AKP Phnom Penh, July 29, 2025 --

Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly (NA) of the Kingdom of Cambodia, delivered a heartfelt and impassioned address at the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, held under the theme “Leading for Inclusive and Lasting Peace,” in Geneva on July 28.

According to the NA, speaking before fellow women Speakers from more than 30 countries, Samdech Khuon Sudary moved the audience with her emotional call to action, emphasising that advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda is a vital pathway to achieving sustainable peace.

She highlighted Cambodia’s significant strides in promoting women’s participation in peace and security, noting that Cambodia became the first ASEAN member countries and the second in the Asia-Pacific region to complete the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) assessment in 2023.

“Cambodia’s commitment to women’s empowerment in peacekeeping is longstanding,” she said. “Since 2006, we have deployed nearly 10,000 peacekeepers, including around 900 women. Our goal is to raise women’s representation in peacekeeping to at least 20 percent,” she added.

Samdech Khuon Sudary also underlined Cambodia’s leadership in fostering international cooperation on the WPS agenda, recalling that, under Cambodia’s Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP) Chairmanship in 2021, the country convened the first-ever Asia-Europe Forum on WSP.

As ASEAN Chair 2022, Cambodia advanced the WPS agenda through several key initiatives, including: The adoption of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on WPS, the development of a Concept Paper on ASEAN Women Peacekeepers, and A Resolution on the role of women parliamentarians in WPS, adopted at the 43rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Currently, Cambodia chairs the ASEAN Advisory Group on WPS, reaffirming its regional leadership in this critical area.

Looking to the future, Samdech Khuon Sudary called for stronger legal frameworks, enhanced partnerships, greater leadership development, and increased knowledge-sharing to further empower women and ensure their meaningful inclusion in peace processes worldwide.

By L Vy