to provide
knowledge to officials to be aware of conflict situations and human
rights violations and to promote sensitivity toward the situation in
the southernmost region and gender issues; to be careful when
working with children and women to avoid repetitive harassment
by government officials. In the past, there were trainings provided
to paramilitary rangers in the southern border provinces, police
investigators in Region 8 and 9, and encouragement of practices
that are consistent to obligations as recommended by the CEDAW
Committee for the Thai government to improve its works in regard
to women and children affected by conflict situations and al forms
of violence in the southernmost region, which need to be developed
to make it more effective. In addition, empowerment was provided
to women affected by the unrest to access government services,
as wel as to promote the quality of life in various aspects, and
provide consultation to support women’s projects, which help
strengthen women-led groups.

Next step: Leveraging Women, Peace, and Security Agenda

1) Viewing and supporting the role of women as actors who
are agents of change, involvement at al levels, as wel as emphasizing
the stability in terms of human security.

2) Empowering women’s stability, mainly by enhancing
economic security and safety.

3) Coordinating with al sectors; civil society, government,
education sector, and political sector, which is excelent cooperation
for exchange with a wide variety of participants that include
academics, practitioners, civil society, and researchers to leverage
the progress, stability, and peace in Thailand, as wel as to improve
the quality of life of women and children in the southern border
areas.

19

Advancement of Women, Peace, and Security and
the Changing Security Context

Ruangkhao Chanchai, the ASEAN Governance & WPS Regional
Programme Lead of UN Women Indonesia Country Office. who is
responsible for WPS governance at the ASEAN level, said that
UN Women has a lead mandate and continued to play a key role in
supporting the UN Member States in implementing the WPS agenda.
The landmark UN Security Resolution 1325 was adopted 2020 with
the strong support of UN Women (Formerly UNIFEM) in close
colaboration with the women movements globaly. It reaffirms the
importance of the equal participation and ful involvement of women
in al efforts for maintaining and promoting peace and security.
Hence, this marked a triumph of international women’s groups that
pushed the issue to the United Nations.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda is interconnected
with many issues and many dimensions that requires cross-sectoral
collboration of multistakeholder groups. UN Women has a triple
mandate of normative support, UN coordination, and operational
activities to promote gender equality and empowerment of women
and girls. Within the UN system, UN Women is mandated to lead,
promote and coordinate efforts to advance the ful realization of
women’s rights and opportunities. The year 2020 marked the 20th
anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Internationaly,
lessons have been learned over the past 20 years. The ASEAN region
is seen as a largely peaceful region. The peace and security issues of
the ASEAN Member States are not often represented or discussed at
the UN Security Council. The Asia-Pacific region is considered
a relatively stable and peaceful region, it is often underrepresented
when it comes to the discussion of the WPS agenda at the international
level as the focus tends to be on the other armed conflict regions.
At most, there may be some discussion about the situation in

20

Afghanistan, or there may be some public concern about the violence
in Myanmar every now and then. There is a need for localization of
the WPS agenda in the context of Southeast Asia, which a unique
and diverse region, including in the context of Thailand.

There maybe some common misunderstanding about the WPS
agenda. Firstly, it is often seen as a niche agenda for women. In fact,
the essence of the WPS agenda is that sustainable peace cannot be
created without gender equality, because peace is inextricably linked
between the equality between men and women.

Secondly, the WPS is traditionally seen through traditional
security lens. More efforts are required to look at the non-traditional
security issues and emerging security threats in the context of
Southeast Asia. The COVID19 pandemic is a stark reminder that peace
is more than the absence of war, especialy in this region. From this
perspective, Thailand can benefit from localizing the WPS agenda
to address relevant chalenges to peace and security that go beyond
the traditional security issues. There are many dimensions of security:
political, social, and economic. Because there are many dimensions
to security, people’s perspectives on peace have shifted, and it must
ultimately be tailored to specific regional and country contexts.
Therefore, conflict prevention or conflict management needs take
into account the gender perspective.

