WASP Joins Over 400 Advocates at the 2nd Southeast Asian Women’s Summit to Shape the ASEAN Feminist Action Agenda

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — March 3, 2026 — The Women’s Alliance for Security and Peace (WASP) Asia participated as a key partner in the landmark 2nd Southeast Asian Women’s Summit and the 8th National Women’s Summit, held at the Innovation Center, Miriam College, from March 2 to 3, 2026. Under the theme "ASEAN Leadership and Regional Cooperation: Where are the Women?", the summit gathered over 400 participants, including grassroots leaders, youth advocates, and scholars from across Southeast Asia to transition regional gender commitments into measurable action.

A primary highlight of the summit was the formulation of the "ASEAN Feminist Action Agenda," a strategic outcome document that addresses persistent structural gaps in regional governance. This agenda centers on six priority themes, including institutionalizing women’s political leadership, feminist economic justice, and ending gender-based violence.

WASP’s Leadership in Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) WASP played a visible role in the summit's technical sessions, specifically focusing on the intersection of academia and peacebuilding. Prof. Grant Warren Lu, a associate professor at Mindanao State University, moderated the high-level parallel session "From Commitments to Capacity: Pushing Women, Peace and Security".

The session featured a deep dive into the Diploma in Women, Peace and Security (DWPS) offered by MSU-Maguindanao—the first post-graduate program of its kind in Southeast Asia. The discussion emphasized the program’s role in addressing the underrepresentation of women in formal peace processes by equipping graduates with expertise in gender-inclusive policymaking and conflict resolution.

Driving the Regional Agenda Throughout the two-day event, WASP advocates joined regional partners from Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand to urge ASEAN to adopt a structural, feminist approach to human security. Key recommendations from the summit included:

Institutionalizing a minimum of 30–40% representation of women in all ASEAN leadership and decision-making positions.

Integrating Feminist Foreign Policy frameworks to connect the lived realities of grassroots women directly to regional diplomacy.

Establishing a regional Center of Excellence on Gender Equality in the Philippines to serve as a hub for evidence-based policymaking.

"WASP remains steadfast in its mission to bridge gaps in security and peacebuilding, particularly for women and marginalized communities," stated Jonalyn Villasante, WASP Executive Director, in reflections on the organization's collaborative efforts. By participating in this summit, WASP reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the Philippine ASEAN Chairship 2026 becomes a turning point for structural gender justice.