ASEAN member States are preparing the next Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women (RPA EVAW) for 2026–2035, building on nearly a decade of experience implementing the 2016–2025 plan. An end-term review process has gathered insights on progress, challenges, and unfinished priorities to inform the next 10-year strategy. This process has included national consultations in seven Member States—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam—alongside a major regional gathering to reflect on achievements and emerging issues.
The regional consultation in Bangkok from 1–4 December 2025 was hosted by ASEAN with support from Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, ACWC Thailand, Chulalongkorn University Institute of Asian Studies, and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. UN Women, UNFPA, and UNICEF also supported the meeting through regional initiatives addressing gender-based violence. Representatives from ASEAN Member States, sectoral bodies, experts, and civil society participated in discussions to review progress and shape the next RPA EVAW.
During the consultation, ACWC Representative for Thailand Ratchada Jayagupta highlighted the importance of developing a practical, evidence-based framework responsive to the needs of women and girls across all ASEAN countries. Discussions identified emerging priorities, including technology-facilitated violence, violence during emergencies and disasters, violence in politics and public life, and violence against migrant women and women and girls with disabilities. Member States emphasized strengthening prevention, safeguarding, coordination across services, and investment in reliable data and research systems.
A dedicated session examined the Common Chapter addressing the intersections of violence against women and violence against children, highlighting opportunities for coordinated prevention and response while recognizing the need for specialized approaches in each area. UN Women’s Regional Programme Manager Melissa Alvarado noted that violence can be reduced when prevention is planned, funded, and implemented at scale, integrated into national and regional policies rather than treated as a stand-alone activity.
The consultation also reviewed the draft ASEAN Guidance Note on Disability Inclusion in Violence against Women and Girls’ Policies and Programmes. UNFPA Gender-based Violence Technical Advisor Sujata Tuladhar described it as a roadmap to institutionalize disability inclusion, ensuring that prevention efforts, protection measures, and survivor-centred services are accessible to all women and girls.
Inputs from the consultations will inform the final RPA EVAW 2026–2035, which is expected to be endorsed at an ASEAN Summit in 2026. Once adopted, the plan will provide a regional roadmap for coordinated action to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls across ASEAN.