To push forward the WPS agenda in Thailand, it is necessary
to coordinate discussions between various parties, including the
government sector and civil society, because peace and security
can only be achieved when al parties join forces and understand
how they are related. Success can only be achieved when people
are united across the country, not in any particular area. Therefore,
participation from al sectors is essential for the advancement of the
WPS agenda as wel as decision-making at the policy level relating
to security and peace.

21

Review the Status of Women, Peace, and Security
Agenda in the Philippines and Indonesia

The women’s groups in many countries caled for the monitoring
of the accountability framework according to the action plans and
government policies, work prioritization and budgets, as wel as the
exchange of knowledge and analysis to inspect the state’s policy-
making and implementation driving in appropriately applying the
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to the context of each society.
It is continuously witnessed that opinions are presented to the state
and network partners along with the drive towards action by
organizations that were not included in the process of policy drafting
but regarded as civil society network members as wel as academics
and women’s rights activists.

In 2017, the Southeast Asia region committed to the
advancement of WPS through a joint declaration on the promotion
of WPS in ASEAN to contribute to peacekeeping. The reference from
Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) reflects that the
performance of the state and related sectors in this area is stil lower
than the gender equality criteria in al ASEAN member states. However,
the advancement of politics and democracy in Indonesia and the
Philippines has helped WPS to be considered and their NAP to become
a role model for other countries in the region.

The Philippines

The Philippines declared independence from being a territory
of the United States in 1946. The country has a history of intermittent
armed conflicts with various insurgent groups, in particular, the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the United Front for Democracy
(NDF). Since 2016, under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte,
the Philippines has faced grave human rights violations, especialy
through Duterte’s “War Against Drugs” that resulted in widespread

22

cases of extrajudicial kilings perpetrated by state security
forces. In addition, ongoing violations of rights include direct
threats and attacks on human rights defenders, political
activists, and environmental and community leaders. In 2019,
the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution
requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) to provide a report on the human rights situation
in the Philippines.

The development of 1325 NAP in the Philippines began
in 2007 with political cooperation between civil society and
the government. At that time, there was preparation for
consultation at the regional level of civil society organizations
as wel as national government agencies. The key action plans
to be included in NAP are the results that were released in
March 2010 folowing the signing of Executive Order (EO) 865,
bringing NAP institutional infrastructure into national-driven
actions. The National Steering Committee on Women, Peace,
and Security (NSC-WPS) was appointed.

The Philippines adopted the latest National Action Plan
(NAP) in 2017 for the period 2018 to 2022. The NAP was
developed by the technical working group, NSC WPS (TWG),
through a participatory approach that included consultation
with civil society organizations. The overal goal of NAP is to
ensure the expansion of women’s roles in different areas of
peace and security, emphasizing the authority of women as
leaders and participants in the country’s peace process.
The organization makes an effort to folow best practices for
women’s presence in formal peace talks as wel as in other
areas outside the system, such as civil society and grassroots
participation level. The NAP does not have a detailed
monitoring and evaluation framework but specifies monitoring
and evaluation among the NAP’s standalone pillars and

23

objectives. While the NAP does not have a budget, the
subsequent executive order allocated approximately
$US 100,000 to fund the first year of operation.

The 2nd NAP of the Philippines that was adopted in
2010 for the period of 2010 to 2016 started with the study of
NAP’s operations. The NAP 2010-2016 has been extended
from the correction of gaps to the application of a broader
framework in managing the situation of women in armed
conflict and awareness of participation in peacebuilding.
The NAP also incorporates some key recommendations made
intheglobalstudyonUNSCR1325in2015,suchasprioritization
of conflict prevention, specification of a framework for
women’s security and peace from a human rights
perspective, women’s participation and leadership in peace
projects at al levels, transitional justice, development of
cooperative and participatory action plans that are in line
with local context (localization), and battle against extreme
doctrine or concept by supporting women in peacebuilding.
The approach is multi-level; such as working with stakeholders
and financial initiatives aimed at materializing women,
peace, and security.

Women’s participation is operated in the form of a
national network —comprising of the organization for
women’s rights, peace and human rights— that was
established and became the government’s primary partner
in WPS initiatives. This partnership included further refinements
of Action Plans and NAP metrics in the last quarter of 2010.
Later in 2013, the first civil society monitoring report
Implementing the Philippine National Action Plan on UN
Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820: A Civil Society
Monitoring Report (March 2010-January 2013) was published
with compilation of accomplishments according to the
conditions for implementation of 1325 NAP for three years.

