I often hear people say that women hold up half the sky. But I ask myself: do we really? In reality, I think that less than a quarter of women can even reach it. Others are not even allowed to lift their hands and hold it up.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 mandates member states to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes. But there is still a long way to go for the implementation of this resolution. NGOs can play a major role to ensure that this happens. A primary role they have is in raising awareness. A second major role that NGOs can play is that of research. Having information is empowering, and with data at hand NGOs can effectively engage in advocacy to persuade policy-makers and educate the general public about Resolution 1325.

NGOs can also take the lead in developing National Action Plans to implement the resolution. In the Philippines, the whole process began just three years ago with three women from NGOs who were concerned to promote the implementation of the resolution meeting in the Miriam College cafeteria. From the seed of the idea, we organized a national workshop, working together with our colleagues in government, consulting women’s and peace organizations on how to move the resolution forward. Over a two-year period, we went around the country consulting people from the different major islands, speaking to people at the grassroots, in government, in academia, indigenous people and people in the security structures.

During this process, we saw that women in the Philippines are involved in a wide variety of peacebuilding activities on the ground. There are currently two ongoing armed conflicts in the Philippines, one between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the other between the government and the National Democratic Front. Women provide humanitarian assistance to victims of war; they facilitate dialogues in volatile communities to prevent war; they provide opportunities for skills training; they put their lives on the line to monitor compliance to cease-fires and with human rights and international humanitarian law. In situations of conflict, they are peace advocates, negotiators and mediators, healers and reconcilers.

When we consulted women about the issues affecting them, one of the main things they spoke about was the political rivalries in the country. Politics in the Philippines can be bloody, and a lot of people are impacted by armed conflict between and among political families, and in clan wars in Mindanao (the second-largest island in the Philippines) and in the north. These conflicts are fueled by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The Philippines has the 10th highest homicide rate in the world. In the Global Peace Index, it comes 130th out of 149.

We also conducted a study of crimes committed against women. Rape was on top of the list, above the number of women injured by other forms of violence. There are around 23 reported cases of sexual- and gender-based violence every day, and many more that go unreported.

Another issue is the lack of participation. While women make up 33 percent of the cabinet, they are not so well represented in the legislature. Many women are appointed to office, but few are actively elected, so that is another problem. There are also cultural issues. The Philippines is comprised of many islands and cultures, and some of those cultures are not very open to women’s participation.

All of this input became the basis of the National Action Plan. As a result of this leadership and persistence, less than three years after we started, thanks to an Executive Order from our President, the Philippines became the 17th country in the world and the first in Asia to adopt a National Action Plan.

NGOs continue to play a key role in its implementation, monitoring and evaluation. As stated in the plan, “Cognizant of their role as stewards of peace, our NGOs work towards the attainment of a just, gender-respectful society where every Filipino woman is empowered as a peacebuilder, enjoying her human rights and safe from gender-based violence.”

The efforts to increase women’s participation are already starting to take effect. For example, the government has appointed more women in the peace panels of both peace processes. Little milestones like that are very rewarding. A group of women in Mindanao has banded together, calling themselves the civilian protectors, aiming to monitor cease-fires and keep the peace. And, recently, a national network of women working on 1325 has been formed, bringing together 15 women’s peace organizations.

There are many things that ordinary women can do to support the aims of Resolution 1325. These include supporting good women candidates, participating in local decision-making processes and becoming involved with local organizations working for peace. They can be peace advocates; they can lobby for legislation against gun violence and proliferation. And of course, education for tolerance, respect for diversity and gender sensitivity start in the home—often just by women speaking up.

A lot of positive change can happen and has happened through women simply becoming more conscious of their rights, and recognizing and believing in what they can do.