N-Peace Indonesia's Second National Dialogue on NAP P4K Ignites CSO Activity

N-Peace Indonesia's second National Dialogue on the National Action Plan P4K, coordinated by UNDP in collaboration with Ministry of Women's Empowerment (MoWE), Search For Common Ground (SFCG) and key N-Peace network members, took place on 18-19 April 2012.

Attended by over 40 participants, the majority of whom were CSO representatives working on peace and conflict issues from 10 provinces across Indonesia, other stakeholders also included resource persons from NGOs, UN Women, UNDP and SFCG. High level representatives, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment (MOWE), Ms. Sri Danti, and Deputy Country Director of UNDP Indonesia, Mr. Stephen Rodriques, jointly opened the session.

‘UNDP has deep commitment to the women, peace and security agenda, and we recognize the important roles that women play during and after the conflicts,' Mr. Rodriques said.

‘This consultation marks an important milestone as it presents an opportune time to reflect and review the NAP so far, and collectively decide the way forward and how the N-Peace initiative can support you in that,' he continued.

Highlighting some of the conflict triggers in Indonesia, Ms. Danti also spoke on the exposure of vulnerable groups:

‘Conflict occurs when there is not equity; economically, in health and in gender…The most vulnerable groups to conflict are women and children. There are many examples in our own country where women become victims of sexual exploitation... we also see that women can become an agent of change also,' she said.

Ms. Danti also drew to attention the use of ‘gender equality parameters' and regulatory tools by the MOWE, and emphasised the importance of gender budgeting:

‘To implement NAP, and make it more comprehensive, gender-based budgeting is one of the systems that needs to be used by government at central, provincial and local levels.'

The dialogue between government stakeholders and CSO representatives also provided a space to unpack some the provisions within the three pillars of the NAP P4K – participation, protection and prevention – with CSOs underscoring the importance of a timely Presidential decree to bring the NAP P4K into fruition, having previously already undergone an extensive consultation process.

A platform for cross-country learning and knowledge sharing

The international and regional context for United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 was also discussed at the dialogue, bringing to light key areas of action and gaps that remain in implementation.

The participants discussed and gave inputs into strengthening monitoring systems for each of the three pillars of the NAP P4K, specifically highlighting: the need for better coordination by taking a comprehensive approach across all the pillars in the NAP P4K, rather than a sectoral one; and the need to leverage the decentralized processes in Indonesia and enhance the coordination from national to local level for implementation of the NAP.

To provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing across countries of the region, N-Peace Netowrk member Ms. Jasmin Nario Galace, also the Associate Director of the Center for Peace Education and Coordinator of WE ACT 1325, from the Philippines presented at the Indonesia based dialogue.

Due to the Philippines being the first country in the region to develop its NAP on 1325 & 1820, Ms. Galace shared experiences and lessons on coalition building, developing indicators and robust monitoring systems that can be applied to the Indonesian context.

Ms. Galace also showcased the steps taken towards implementation of the NAP on 1325 & 1820 in the Philippines and highlighted key factors for success, including recognition by the government and the civil society that any type of conflict has serious and differential impacts on women- physically, socially, economically and psychologically.

She also indicated that cohesion between the government and CSOs and women's organizations to successfully develop the NAP was a key factor, contributing towards a favourable policy environment to develop the NAP in the Philippines, which resulted in small but specific budget line for implementation.

Ms. Galace showcased current activity in which she is involved to ensure the NAPs socialization beyond the capital, such as taking the NAP to provincial governments who have started to draft resolutions at local levels and have formed committees on 1325 (read from NAP to LAP).

Nonetheless, several challenges remain according to Ms. Galace including: good monitoring and reporting mechanisms; clear and sustained budget allocation for implementation; challenges and limitations for women's active participation and representation in politics and decision making.

Advocating for the NAP P4K's implementation

In addition, during the national dialogue, N-Peace Network Partner SFCG facilitated a session aimed at defining key advocacy messages for socialization of the NAP P4K at national, sub-national, and grassroots levels.

Before closing the workshop, participants also mapped activities for their engagement in the N-Peace network that can contribute towards the NAP P4K implementation and more broadly the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Indonesia and regionally.

With this event marking the second N-Peace national consultation on the NAP P4K, the N-Peace network in Indonesia has gained considerable momentum over the course of 2011 and early 2012, with expansion in membership and members utilizing the network as a platform to engage on policy and advocacy matters.

With participants at the workshop eager to transform the network into a widely engaging movement, the spirit of cooperation at the dialogue led to discussions on joint advocacy towards gaining a Presidential decree, thereby making UNSCR 1325 a reality in Indonesia, and Indonesia part of the top three countries in the region at the forefront of supporting the Women, Peace and Security agenda.