Vientiane, Lao PDR, 21 October 2024 – Women Parliamentarians of the ASEAN-Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) have adopted key resolutions aimed at advancing gender equality and addressing violence against women and children across the ASEAN region.

One of the key outcomes was the adoption of the Resolution on Fostering Gender-Responsive Parliaments for a Resilient, Connected, and Inclusive ASEAN Community. This resolution reaffirms the critical role of gender-responsive parliaments in promoting women's political participation and leadership. It highlights barriers such as discrimination and gender-based violence and calls for urgent action to accelerate gender equality initiatives.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of engaging male allies, reinforcing gender-balanced legislation, and strengthening mentorship programs to empower women leaders. Additionally, it advocates for gender-responsive policies through capacity-building, gender mainstreaming, and equitable resource allocation. Efforts to enhance women's digital skills are also emphasized to improve leadership opportunities.

As part of this initiative, the Women’s Political Participation and Leadership (WPPL) Plan of Action 2024-2030 and its accompanying Implementation Framework were adopted as advocacy tools. The resolution also encourages collaboration with legal development partners, coordinated by the AIPA Secretariat, to facilitate resource mobilization for effective implementation at both national and regional levels.

WAIPA also adopted the Resolution on Promoting the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children in ASEAN. Recognizing violence against women and children as a severe human rights violation, the resolution calls for stronger legal and policy frameworks to prevent and eliminate such violence. It urges ASEAN Member States to allocate sufficient resources to support these efforts and promotes regional and international cooperation through best practices, technical assistance, and capacity-building initiatives.

The resolution also highlights the need to engage men and boys as key partners in combating violence and advocates for the use of technology to address these challenges.

These resolutions mark a significant step forward in promoting gender equality and protecting vulnerable groups within the ASEAN community.