The Philippines launched its latest UNSCR1325 National Action plan (NAP) for the period 2017-2022. Procedurally, the drafting involved an updating seminar and a series of meetings of the NSC WPS Technical Working Group (TWG) on the continuous refinement of the draft, consultation with representatives of civil society organisations, and deliberation and further inputs from the members of the Executive Committee of the NSC WPS. The National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAPWPS), 2017-2022 essentially takes off from the findings of the study on the implementation of the 2010-2016 NAP WPS, specifically, building on its gains and addressing the gaps. It adopts a broader framing of addressing the situation of women in armed conflict and recognising their contributions to peacebuilding. The NAP also incorporates some key recommendations made in the 2015 Global Study on UNSCR 1325 such as the prioritisation of conflict prevention, framing women peace and security from a human rights perspective, participation and leadership of women in all levels of the peace project, transitional justice, inclusive and participatory localisation efforts, combating extremism by supporting women peacebuilders, multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach to implementation, and financing initiatives aimed at materialising women, peace and security. Finally, the third generation NAP WPS is the explicit articulation of the incorporation of the gender perspective in the Six-Point Peace and Development Agenda.
The Philippines’ history of intermittent armed conflicts with various insurgent groups has had a harsh impact on not only the women themselves but also the roles they are conventionally expected to play in society. According to the Philippine Commission on Women, one in five women have experienced physical violence since age 15; six in 100 reported having experienced sexual violence; four percent experienced physical violence during pregnancy. Violence against women also takes many forms including enslavement in conflict areas, killing of human rights activists, discrimination in the workplace, emotional abuse, sexual slavery, and trafficking.
The NAP WPS 2017-2022 anchors its vision to achieving the expansion of women’s role in the various spaces for peace. In this regard, it highlights women’s agency — both as leaders and participants — in the peace process of the country. It seeks to continue the best practice of women’s presence in formal peace tables as well as in other informal spaces (i.e. civil society and grassroots participation). There is no allocated budget in the NAP, which can potentially challenge NAP’s implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation. However, a subsequent Executive Order allocated roughly USD 100,000 for the first year of implementation.