Myanmar civil society calls for decisive ASEAN action on women, peace, and security

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), alongside Myanmar and Philippine civil society and women’s rights organizations, convened a high-level regional forum in Manila on Monday calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take urgent, principled action to address Myanmar’s deepening human rights and humanitarian crises.

Titled “Strengthening Regional Accountability through the Lens of the Women, Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Situation in Myanmar,” the forum brought together 80 representatives from women’s rights groups, humanitarian actors, diplomats, academics, and international experts on Myanmar.

The gathering critically evaluated the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace, and Security (ASEAN RPA on WPS) and the bloc’s stalled Five-Point Consensus peace plan for Myanmar, exposing a widening divide between ASEAN’s policy commitments and the lived realities of conflict-affected communities.