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The Philippines has issued two national action plans, the
first covering 2010–2016 and the second covering 2017–2022.
Both of the NAP are based on important legislation, namely,
the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, Rape Victim Assistance and
Protection Act of 1998, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003,
and Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of
2004, with the awareness that these laws already support the
national law and the framework for the protection of women’s
security. Moreover, the Philippines also passed two bils that
provide a model of good practice for consideration by other
countries. The Republic Act 7192 “recognizes the role of women
in nation building and wil ensure fundamental equality before
the law of women and men.” The law requires that a majority
of the officials provide developmental assistance from foreign
governments or multilateral agencies devoted to projects for
women, certified by the government agencies that women
receive equal benefit from such projects and the government
agencies interested in eliminating gender bias from regulations
and guidelines.

The significance of 1325 NAP is that women have active
participation in the peace process in a meaningful way,
achieving milestones under the pilars of empowerment and
participation, protection and defense, and the promotion and
inclusion of mainstream women’s roles in peace and security.
When implemented according to specific recommendations
of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission,
the Philippines is the first country in the world to formulate
and implement a regional action plan on women, peace,
and security. The plan is part of the government’s efforts to
implement Resolution 1325 in the locality. Women now have
meaningful participation in the peace process with the MILF,
which ultimately led to the passing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

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Indonesia

Indonesia launched its first national action plan in 2014. During
2014-2019, the draft of NAP was developed by the Ministry of Women
Empowerment and Child Protection. However, the draft of the 1325 NAP
was initiated by women’s organizations in civil society along with
community work to create understanding. The government later
recognized the need and importance of having the 1325 NAP and,
therefore, asked the civil society sector to help develop the draft as wel
as the implementation when the NAP is close to being implemented in
the country according to the WPS agenda. The state acts as the main
host and a center to drive for the achievement of the goal of protecting
and empowering women and children during the conflict.

The 1325 NAP has three comprehensive sections that focus on
preventive measures, recovery, and empowerment & participation.
Each of these sections has specific actions and indicators. The state
specifies a monitoring and evaluation framework that consists of meetings
to evaluate progress on the actions outlined in the 1325 NAP.

In terms of the internal situation, the latest armed conflict in
Indonesia’s history is the Aceh Conflict. The Gerakan Aceh Merdeka
(GAM) movement demanded independence of Aceh from Indonesia
during the 1976-2005 period. The conflict concluded with a peace
agreement signed in 2005, but the agreement was not included in the
gender-sensitive measures. Moreover, the peace agreement also caled
for the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which held
its first public hearing in 2018 and lasted until 2002.

Regarding the development of the 1325 NAP, although the
Committee on National Action Plan for the Protection and Empowerment
of Women and Children in Social Conflict (RAN P3A-KS) led by the Ministry
of Women Empowerment and Child Protection did not mention any role
of civil society in the participation in the development or operation,
in practice, the Indonesian government holds consultations with civil
society, including women’s groups. The monitoring process has been

26

carried out by members of civil society, who have been actively involved
since the drafting process of the 1325 NAP. In Indonesia, there are activist
groups, namely, AMAN Indonesia, the Gender Based Violence
organization, and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

In terms of the implementation of the national action plan on
women, peace, and security, it was found that civil society organizations
worked together to achieve 1325 NAP at the local level. Local non-
governmental organizations coordinate their networks with regional NGOs
to initiate the drafting of local action plans to make operations more
effective. In addition, they also work with local government representatives
to create capability and political wil to deal with emerging chalenges.
On the other hand, RAN P3A-KS has established a coordination center
and working group responsible for the 1325 NAP’s implementation.

