Speaker_detail_Maria Victoria C. Balleza - The 7th International Conference on Action with Women and Peace

Speaker Information

Panel Discussion 1

Maria Victoria C. Balleza

Chief Executive Officer, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP)

Moderator

Maria Victoria “Mavic” Cabrera Balleza is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP). Her leadership and collaboration with civil society, governments, UN Women and other UN entities resulted in the establishment of two important global mechanisms: the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) and the Generation Equality Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action. She served as a founding Board member of the WPHF and a founding co-chair of the Board of the Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) Compact. Currently, she is a member of the Multistakeholder Working Group on Generation Equality beyond 2026, representing the WPS-HA Compact.

She is active in a broad range of work on Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agenda, and gender-responsive humanitarian action. She initiated the development of the first Philippine National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security and has provided technical support to NAP WPS development and implementation in more than 30 countries. She pioneered the Localization of the WPS agenda in 2010, which is now implemented in different parts of the world. The UN Secretary-General has cited the Localization of the WPS strategy as a key tool for translating policy into practice.