NEAT Working Group on
Promoting Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)in Disaster Response

Final ReportTokyo
25th July 2024

1. Background
In East Asia, regional integration and cooperation in functional areas, such as economy, finance,
food security, environment, education, disaster prevention, and health and medical care, have beenpromoted through multi-layered regional frameworks centering on ASEAN, which includes
ASEAN+3 (APT) and East Asia Summit (EAS). In this context, the key to Asia's future prosperity
will be to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at
all levels of decision-making,” as stated in Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all womenand girls) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Bank estimatesthat the loss caused by gender inequality is $160 trillion, twice the world's GDP. In fact, in Asia,
where the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, the active participation of women isexpected to enhance the resilience of society.

In the international community, in October 2000, the United Nations Security Council
unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), which positioned
women as “active actors” in international conflict prevention, resolution, peacebuilding, andpeacekeeping. Since then, a series of resolutions have been adopted to complement the saidresolution. In addition, UN member states are encouraged to formulate their own national actionplans to implement the resolution, and as of 2024, 108 countries and territories have done so. Of
these, 13 Asian and Pacific countries, including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, andVietnam, have formulated action plans.

Thus, while WPS is positioned as an essential issue for the international community, theAsia-Pacific region is the region where natural disasters occur most frequently, making it necessary
to promote WPS in disaster response. Women are more likely to evacuate while protecting infants
and the elderly in the event of a disaster, making them more vulnerable than men. As a result, theytend to experience a higher rate of death than men. In addition, women and girls often face difficult
conditions in shelters after evacuation due to lack of supplies, sexual violence, and other factors.
These problems are frequently overlooked or neglected because women’s participation in disaster
preparation, management, and response is still limited. Enhancing women’s participation andcontribution is necessary and indispensable to establish more effective, more inclusive, and morerobust policies, plans, and management in disaster response. In this context, it is necessary to1

provide protection to women and encourage their active participation in all decision-making
processes in disaster management and as actors in responding to disasters. The participation ofwomen will lead to more resilient societies, and it is highly significant to promote regional
cooperation in this area in East Asia.

2. Discussion Points
Based on the above background and awareness of the issues, what kind of initiatives
should be promoted in East Asia in the future? Particularly in the field of disastermanagement, it is important to consider (1) how to promote women's participation in
the decision-making process, (2) how to promote the participation of female staff
involved in disaster management, and (3) how to make progress in utilizing women'sperspectives in disaster management. This working group will discuss the agendas
mentioned above from broad perspectives, examine possible ideas and options, andprepare from the standpoint of "Track Two" the constructive and concrete policy proposals
on "Promoting Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Disaster Response" for the submission
to the APT Summit.

3. Discussions at the Working Group meeting
Fifteen experts from APT countries and the sponsoring organization, the Japan Forum onInternational Relations (JFIR), took part in a working group meeting in Tokyo on 25 July 2024,
which was organized in a keynote address. Note that some experts participated online. In the keynote
address, each country reported on its experiences in past disasters and the current progress of WPS,
and the aforementioned discussion points were also discussed.

4. Policy Recommendations provided
Based on the discussions above, the Working Group on “Promoting Women, Peace, and Security(WPS) in Disaster” summarized the following policy recommendations.

1.

Enhancing female participation in politics, economy, and social activities from peacetime: To
promote WPS in Disaster, it is important to create an environment in which women can be2

actively and proactively involved in the decision-making process at all levels of politics,economy, and society. Countries, where women play essential roles in political, economic, andsocial management and decision-making, are not only proactive in promoting WPS but also
have introduced highly effective measures. We must increase the number of females who join
the political, economic, and social activities and give them equal rights and opportunities todecide and set up policies and rules, especially in the field of disaster management andresponse.

2.

Establishing an educational program to eliminate unconscious biases of gender roles anddiscrimination: One of the reasons for the lack of progress in WPS in Disaster is the existenceof gender roles and prejudices that have been historically, politically, socially, and culturally
constructed. It is essential to eliminate these biases and to create a society in which all people
have consideration and imagination for not only women but also children, the elderly,
foreigners, and sexual minorities, who are often placed in vulnerable positions when natural
disasters occur.

3.

Enhancing research on WPS and sharing good practices and lessons: Various policies andpractices have been made in East and Southeast Asia to promote WPS in Disasters. It would
be beneficial to identify good practices, lessons, and challenges through academic researchand share and utilize them to prepare and improve disaster response measures while taking
care of women, children, elders, and all other vulnerable people and unleashing women’sstrengths and potential to contribute to disaster management.

[END]

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List of Participants
Cambodia
MALA Boneary,
Deputy Director, ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summit Department, Ministry ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia
China
HAN Zhili,
Research Professor, Institute of Asian Studies, China Foreign Affairs University
Indonesia
Fatma Lestari,
Professor, Health & Safety Dept, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia
Japan[WG members]*Director of the WG
ONIMARU Takeshi*
Professor, Kyushu University
OKAMOTO Masaaki,
Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University
OSADA Noriyuki,
Research Fellow, Area Studies Center,
Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization[The Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR)]KIKUCHI Yona
Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow, JFIR, Japan
Korea
Sangsup Ha,Research Professor, Institute for Poverty Alleviation and International Development(IPAID), Yonsei University
Laos
Nuanvilay RATTANAKONE,
Head of ASEAN-ISIS and International Cooperation Division, Institute of Foreign Affairs
Malaysia
Izzah Ibrahim,Analyst, Organisation: Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia
4MyanmarKhin Sabai,
Executive Board Member at MISIS, under Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Philippines
Jean Clarisse Tabeta Carlos,
Project Development Officer IV, Philippine Institute for Development Studies
SingaporeYAO Jielu,
Research fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
ThailandDuanghathai Buranajaroenkij,
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol
UniversityVietnam
Tran Hai Yen,
Research Fellow, Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy ofViet Nam, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam

In Alphabetical Order of Country Name5