MARAWI CITY (PIA)—In March 2023, the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and UNDP planned to launch the next cycle of the BARMM's action plan on women, peace, and security (RAP-WPS).

A 4-day technical write-shop to jumpstart the next cycle of RAP-WPS was held in Cotabato City, February 6–9, which will be followed by a series of validations in the different areas of BARMM for finalization.

At the technical write-shop, women from BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies (MOAs), civil society organizations, grassroots women peacebuilders, and national and international non-government organizations worked together to find ways to fix the problems with the current BARMM RAP-WPS. It was supported by Global Affairs Canada.

Accordingly, the new RAP-WPS is a 10-year action plan intended to address the various needs of women and establish a more concrete and gender-sensitive plan for the promotion of women's protection towards achieving sustainable peace and gender equality in the Bangsamoro region.

Participants talked about what needed to be changed or improved in each of the plan's four pillars: protection and prevention, empowerment and participation, promotion and mainstreaming, and monitoring and evaluation.

BWC Chairperson Bainon Karon said the Commission is hopeful that the next cycle of RAPWPS will be more inclusive and participative, and relevant to the stakeholders in order to strengthen women's active and meaningful participation in various spaces.

The various spaces included peacebuilding and conflict prevention, the integration of important emerging issues relevant to WPS such as climate change, cybersecurity, and the engagement of men and boys, diverse populations, as well as young persons with disabilities.

"Women are also active agents of peace in armed conflict, yet their role as key players and change agents of peace are still yet to be recognized here in the Bangsamoro. But I concede to your different understanding, experiences, and capabilities to all aspects of women, peace, and security that are essential in sustaining peace in the region," Karon said.

Meanwhile, UN Women Peace and Security lead Nery Ronatay emphasized that when it comes to WPS, BARMM is one of the models around the world.

"Sinusubukan natin sulatin iyong pangatlong cycle ng RAP-WPS. Ito ay ang commitment ng Pilipinas at ng BARMM para i-address natin yung mga needs and vulnerabilities ng mga kababaihan at mga batang babae na naiipit sa giyera (conflict)," he said.

(We are trying to write your third cycle of RAP-WPS. This is the commitment of the Philippines and BARMM to address the needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls who are trapped in war)

He also stressed the need to focus on issues involving women in the Bangsamoro Peace Process Normalization.

RAPWPS was anchored to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council and The National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAPWPS), October 31, 2000. (BIO/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)