However, there was no mention of any anti-government actors
involved in the implementation of NAP. Various government offices are
the leaders in the implementation to achieve the goals set in the plan
folowing the procedures; namely, Ministry of Women Empowerment and
Child Protection or KPP PA (Coordinating Activities), Indonesian National
Police, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Ministry of Communications
and Information, Ministry of Interior, Attorney General’s Office, National
Child Protection Board, National Commission on Anti-Violence against
Women, Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Activity Coordinator), Ministry
of Social Affairs, Indonesian Institute of Science/Technology, Ministry of
Defense, Indonesian Army, Ministry of Development of Disadvantaged
Areas, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of
Religion, Public Information Commission, and Indonesian Red Cross
Society.

Indonesia conducted an evaluation of 1325 NAP according to
the report of a central coordinating team comprising RAN P3A-KS working
groups in provinces and districts/cities by coordinating, monitoring,
evaluating and reporting the actions of NAP - KS P3A to achieve
cooperation and continuity of procedures to protect and empower
women and children during conflicts.

27

The determination of Indonesia is reflected by
its commitment to increase women’s participation in
peacekeeping and the UN police and to strengthen
protection systems for women and children in conflict.
As a part of this effort, Indonesia joined the ICRC at
a high-level regional meeting on “Preparing Modern
Armed Forces for Peacekeeping Operations in the
21st Century” in June 2019 and held a conference
on “PreparingModernArmedForcesforPeacekeeping
Operations in the 21st Century” on June 25-27, 2019.
The conference concluded that Indonesia increased
the number of female peacekeepers by 60 per cent
(from 77 to 123).

There are more Indonesian women joining
peacekeeping missions. For example, in February
2020, the new UNSCR Council for Peacekeeping
(UNSCR 1995) was approved in August 2020 under
the presidency of the Council of Indonesia. Another
important issue is the resistance to extremism.
Indonesia is committed to integrate the WPS agenda
to prevent and combat extremism as well as to
increase national and community capacity on
women’s participation as agents of peace and
tolerance, including the issue of eliminating extremism,
which is the third strategic focus of Indonesia. To build
on this capacity, Indonesia has, for example,
organized regional training for female diplomats from
the ASEAN region on WPS as a peace negotiator and
practitioner in April 2019.

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Situation in the Deep South



Violence situation and Impact

The information in this section is compiled from the “Situation
Report on Women, Children, and Youth in the Southern Border Provinces”
published in 2021 by the CCWC and the results of five public opinion
surveys on the peace process, known as “Peace Survey”, from 2016
to 2020.

Over the past 17 years, a total of 20,692 incidents have occurred,
with 7,162 deaths and 13,348 injuries. Overal, the situation in the southern
border provinces has improved. The number of incidents of violence as
well as deaths and injuries continued to decline. If considered on
a monthly or daily basis, there is stil variance. There are conditions that
escalate violence al the time, affecting the feelings of the people in the
area with concerns about safety. It was found that civil society
organizations working on peacebuilding relating to women, children,
and youth have caled for safe spaces. The women’s groups want
“safe public spaces” to enable civilians to go about their daily life.
Women feel safe participating in activities organized at religious places
and government offices, but feel less safe when going to the market.
The children’s groups demand “safe, creative spaces” for learning
development and opportunities to lead a quality life and be violence-
free from the insurgency and violence in the family and school. Another
area is “free expression space” proposed by youth who wish to express
themselves and participate in politics and groups that want gender
justice. The women’s groups feel that the least safe space is the area for
the expression of ideas, especialy for criticizing the government or the
insurgent movement, and the expression of stances in support of the
movement.

In the southernmost region, the number of children (aged 0–17)
and youth (18–25 years old) is over a milion, from a population of more
than two milion people. Living in an area where there is an unpredictable

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risk of violence that cannot be avoided can potentialy cause disabilities
or death and leave orphans. A number of children have witnessed the
loss of their family and community members before their eyes, and there
are as many as 460 milion children globaly who live in conflict and
violent areas like the Deep South and are also at risk of being involved
in violence. In the area, there are 6,687 orphans and more than 1,000
people who have not received remedies, which is an issue that the
government and civil society are finding ways to help. The problems
experienced by orphans can be psychological, social, or economic in
nature. Depression, anger, and feelings of injustice in life can be found.
Many orphans have no one to turn to and some have to live in orphanages
while receiving scholarships from donations.

