Miriam College-Center for Peace Education (CPE), with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy Manila, premiered a full-length documentary “Alab ng Kapayapaan (Sparks of Peace): Women Peacekeepers in the Philippines”, celebrating the 20th anniversary since the adoption of the UNSCR 1325: Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and the 10th year since the launch of the Philippines’ National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (PNAP on WPS).
The limited screening premiered last 11 July 2020, Saturday, at 8:00 pm on the CPE Facebook
Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
H.E. Bjørn Jansen, Ambassador of Norway to the Philippines opened the premiere with a welcoming message highlighting Norway’s long-standing support of both the inclusion of women and their perspectives in peace processes, and the embassy’s continued cooperation with Miriam College on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in the country.
With Norway taking a seat as one of the 10 non-permanent members in the United Nations Security Council starting next year, Amb. Jansen shares that WPS will be high on their agenda in this new position.
Stories of Women Building and Keeping Peace
The program continued with the official start of the 45-minute documentary featuring stories of: the beginnings of the Philippines’ National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security; women and peacebuilding at the grassroots level; and stories of WePeace, including the 12-women training team, and ever diverse community stories from Kalinga, Quezon Province, North Cotabato, and Surigao del Sur.
The online streaming was live for 16 hours, closing with a total of 2,000 views and more than 650 engagements inclusive of reactions, comments, and shares.
Accompanying the documentary is an Official Programme with the necessary background information and guide questions to help audiences process and dive deeper into the realities and situations raised by the women in the documentary.
This documentary features an all-MC alumni production team with direction, screenplay and editing by Kristine De Leon (BA Com, COL’17), production management by Bianca Pabotoy (BA Com, COL’17), post production support from Patricia Resuta (BA Com, COL’17) and Mhikuo Jecino (BA Com, COL’17); subbing and translation support by Karissa Chua (AB IS, COL ‘14) and Sophia Garcia (AB IS, COL‘16).
WePeace: The Women’s Agency in Keeping the Peace, Promoting Security
In 2019, the Women’s Agency in Keeping the Peace, Promoting Security, WePeace for short, shared capacities with women from four conflict-affected communities on gender-sensitive peacebuilding and peacekeeping. WePeace has helped form women peacekeeping teams and enabled women’s increased participation in existing peacekeeping mechanisms.
WePeace is made possible through the support and partnership of Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc., Aksyon para sa Katarungan at Kapayapaan, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office of Ifugao, #WomenInspiringWomen for Peace and Security, the Prelature of Infanta, and St Louis College of Bulanao.
Read On: Resources on WePeace and WPS
Launched in December 2019, “At the Frontline: Women Peacekeepers in the Philippines”, is a publication compiling both the stories of our WePeace communities following the training in early 2019, and complete copies of all the training modules used.
This publication is accessible at CPE website’s resource page, along with the documentary’s official programme and previous publications of the Center for Peace Education.
#ThisisWePeace #WomenKeepThePeace #WomenBuildPeace #UNSCR1325
