THE Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) successfully conducted a workshop on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in Honiara.
The workshop, held on 28 and 29 January at the Heritage Park Hotel, coincided with the 25th anniversary of WPS.
A total of 50 participants from various government ministries and civil society groups came together to talk about WPS agenda, which is an established global framework aimed at achieving the full and equal representation and participation of women in all levels of peace processes and security efforts.
The workshop aimed to support the development of a robust second edition of the country’s National Action Plan (NAP) on WPS.
It saw discussions on the emerging and non-traditional WPS issues, such as climate change, digital security and evolving role of women in peace-building efforts.
In his speech, MWYCFA Permanent Secretary Dr Cedrick Alependava said the workshop was to empower the ministry to develop the second edition of the NAP on WPS.
He said the second edition was to be more comprehensive and inclusive so as to be effective in addressing emerging threats such as the impacts of climate change on communities and growing digital security risks.
Principal Resilience Officer in the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), Malchom Zion Row said statistically in Solomon Islands, women are more affected by climate change but despite being victims, they are the strongest agents of change.
“Women are the heart of resilience. If we fall to make the right decisions, who will be affected?
“Your grandmother, your children, your relatives with a disability will bear the greatest burden. Together, we can promote peace, strengthen resilience and ensure that no one is left behind,” Mr Row said.
The workshop highlighted the critical aspects of a comprehensive and effective NAP such as inclusion and diversity, intersectionality and the importance of ensuring that no one is left behind in implementing the WPS agenda.
President of the Disability Women Empowerment Association (DWEA), Diana Ma’ahoro said inclusion is not an option.
“If we want sustainable peace and security, then our NAP must embrace the full diversity of our society. We need to discuss accessibility for women with disability, who are often left out of decision-making processes,” Mrs Ma’ahoro said.
As one of the key takeaways from the workshop is the importance of ensuring adequate and consistent funding, and putting in place a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning plan for the implementation of the NAP, the workshop participants stressed that a well-budgeted plan with clear mechanisms for tracking progress would ensure the success and sustainability of the WPS agenda in the country.
President of the National Council of Women (NCW), Afu Billy said for Solomon Islands NAP on WPS to be truly effective, a strong, well-resourced monitoring and evaluation framework must be established.
“Sustainable peace requires more than just a plan-it demands consistent funding, clear accountability mechanisms and a commitment to tracking progress at every stage,” Ms Billy said.
MWYCFA aims to conduct further consultations at the provincial level before finalising the second edition of the NAP.
These consultations will allow for the broader community to contribute ideas and solutions to ensure that the final NAP is both locally relevant and aligned regionally and globally.
The work on the WPS agenda in Solomon Islands has received support from the Government of Australia, which underscores the importance of international commitment to advance gender-equality and peace-building efforts in the Pacific.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
