Philippines
National
Pasay Declaration: World vows to protect women, makes them as agents of peace
Pasay Declaration: World vows to protect women, makes them as agents of peace
Member states of the United Nations (UN) have expressed concern over the global backlash against women's rights and committed to take measures against sexual violence, among other kinds of gender-based violence, as they adopted the Pasay Declaration on Women, Peace and Security.
Foreign ministers and representatives of UN members gathered in Manila from Oct. 28 to 30 to discuss the global condition of women and share best practices and strengthen regional cooperation for sustainable, gender-responsive peace frameworks, and implement practical strategies that promote women’s roles in all phases of peace and security.
The Philippines, which hosted the event called International Conference on Women, Peace and Security, said the world must do more to uphold women as agents of change and leaders in shaping conditions for lasting peace, asserting that when women are involved in peace processes, agreements will likely be reached.
In the declaration, the UN member states noted the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls, including as targets, forced combatants, victims of conflict-related sexual violence, refugees and internally displaced persons, and call for urgent measures to address the situation, including on-the-ground interventions that prioritize the protection of women and girls in conflict zones.
They also committed to respond to all forms of gender-based violence, give particular attention to the rights and needs of women and girls in vulnerable situations, and advocate for the development of effective mechanisms for prosecuting the perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence.
In line with the Philippines' call, the UN members recognized that women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes would contribute to achieving lasting and durable peace.
"And we reiterate the importance of the full, equal, and meaningful participation and leadership of women at all levels of decision-making for the promotion and maintenance of peace and security," they said, acknowledging also the contribution of women peacekeepers to the work of the UN.
Therefore, they committed to promote women’s leadership in mediation processes and to actively take steps to set ambitious and measurable targets for women’s direct participation on delegations and negotiating teams and the appointment of women as lead mediators in peace processes.
They promised to publicly track and report the targets to ensure transparency and accountability.
They also said there is interconnectedness among security, climate, and gender equality as they noted that instability and conflict resulting from climate change, loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and natural disasters disproportionately affecting women and girls.
"We commit to ensuring women's leadership and full and equal and meaningful involvement in climate interventions and disaster risk reduction, acknowledging their critical roles in addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change and other forms of natural disasters, and the need to equally benefit from climate resilient resources and technologies," they said.
The UN member states recognized the importance of international cooperation for the advancement of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
They reiterated their commitment to work together and take concerted action to address the challenges to its full implementation focusing on measurable outcomes.