News Release
Being aware of the importance of mediation and negotiation in intra- and inter-parliamentary efforts in reaching consensus for Parliamentarians, in particular for Women Parliamentarians and Young Parliamentarians, the Parliamentary Centre of Asia collaborated with the Cambodian Women Parliamentarian Caucus and the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) to co-organise the Seminar on Women, Peace, and Security for Parliamentarians: Techniques and Methodology for Parliamentary Mediation and Negotiation. The seminar, which evolved from a 2023 Seminar on Parliamentary Negotiation and Mediation, was held on 28-29 November 2024 in Phnom Penh with the specific aim of equipping participants with a foundation of knowledge, skills, and resources that will enable them to promote and implement the Women, Peace & Security (WPS) agenda consistent with their parliamentary functions.
The opening day began with welcome remarks by Mr Chanprasnar YI, Executive Director of PCAsia. He stressed the event’s importance in contributing to the implementation of the Women, Peace & Security agenda in achieving sustainable peace and prosperity in the ASEAN region, and to the ongoing development of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace & Security adopted by ASEAN Member States in 2022. Adding to this, he noted how the Action Plan had since been supported by the AIPA Resolution on Promoting the Roles of Women Parliamentarians in Advancing Women, Peace & Security Agenda, sponsored by Cambodia at the 43rd General Assembly of AIPA in November 2022.
In further remarks, Mr Sebastian DWORACK, Head of Policy, Partnerships and Innovation of the Center for International Peace Operations, described that mediation and negotiation are two core instruments of peaceful conflict resolution and settlement, as well as crisis-prevention and peacebuilding. He noted the workshop’s focus on empowering women parliamentarians to effectively advocate for gender equality, peace, and security, and to help turn the commitments made in the resolution adopted during the 43rd AIPA General Assembly and the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on WPS into action. He put it succinctly – “No Peace without Women”.
He was followed byMr Jost KADEL, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Development Cooperation for the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cambodia, who expressed Germany’s pride to support such efforts, based on the belief that peace and security are only achieved through collective efforts that transcend borders, share expertise, and unite voices. He added that legislators are uniquely positioned to bridge divides and foster dialogue—not only within parliaments but also across wider society. As part of this, he stressed the vital role of parliamentarians in ensuring that the critical perspectives of women are integrated at every level of policymaking and conflict resolution.
The event’s keynote address was delivered by H.E. Mrs LORK Kheng, Chairperson of the Cambodian Women Parliamentarians Caucus and Chairperson of Commission 8 of the National Assembly of Cambodia. She remarked that women have played crucial roles both in resolving conflicts and building peace. She also noted the importance of increasing the participation of Parliamentarians in peace mediation and negotiation, a trend across the globe, citing a report by UN Women that between 1992 and 2019 the participation of women in peace processes have increased from 4% to 13%, and from 4% to 6% as mediators.
During the opening remarks from Samdech Moha Rathsapheathika Thipadei KHUON Sudary, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, she expressed that participation of women in building peace truly contributes to inclusive and long-lasting peace agreements. She further elaborated that women play important roles in economic recovery, strengthening social solidarity and promoting political empowerment. Finally, she added that women parliamentarians play special and important role in promoting women, peace and security agenda, but that isn’t only the responsibility of women – we all need to promote participation of women in peace, mediation and negotiation.
The two-day workshop was joined by over 50 parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from the Parliaments of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. It featured presentations and activities that introduced the core principles of negotiation and dialogue, shared an overview of the WPS agenda, including its four pillars, and the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on WPS, introduced tools for identifying and mapping stakeholders and forging common ground, and presented collaborative approaches to advancing the WPS Agenda. The seminar also included interactive role-plays, team discussions and group presentations.
These sessions were delivered by Mr Sebastian DWORACK, Head of Policy, Partnerships and Innovation of the Center for International Peace Operations; by Ms Alischa KUGEL, Deputy Head of Policy, Partnerships and Innovation of the Center for International Peace Operations; and Dr Henri MYRTTINEN, Gender Expert and Lead Associate at Gender Associations; and co-facilitated by Cambodian Parliamentarians.