Statistics show that there were fewer women kiled. However, the
impact caused by male deaths has resulted in the southern border
provinces having the highest number of widows in the country, which is
a group that is affected mentaly, economicaly, and socialy. They have
to deal with sudden changes in status and economic role, becoming
the sole breadwinners of their family. The impacts on a widow is an
ongoing burden that do not end when the violence ends.

The enforcement of special laws in the area also directly and
indirectly affects children and women in the southernmost provinces. The
colection of DNAs among under-18 suspected insurgents and the request
for women whose family members are accused of being suspects in
security cases to report themselves for questioning, the frequency of
blockade and extrajudicial kiling in the community resulted in elderly
family members, children and women being affected psychologicaly
toward the fate of family members. The impact of the special laws is not
only on the public but on the family level as wel.

When considering the views of women on the issue of human right
violations, it was found that Muslim women and Buddhist women have
different views. Muslim women focus on human rights issues in the
folowing order: 1) The ban of hijab (Muslim veil) is a form of violation;

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2) military operations against insurgents operating in the vilages;
3) torture; 4) being photographed at checkpoints; and 5) colecting
personal information, such as DNA or ID information.

For Buddhist women, the main issues of human rights violations
are: 1) bombing in public areas, regardless of which group did it
2) failure to provide food for Buddhist in the hospitals such as pork
3) government officials were shot by armed movements 4) more quotas
and scholarships for Muslims.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the quality
of life of children and families in the area. Covid-19 has made many
families poorer. It is a hindrance to quality child care. Some families
lacked devices for online learning and have no money to study.
It was found that the increasing household debt was partialy attributed
to the children’s education expenses. In addition, there are impacts
from sexual and domestic violence. Many children have no personal
space, making them more vulnerable to sexual violence.

Progress of Women and Children

Over the past 17 years, governments, religious leaders, civil
society, and other sectors have fostered the equality of children and
women in key areas, with progress and change resulting from the
adaptation and vision that lead to problem solving and improvement
of quality of life of women and children in various dimensions, be they
education, public health, and economy. There is incremental
improvement, such as:

1) Religious organizations and the protection of the rights of
girls and women i.e the issuance of the 2018 Regulation of the Central
Islamic Council of Thailand on Marriage (nikah) of persons under the
age of 17 to prevent childhood marriage and the establishment of
a “Women Empowerment and Consulting Center” by the Office of

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the Islamic Council of Narathiwat and Yala Provinces to help women
affected by domestic violence.

2) The government sector and the protection of child rights, namely,
specifying methods to treat under-18 suspected insurgents in the
regulations of the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, the
enforcement of special laws for child protection, and the development
of Islamic schools’ curricula to support education in accordance with
the culture and needs of the community.

3) Measures and practices on women and the promotion of peace
and security of the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family
Development, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, can
be used as a guideline for relevant agencies in order to integrate gender
perspective into peace and security policies to eliminate violence against
women and promote participation in conflict resolution.

4) The CCWC is a mechanism established with the support of the
SBPAC and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to
implement measures and guidelines on women in the promotion of
peace and security for the effective protection of the rights of children
and women.

5) Network for the protection of child rights to advocate for policies
and to promote the creation of mechanisms at the school and community
level that could potentialy be effective in protecting children from al
forms of violence, both at home and in public areas, including the
promotion of equal and fair treatment of children, the opportunity to
develop their potential, a good quality of life, and participation in
decision-making on issues that affect their quality of life and their future.

6) Women’s participation in public spaces and at decision-making
levels in the security, political, and civil society sectors where women
have a greater role in contributing to peace and development work in
the area.

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34

Roles and Participation of Women

Despite the increasing role of women in public spaces,
there are only a few who are active in formal areas, particularly
in the peace process and in politics, at both local and national
levels. At the international level, more importance is given to
women’s participation, such as in the Philippines, Indonesia,
Iraq, or Kashmir, while research work shows that women’s
participation could contribute to the sustainability and success
of the peace process and leads to agreement.

