Empowering women, a foundation of peace

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. After the Philippines' successful participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2025, we, at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), together with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and UNWomen, sustained the momentum of openness, transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement-the very values of the OGP-as we led the Philippine Conference (PhilCon) on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) from Oct. 28 to 30, 2025.

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Consistent with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s vision to amplify women's crucial role in shaping a just and lasting peace, the three-day event, attended by over 600 delegates from the government, civil society, academia, media, and international partners, placed women's empowerment and participation at the heart of national transformation.

The theme "Empowering Local Women, Peace, and Security Champions as Agents in Socioeconomic Transformation" reflects the government's deep commitment to gender-responsive leadership and community-based peace processes. DBM's stewardship underscores the belief that feminist peace is also participatory, democratic, and driven by inclusive public institutions.

For those unfamiliar, the PhilCon on WPS builds on the success of the country's hosting of the 2024 International Conference on WPS and implementation of the Pasay Declaration. It is based on the four key pillars of the National Action Plan on WPS 2023-2033, namely: i) Empowerment and Participation; ii) Protection and Prevention; iii) Promotion and Mainstreaming; and iv) Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning.