The 25th meeting of the ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) has been held on 09/22 in conjunction with the 21st ASEAN Commission on Women (ACW), the 9th ACWC-ACW Consultation Meeting and other related meetings by video conference hosted by Lao PDR.
The meeting provided an opportunity for ASEAN Member States to review regional efforts in realizing ASEAN’s priorities to end all forms of violence against women and children under the theme “Advancing Implementation of international and regional frameworks for the elimination of violence against women”.
“In the face of immense global crises, addressing the challenges faced by ASEAN Member States in eliminating violence against women and children, exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19, is an urgent priority for cross-sectoral cooperation. and between pillars and multi-stakeholder engagement in ASEAN,” said Hou Nirmita, Under Secretary of State for Cambodia’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs and ACWC Chair.
“Women and children are not just passive recipients of services, but have an indispensable role in driving lasting change: they need an enabling environment that respects and protects their rights and provides them with the necessary support to help build a community with equal opportunities,” he added.
The ACWC reaffirmed its leadership role in directing strategic actions to advance the implementation of ASEAN commitments to end violence against women and children. In particular, these are actions within regional frameworks that advance the broader agenda on strengthening prevention of and response to violence against women and children.
Namely: (i) the ASEAN Regional Action Plan on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the ASEAN APR on the Elimination of Violence against Children; (ii) the Regional Action Plan for the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN; (iii) and the Regional Action Plan on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration.
The meeting provided an opportunity for ASEAN Member States to review regional efforts in realizing ASEAN priorities to end all forms of violence against women and children.
The ACWC reflected on the progress of the implementation of the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025 and its key contributions to cross-pillar and cross-sector cooperation and collaboration to realize priorities that impact the lives of women and children.
The meeting also discussed the role of the ACWC in areas such as gender mainstreaming; gender equality and social inclusion; the rights of prisoners; economic empowerment of women; sustainable development; women, peace and security (WPS); human trafficking, disability rights, and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The finalization of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (ASEAN RPA on WPS) aims to mobilize an ASEAN-wide approach to advance the implementation of the WPS agenda to promote peace and security. sustainable for all citizens of the region.
APEC is committed to promoting the empowerment of women
As a longer-term strategy to promote gender mainstreaming in ASEAN, the recently launched ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework focuses on building greater commitment and capacity across the three pillars of the ASEAN Community.
Strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders has been one of the ACWC’s top priorities to accelerate implementation of the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025, guided by the ASEAN Cambodian Presidency theme “ASEAN-ACT- Addressing Challenges Together».
In this regard, the ACWC acknowledged the longstanding support of the partners who joined the open session of the 25th meeting of the ACWC, namely UNICEF, UN Women, ASEAN-USAID PROSPECT, the Australian Mission to ASEAN, the Coalition for the Rights of the Child Asia, UNDP and UNFPA.
