While the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dominates headlines and diplomatic agendas, a quieter but equally critical WPS—Women, Peace, and Security—is gaining ground in Southeast Asia, thanks to a UK-led push to deepen regional cooperation through academic and grassroots partnerships.
As the Philippines gears up to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026 and the region prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the new initiative is connecting Muslim academic institutions and peacebuilders from the Philippines and Indonesia to elevate gender in peace and security discourses—particularly in fragile, conflict-prone, and post-conflict settings.
According to a British Embassy news release, the initiative is backed by the UK’s Indo-Pacific Governance Fund and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It also brings together Mindanao State University (MSU)-Maguindanao and three Indonesian institutions—Gadjah Mada University, Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta, and Ahmad Dahlan University—for joint research, curriculum development, and community engagement centered on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
“These learning exchanges spark the curiosity that drives meaningful research and action—exactly what we need to not only mainstream the WPS agenda, but to truly transform the challenging situations facing our women, communities, and families,” said MSU-Maguindanao Chancellor Dr. Bai Hejira Nefertiti M. Limbona, reflecting on a recent international learning exchange held in Yogyakarta.
The Philippine delegation included representatives from MSU-Maguindanao, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity-Centre for Excellence on WPS, the Philippine Centre for Islam and Democracy (PCID), the Bangsamoro Women Commission, the Ministry of Public Order and Safety, and the Development Academy of the Bangsamoro. The four-day program featured panel discussions and immersive community visits that enabled cross-border learning and the co-development of WPS strategies grounded in lived experience.
The collaboration culminated in the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between MSU-Maguindanao and its Indonesian counterparts. “The purpose of this MOU is to establish a partnership between our universities based on the principles of mutual equality and reciprocal benefit. We have many similarities in our diversity and there are several areas we can work on together,” said Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro of Universitas Gadjah Mada.
This milestone builds on the success of MSU-Maguindanao’s pioneering Diploma Course on WPS—Asia’s first—which was launched in 2024 with support from the British Embassy Manila, UNDP, and PCID. The course is a concrete step toward institutionalizing gender-responsive peacebuilding through education.
“The UK recognizes the profound impact of women in peacebuilding, and this initiative underscores our ongoing support to institutionalizing WPS across governance, civil society and education in Southeast Asia,” said Nazra Abdi of the British Embassy Manila.
The WPS agenda—enshrined in UNSCR 1325—calls for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace and security decision-making, and mandates their protection in conflict and post-conflict contexts. The resolution also emphasizes the importance of gender-responsive approaches to conflict prevention, relief, and recovery.
With the region facing compounding crises—from violent extremism and ethno-religious tensions to climate insecurity and geopolitical instability—the need to center women’s voices and agency has never been more urgent. And while maritime security in the West Philippine Sea will remain front and center in the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship, gendered peacebuilding offers another vital front in ensuring lasting stability in Southeast Asia.
In this light, the UK’s quiet but strategic investment in the “other WPS” is both timely and transformative—pushing peace forward, one partnership at a time.
For updates on the UK’s development and peacebuilding work in the region, follow the British Embassy on Facebook (@BritishEmbassyManila), X (@ukinphilippines), LinkedIn (British Embassy Manila), and Instagram (@ukinthephilippines). VU
