DELEGATES from more than 73 countries are expected participate in this year’s International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS) to be held in Manila.
Also coming from the convention are 19 ministers and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) said.
“The International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security will bring together women leaders, peacebuilders, and peace advocates…with the aim of highlighting [women’s] indispensable role in their country’s peace processes,” OPAPRU chief Secretary Carlito Galvez said.
He said the meeting aims to “enhance the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and encourage investment from the private sector.”
The conference will tackle the role of women in peace processes, the effective execution of the National Action Plan, financing strategies for WPS initiatives, and the intersection among gender inequities, climate, peace, and security.
OPAPRU said there will also be a special forum on multi-stakeholder and cross-regional partnerships, parliamentary roundtable dialogues on advancing the WPS agenda, and 23 confirmed side events, as well as exhibits by local and international institutions and organizations.
“Lasting peace for all can only be attained when women are included and given the chance to let their voices be heard,” Galvez stressed, highlighting the vital role of women prime movers in the nation’s peace processes such as the late lawyer Haydee Yorac and Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman noted that the ICWPS will be utilized as a platform to encourage international development institutions and the private sector to invest in initiatives that are focused on women, peace, and security.
“That is the important thing for us to impart in this conference. That more than anything else, we need the cooperation of the private sector [and] the international community to help us fund these projects and programs,” Pangandaman said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Philippines to host ICWPS this month.”
