At the Frontline: Women Peacekeepers in the Philippines

"The Women’s Agency in Keeping the Peace, Promoting Security, shortly called WePeace, aims at sharing capacities with selected community women on gender-responsive peacemaking and peacekeeping. In 2019, trained women peacekeepers have engaged in community mediation, monitoring and documentation, complemaenting the work of community peace and order councils. WePeace supports the implementation of some action points in the current National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS), including capacitation of women from conflict-affected or vulnerable communities under the NAP’s pillar on Empowerment and Participation. Implemented in four communities, a representative from North Cotabato, Surigao del Sur, Kalinga, and Quezon were present to share their peacekeeping and peacebuilding experiences. An hour-long dialogue then followed between the women peacekeepers and guests, discussing the perception of women in the peacekeeping roles to the challenges of peace and security they face in their respective communities."