The participation of women in the southern border
provinces of Thailand expands in the civil society sector because
of the need to reduce the impact of violence and to create
change in the pursuit of justice and peace. It is informal and
done as volunteer work with a limited budget and resources.
They often work in the area of occupational and income
promotion, natural resource protection, and rehabilitation work.
Women are also a key player in the advocacy of human rights
of vulnerable groups in the region, including children, youth,
women, and families affected by violence and special laws.
Women in the area are active and key supporters of the peace
process. Although many women are not fuly confident in the
ongoing peace dialogue, they attach importance to the work
of disseminating the knowledge of peace education to various
groups of people in the area.
Women stil lack access to decision-making power and
the resources necessary to drive peace at the formalized political
levels that could create a tangible impact on policy-making
and implementation. When considering the issues that women
focus on, namely the living economy, cessation of violence,
and legal and political justice, their participation could enable
the peace process to cover more diverse social, political and
security-related dimensions.

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Opinions on the development of measures for unrest
resolution

The data for this part is obtained from a survey of
people’s opinions on the peace process in the southernmost
provinces during 2016–2020. It is divided into urgent measures
and long-term measures as folows:

1) Urgent measures to solve the problem: Muslim and
Buddhist women agree that the urgent issue is to create safe
spaces in communities and not harming civilians, and that
importance should be given to the peace process and human
right violations. A truth commission should be appointed in
cases of human rights violations. As for peacebuilding, the
safety of the participants must be ensured. The Muslim
women’s view is that human rights protection should cover
news reporting that protects the rights of suspects, as wel as
a proposal for further reductions in military force.

2) Long-term measures: Muslim and Buddhist women
have a consensus that the first priority of long-term measures
should be occupation and income promotion. The second
is the management of drug problem. The third is about crime
and illegal smuggling. The fourth is the improvement of
education that is consistent with the locals, and the fifth is
non-partisan rehabilitation. In regard to the use of military,
Thai Buddhist women tend to support military measures to
suppress the insurgent movements.

Understanding the empirical data helps us comprehend
the different situations facing women in relation to
peacebuilding in the area. Women have varied opinions and
roles in contributing to peacebuilding, which is beneficial to
policy makers and practitioners in al relevant sectors.

36

Recommendations on the Process of
Creating a National Action Plan

The recommendations in this part were
compiled from the three consultative workshops
organized between November and December
2021 and attended by 85 participants.
An additional consultation forum was organized
on February 25, 2022, which was attended by 25
participants who were representatives from
civil society organizations, communities, non-
governmental organizations, government agencies
directly involved in the development of national
action plan, religious actors, security agencies,
international organizations, the media, and special
government representatives to solve problems
in the southern border provinces on the issue
of peace and equal rights. The participation
of various sectors indicated the support for the
development of the National Action Plan on
Women, Peace, and Security. There are concerns
that people in society have a limited understanding
of 1325 NAP and WPS and how the plan should
be implemented so that the values of local culture
wil not be a barrier to the development of 1325
NAP. The goal is to provide protection for security
in life, human rights promotion, and participation
of all sectors to push for the implementation
of peace and security agenda.

37

38

39

40

Key recommendations

of the workshop participants

are as follo1was):ndUnloicvaelirzsaatiloitny
The development of the National Action Plan on
Women, Peace, and Security must have universality,
ensuring that everyone receives benefits on the basis of
equality and justice. In addition, it is necessary to take
into account the gender-responsive needs of women
in the area to solve the problems of sexual violence,
economic problems, drugs, hate speech, structural and
cultural violence, and impacts of special laws. As the
issues of concerns and needs of women in each region
are different, a balance between universality and
localization must be considered to drive the WPS agenda
that is in line with the context. It is important to raise an
awareness of the principles of safeguarding women’s
human rights, enhancing their access to self-development,
being a part of society with dignity and free from al
forms of violence.

