ASEAN WPS Summit Highlights Women’s Role in Peace, Security and Leadership

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (VoM):The 2025 ASEAN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Summit concluded today with a strong reaffirmation of the region’s commitment to empowering women in leadership and ensuring their voices shape peace and security policies.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of the Prime Minister, said the two-day summit was not only a platform to share Malaysia’s initiatives but also to learn from regional partners.

She noted that Malaysia’s launch of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP WPS) reflects a serious commitment but stressed that meaningful implementation requires partnerships, accountability, and the active involvement of stakeholders across government and society.

“For Malaysia, this summit has been about ensuring that security is not only about borders and armies but about women, families, and communities,” she said.

Dr. Wan Azizah also drew attention to the plight of Palestinians, condemning what she described as the “systematic destruction of educational infrastructure” and the use of hunger as a weapon.

“We are witnessing scholasticide the deliberate targeting of schools and universities—robbing generations of their right to education. Hospitals have become targets of devastation, and hunger is being used as a weapon of war. We must demand an end to these atrocities,” she said.

The summit emphasized that the WPS agenda extends beyond times of conflict to include peacetime challenges such as disaster recovery, health crises, and the growing threats from climate change.

Dr. Wan Azizah highlighted the critical role of family and community support in enabling women to lead. “A husband who supports his wife’s ambition to mediate a community dispute is building peace. A society that provides affordable childcare is investing in its own security,” she said.

Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri was also present at the summit, which underscored ASEAN’s shared vision of inclusive security and sustainable peace built on gender equality.

@Voice of Malaysia News