The Philippines officially launched its Women, Peace, and Security Center of Excellence (WPS CoE) on March 27, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the country’s commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in peace and security. As the third WPS center of its kind globally, the facility will serve as a sub-national, national, and regional hub for Asia-Pacific, providing a dedicated platform for policy engagement, capacity-building, and collaboration among key stakeholders.
Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. underscored the center’s critical role in reinforcing WPS initiatives. “We aim to ramp up our WPS policy engagement activities, boost the implementation of our National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, and effectively bridge WPS initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region,” Galvez stated.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Chairperson of the CoE’s Advisory Council, highlighted the importance of the center as a regional hub for sharing best practices and enhancing WPS implementation. “I am proud that we now have a regional hub where experts and stakeholders can share best practices, forge partnerships, and enhance our capacity to implement WPS initiatives at the local, national, regional, and even international levels,” she emphasized.
Pangandaman also stressed the collaboration among DBM, OPAPRU, and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in positioning the country as a global leader in gender equality and women’s empowerment. “I am confident that the synergy of DBM, OPAPRU, and PCW will further elevate our country’s standing in the WPS Index and solidify our leadership in advancing gender equality worldwide,” she added.
Representing PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, OIC Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to supporting OPAPRU in fostering a community of learning and collective action for WPS across the Asia-Pacific. “Looking ahead, we are confident that the Center of Excellence will harmonize efforts not only within the Philippines but across the region. We trust that this initiative will institutionalize gender-transformative mechanisms that will reshape the peace and security landscape of the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific,” Santos-Millar stated.
The establishment of the WPS CoE was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the U.S. State Department and OPAPRU during the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security in October 2024. The launch event was attended by international and local partners, who expressed their full support and commitment to advancing the WPS agenda.
In a complementary effort to deepen collaboration in the pursuit of inclusive peace and gender-responsive governance, OPAPRU and Mindanao State University – Maguindanao (MSU-Maguindanao) formalized their partnership through a landmark MOU signed on the same day. This agreement cements a shared commitment to advancing the WPS agenda through joint research, advocacy, resource sharing, curriculum development, and capacity-building initiatives.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Galvez signed the MOU on behalf of OPAPRU, while Chancellor Dr. Bai Hejira Nefertiti M. Limbona represented MSU-Maguindanao. The signing, witnessed by key partners and advocates, builds on MSU-Maguindanao’s Learning Exchange Visit to the WPS CoE on February 20, 2025, which sparked a vision for deeper academic-government collaboration in promoting WPS values at all levels.
With this MOU, both institutions reaffirm that peace must be taught, nurtured, and lived. Together, they aim to shape not just policies but also individuals—empowered agents of change who will carry forward the intergenerational legacy of Women, Peace, and Security.