The fourth generation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, or NAPWPS which will be utilized from 2023 to 2033 is now available.

Earlier this week, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, together with the Philippine Commission on Women, in partnership with civil society organizations and the international development community, launched the NAPWPS — a country's commitment to the United Nations Security Country Resolution 1325.

The UNSCR calls for women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction.

The Philippines is the first country in Asia that has crafted an action plan in response to UNSCR 1325 and its formulation was a result of collaborative efforts between the government and various civil society organizations that started in 2007.

To recall, the Philippines launched the country's first NAPWPS following multiple rounds of regional consultations, in 2010. It was also the first NAPWPS to be launched in Southeast Asia.

Additional improvements aimed at streamlining the NAPWPS action points and indicators led to the development of its second-generation framework in 2014.

The framework was used in 2015 for the baseline research on the implementation of the NAPWPS initiatives.

For its third iteration, the NAPWPS incorporated the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW General Recommendation 30, and the 2015 Global Study on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325.

These underscored women's leadership and participation in the peace process as well as its strengthened mechanisms for women's protection during and after conflicts.