ICAN and WASL in Manila: Forging Collaboration and Convergence for Advancing Women, Peace, and Security  

Representatives from the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) attended the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS) in Manila from October 28-30, 2024.  

The conference brought together multilateral, governmental, and civil society actors as part of the first international ministerial-level convening of its kind in Southeast Asia. Co-hosted by WASL member the Philippines Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), WASL members played a central role in featuring the work of civil society in side events and in a special forum.  

The conference was hosted by the Philippine Government, led by the Department of Foreign Affairs; the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU); Philippines Commission on Women; and the Department of Budget and Management. The ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation and PCID co-hosted. The conference convened nearly 800 delegates from over 70 countries.  

The conference featured three days of programming under the theme “Forging Collaboration and Convergence for Advancing Women, Peace, and Security,” including high-level plenary sessions, delivery of national statements, and side events. 

It aimed to serve as a regional and international platform to assess the progress made in implementing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. 

ICWPS provided WASL members space to assert the impact of the WASL network, the relevance and distinct nature of our work, and the need to elevate civil society voices in largely ministerial conversations. During our time in Manila, WASL members and ICAN representatives made key connections with actors in Southeast Asia, government representatives, and security officials.  

Centering Civil Society Voices 

WASL’s active participation in the conference asserted the key role of women-led peacebuilding organizations and civil society in realizing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. Appearing alongside government ministers, international officials, and dignitaries, WASL members spoke with a unified voice: women peacebuilders deserve a seat at all tables.   

 
ICAN Founder Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE and WASL member Amina Rasul Bernardo, PCID President, delivered remarks at the first day’s high-level ministerial session, with Naraghi Anderlini challenging the international community to center “peace as a priority, as the goal, and the strategy.”

“We will not get to peace through violence. We will not get to peace through war. We will not get to peace through genocide…Work with us in civil society because we will be there as our first responders, as the last responders, and the forever responders, because we care about our communities. But we need our governments to stand with us, as equal partners.”

– Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE, ICAN Founder and CEO

“Women have shown that their engagement isn’t just advantageous, it is essential for sustainable peace. Governments have a key role in this process, but they must actively engage with civil society, particularly women, to ensure that peace agreements are not merely political documents but living realities.”  

– Amina Rasul Bernardo, PCID President,  
WASL Member

Cross-Regional Exchange 

Since its founding, WASL has pioneered sharing innovative solutions across regions, among conflict contexts, and at the global stage. Cross-regional exchange is at the heart of our network and ICAN’s strategic approach. In Manila, ICAN and WASL engaged in a series of events underscoring the imperative for international support to cross-regional networks. 
 
WASL partner Ruby Kholifah, AMAN Indonesia Country Director, and Naraghi Anderlini participated in a special forum organized by PCID’s Amina Rasul and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, “Bridging Regions for Women, Peace and Security.”

The Special Forum provided a venue for government and civil society representatives from regions and sub-regions, particularly in Southeast Asia and MENA, to exchange experiences on WPS regional partnerships.  
 
Naraghi Anderlini shared how WASL forges partnerships across regions, including MENA, and engages with government and other sectors to break down existing siloes. 

“If we don’t support organizational development and deepening the bench of activism, this work stops with an individual. Institutional support is key.” 

– Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE, ICAN Founder 

WASL partners Rasul, Lucy Talgieh, Huma Chugtai, and Amporn Marddent attended a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohamed, discussing strategies and approaches for formal collaboration between ASEAN and MENA regions to strengthen the WPS agenda and build sustainable peace. 

“A network without fuel is impossible. Resource allocation is key.” 

– Ruby Kholifah, AMAN – Indonesia Country Director, WASL Member

Locally Owned Solutions

ICAN, PCID, and the U.S. Institute of Peace co-hosted a side event entitled, “Reimagining Peace in the Middle East: The Role of Women in Religion and Frontline Negotiation.” In the event’s wide-ranging discussion, WASL members shared their perspectives as women peacebuilders and lessons from their respective contexts.  
 
Women peacebuilders draw on a range of tactics in their innovative approaches to peacebuilding, such as harnessing religion and culture. WASL members from the MENA region and Southeast Asia—including Talgieh, Kholifah, Abir Haj Ibrahim, and Mossarat Qadeem—shared lessons to inform ongoing and future peace processes. 

In a forward-looking conversation, WASL members reflected on the importance of creating spaces for community dialogue to build the foundation for peace and social movements. 

“We have to understand each other in order to live together in a better way and resist for our rights as Palestinians. Without interfaith spaces, we cannot do a lot.” 

– Lucy Talgieh, Wi’am, WASL Member, Palestine

“Our dream of national dialogue will not take place while we’re in a frozen conflict context. What we should do as community-based activists is prioritize social reconciliation and community dialogue.”  

– Abir Haj Ibrahim, Mobaderoon Co-Founder, WASL Member, Syria

WASL members also offered observations from their contexts for countering and preventing violent extremist narratives from taking root.  

“We had to go through the Quran, read it in our own way, and find what the actual text had to say. We realized that there are 16 different interpretations for ‘jihad.’”  

– Mossarat Qadeem, PAIMAN Alumni Trust Co-Founder, WASL Member, Pakistan 

“We are embracing the multiplicity of personal identities, not a single identity.”

– Ruby Kholifah, AMAN – Indonesia Country Director, WASL Member

Naraghi Anderlini and Talgieh also spoke at a side event about enhancing women’s access to justice, organized by the University of the Philippines’ Women Lawyers’ Circle and PCID. Naraghi Anderlini highlighted the multifaceted, gendered challenges in seeking justice in post-conflict settings, and the need for holistic, community-centered conceptions of justice. Talgieh emphasized the challenges of women’s access to justice in Palestine, including the impact of cultural and societal influences on legal and judicial outcomes. 

Looking Ahead to WPS at 25 

Approaching the WPS Agenda’s 25^th anniversary in 2025, ICAN Founder Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE reminded conference attendees of the crucial role civil society has played in the Agenda since its inception. Throughout ICWPS, Naraghi Anderlini asserted the need for civil society to be at the center of collaborative approaches to peace and security.  

“As we approach the 25th anniversary of WPS, we need to imagine ourselves as an  orchestra—create that space where CSOs, governments, and international organizations can work together and be agile and proactive, and to listen to each other’s solutions and approaches.”  

– Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE, ICAN Founder