41

2) Congruence

The Department of Women’s Affairs and Family
Development, Ministry of Social Development and
Human Security, is a host for the development of the
WPS NAP that corresponds with the concept of
“Measures and Guidelines for Women’s Affairs and
the Promotion of Peace and Security” (in five pilars,
namely, 1) prevention; 2) protection and recovery;
3i) capacity building; 4) empowerment and
participation; and 5) mechanism and implementation)
and links to the existing framework for the
promotion of women’s status in the country, such as:
1) “The Action Plan on Women’s Development, Phase I”
(B.E. 2563-2565) developed in accordance with
Strategy on Women’s Development B.E. 2560-2564 ;
2) “Convention on the Elimination of al Forms of
Discrimination Against Women”; and 3) “Sustaina
ble Development Goals” (SDGs)” to ensure the
coherence of existing frameworks and avoid the
repetition. This is to make progress in the advocacy
of WPS agenda as wel as to integrate mechanisms
that provide access to justice for specific groups of
42 women, e.g., religious and cultural minority groups.

3) Inclusiveness
The Department of Women’s Center; the National Security
Affairs and Family Development is the Council; the Ministry of Interior; and
main host for coordination with the Committee of Special
various agencies and sectors. The lessons Representatives of the Government
learned from the development of for Solving Problems in the Southern
NAP in the Philippines and Indonesia Border Province. Incidentally,
are that the development of the the development of the national
action plan needs participation and action plans relating to conflict
coordination in terms of resources, resolution in the Deep South must be
knowledge, and skills of personnel interconnected. It is important to gain
from various organizations in the trust and cooperation from the Peace
government, academia and ordinary Dialogue Panel and the Steering
people. The government in particular Committee for Solving Problems in
must include important agencies and the Southern Border Province (known
ministries: The Ministry of Foreign in short as ko po to) in order to
Affairs; the Ministry of Social integrate the WPS agenda into the
Development and Human Security; process of conflict resolution in the
the Ministry of Justice; the Southern Deep South.
Border Provinces Administrative
43

4) Roleleaodf erersligious
All religious organization and
their leaders at national and local levels
shal support the development of the
NAP, which would be an important
factor in the success of the advocacy
on WPS agenda that is initiated from
the Deep South, especialy towards the
gender-based violence, recording
system, and women’s participation in
peace process and politics as wel as
the participation of religious leaders in
the prevention of extremism.

44

5em) Wpoowmeremne’nst

It is important to empower women in al
sectors, including government (civil servants and
security agencies), civil society organizations,
politicians, and academics, so that they wil have
knowledge and capacity to analyze problems from
a gender and security-responsive perspective. This
will allow them to actively participate in the
development of the NAP WPS. During the
implementation phase, women can help folow up
on and provide recommendations for policy
improvements to overcome obstacles or problems.

45

s6ae)ncdSuacrfoietmytmyinoanpnsudpbalcice
The participants in the development of
the NAP WPS had opportunities to fuly and openly
discuss the visions of peace and security, as wel
as exchange views on problem analysis, and
expand their understandings of national and
human security from the perspective of women,
peace, and security. The forum for exchange
and learning should be intensively organized at
the beginning and continued throughout the
processes to create understandings and reduce
attitudes or behaviors that will obstruct the
advocacy on the NAP.

46

7) KnoownleWdPgSeadnidsseNmAiPnation
Promoting knowledge of the economic and quality of life
framework of WPS is stil necessary. developmentandthepreventionof
It is important to encourage the violentextremism.Theworkinggroup
exchange of views and learning on NAP development must work
between and within various sectors, closely with allied regional and
betheygovernmentofficials,especialy international organizations, such as
male and female rangers, police, ASEAN Institution for Peace and
soldiers,andrebelgroups,whichcould Reconciliation(AIPR),ASEANWomen
play a significant role in driving the for Peace Registry (AWPR),
process of peacebuilding, as wel as International Civil Society Action
socialactivists,humanrightsdefenders, Network (ICAN), and UN Women, to
religious leaders, community leaders, exchange knowledge about the
politicians, and the media. This wil process of developing a NAP and
enable ful-fledged discussion and to provide such knowledge for
alow participants to link the ideas to relevant stakeholders in the
their work in the dimension of security, country.

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8) Communication
The working group on NAP development
should organize hearing forums regularly. The
forum should encourage the exchange of various
views and safe communication. For example,
regular consultations with various concerned
people, formal and semi-formal, should be
organized every three months as proposed in
the workshop throughout the process of
developing the NAP to prepare various sectors
and stakeholders to be ready for the
implementation and ensure that freedom of
expression wil be guaranteed.

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