ARMM employees attend Course on Women, Peace and Security

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Oct. 14 (PIA) – Employees from several line agencies of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) participated in the Government Executive Course on Women, Peace and Security on September 28-October 3 at the Ateneo de Manila University.

ARMM’s agencies that promote women’s rights such as the Regional Commission on Bangsamoro Women (RCBW), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Regional Planning and Development Office and the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division participated in the six-day course.

“It’s a course for government agencies that have mandates of protecting and promoting the welfare of women and girls, especially in times of conflict,” Sittie Jehanne Mutin, chairperson of RCBW-ARMM said.

The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that first implemented the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The Localization of the National Action Plan was first implemented in 2012, with ARMM as pilot area for implementation.

The implementation of local action plans is based on the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1325 and 1820 that recognize the effects armed conflicts bring on women and girls, as well as participation of women in the peace process.

The UNSCR 1325 reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction. It also stresses the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

The UNSCR 1820, meanwhile, was unanimously adopted on June 19, 2008. It condemns the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, and declares that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crime, crimes against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide”.

In ARMM, the RCBW and the Regional Steering Committee on Gender and Development spearhead the implementation of these measures. “The world is looking at ARMM on how it implements the National Action Plan,” Mutin said.

“These will ensure that women will not be violated sexually and exploited, and the advancement of their welfare even in post conflict times will be assured,” she added. The course was sponsored by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Ateneo de Manila University, and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. (BPI/PIA-10)