UN Women strengthens gender leadership

EMPOWERMENT --- Women participants from the ARMM and Cotabato City have showcased their work on mainstreaming women, peace, and security during project launching of the Training Kit on Women, Peace, and Security Mainstreaming, Report on the Mapping of Select Women Leaders and Civil Society Organizations in the Bangsamoro, and the Training Kit on Strengthening Women’s Leadership and Participation in the Bangsamoro. With theme are some officials of the UN Women and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. (GILMHAR A. LAO)

COTABATO CITY --- Women leaders from component provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and this city have presented their respective women’s agenda to the ARMM government during a gathering last October 28 at the EM Manor Hotel.

Atty. Laisa Masuhud Alamia, ARMM executive secretary who represented Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman, expressed her sincere gratitude for the presence of these women coming from various communities.

“It is indeed life changing. I am surrounded with these beautiful strong willed women from across the region and you are giving me positive energy. It’s enough as we go further and build a better ARMM,” said Atty. Alamia.

Hanny Cueva-Beteta, Regional Governance, Peace and Security adviser of the United Nations (UN) Women in Asia and the Pacific, said the objectives of the activity are to raise awareness and celebrate the gains on the work of UN Women and its partners towards women’s leadership in the Bangsamoro, amplify women’s voices for gender equality, and gain commitment from the ARMM.

“It is definitely important to amplify women’s voices and reclaiming their spaces towards meaningful participation,” said Beteta.

In addition, Beteta said at least 60 women leaders participated earlier in various UN Women’s activities to strengthen their capacities towards leadership and participation in the Bangsamoro.

“Actions and agenda points were formulated by these leaders along the areas of popularizing the Bangsamoro history, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and GAD (Gender and Development) budget utilization,” said Beteta.

Accordingly, UN Women had conducted in 2015 a mapping of women leaders and civil society organizations in the Bangsamoro.

Beteta said the mapping covered the proposed Bangsamoro core territory covering the five provinces of the ARMM as well as the 39 barangays in North Cotabato and six municipalities in Lanao del Norte.

“It yielded a snapshot of the existing trainings underwent by women leaders and CSOs (civil society organizations) along the areas of gender, peace, and governance as well as their perspectives along the said themes,” said Beteta.

 Maricel Aguilar, national project officer-support to the Implementation of the Bangsamoro Peace Agreement and Gender-Sensitive Transitional Justice of the UN Women, said results of the mapping were used by UN Women to develop trainings for women leaders that would enable greater appreciation for genderequality in their various contexts as Moros and indigenous women, understanding of the Bangsamoro’s struggle for identity, and a just and lasting peace as well as crafting and advocating for area-based women’s agenda.

“We’ve also showcased our work on mainstreaming women, peace and security in the Philippines including the launching of the projects, Training Kit on Women, Peace, and Security Mainstreaming, Report on the Mapping of Select Women Leaders and Civil Society Organizationsin the Bangsamoro, and the Training Kit on Strengthening Women’s Leadership and Participation in the Bangsamoro,” said Aguilar.

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. (GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE B. ACOSTA – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)