Manila: Foreign legislators and policymakers are exploring ways to strengthen cooperation and advance the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda on a national and regional level. At a roundtable on the sidelines of the International Conference on WPS on Oct. 29, former and incumbent officials from Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia discussed opportunities for possible partnership, and the proactive roles that parliamentarians should take in advancing the agenda. The officials highlighted the need to increase financing to advance WPS, including by making it a "men's issue" and a 'cross-cutting concern for all'. In an interview, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa Almojuela said this means doubling efforts to mainstream the agenda across all sectors. "For example, disaster risk resilience, you don't see it as just in its own right. You have to connect it. In building communities, isama mo na diyan ang women (you should include the women) as agents of peace and resilience," she said. In th e Philippines, Almojuela touted that the government is "very much advanced" in terms of mainstreaming gender in public policy. ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation Director General Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja acknowledged that women are the 'invisible forces holding communities together,' especially at a time when the civic space is shrinking. In a separate press conference on Wednesday, he expressed hopes these conversations would also encourage other countries to establish their respective national action plans (NAPs) on WPS. 'Follow the example of the Philippines, which already has the fourth generation of NAPs; Indonesia with their 3rd NAP; Vietnam (that is) just starting their first NAP; and Timor Leste with their second NAP,' he said. The roundtable was organized by the DFA and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), which both recognized that 'there remains gaps in the implementation of the WPS agenda across the globe in general'. In a joint statement, the two organizations said this roundtable a nd the participation of 11 women policy and lawmakers alone are "an embodiment of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in action". The resolution, adopted in 2000, urges all parties to increase the participation of women in all peace and security efforts. 'The co-organizers strongly believe that these exchanges of experience, practical insights, and forward-looking commitments serve to enrich every state's capacity to fulfill their WPS commitments with each parliamentary action it takes,' the DFA and SPF said. The event is part of the ICWPS currently being held in Manila from Oct. 28 to 30. Source: Philippines News Agency