PHILIPPINES: 1325/1820 Plan Includes SALW Control

Date: 
Friday, March 26, 2010
Source: 
IANSA
Countries: 
Asia
South Eastern Asia
Philippines
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
General Women, Peace and Security

The Philippines is the first Asian country to adopt a National Action Plan (NAP) on UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. Thanks to the expertise of IANSA women such as Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace of the Center for Peace Education & Sulong CARHRIHL, the NAP is the first ever to include a specific section dealing with small arms control in relation to violence against women.

Goal 1: to ensure the protection of women's rights in situations of armed conflict and prevention of violation of women's human rights during and after armed-conflict through strategies like capability-building, appropriate policies and programs

Protection and Prevention

6. Create and enforce laws regulating possession of small arms, as such weapons are directly linked to women's death, injuries, rape and forced displacement during conflict and post-conflict situations.

Indicators

  • Laws regulating possession of small arms are compiled, assessed, monitored, strengthened, enforced and developed.
  • Research on women victimised by gun violence has been made and publicized Number of women injured, raped, killed and displaced related to small arms possession is reduced.
  • Women's human rights training is included as a requirement before license or renewal of license is issued to gun owners, manufacturers and distributors.
  • The government has ratified an Arms Trade Treaty and Congress has passed the relevant national legislation.
  • Guns surrendered by rebel returnees are destroyed and not re-circulated.
  • An improved system to register loose firearms is in place.

President Arroyo has signed Executive Order 865 creating a National Steering Committee on Women, Peace and Security to implement the UN resolutions and provide funds for it amounting to P5 million. Additional funding will come from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. An advisory group will be established composed of civil society organisations that will help monitor and evaluate reports of the action plan.

The Philippine National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security has four goals, namely:

  • Protection and Prevention: To ensure the protection and prevention of violations of women's human rights in armed conflict and post conflict situations;
  • Empowerment and Participation: To empower women and ensure their active and meaningful participation in areas of peace building, peacekeeping, conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction;
  • Promotion and Mainstreaming: To promote and maintain mainstream gender perspective in all aspects of conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and peace building, and;
  • Capacity Development and Monitoring and Reporting: To institutionalize a monitoring and reporting system to monitor, evaluate and report in order to enhance accountability for the successful implementation of the NAP and achievement of its goals.

Speakers at the official launch were Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, president of Miriam College; Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace of the Center for Peace Education of Miriam College/Sulong CARHRIHL; Alma R. Evangelista, associate resident representative of the United Nations Development Program Country Office; Myrna T. Yao, chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women, and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer of Sulong CARHRIL.