S outh-East Asia has a long history of innovative national and local approaches to peace and security, often led by women. The Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security of the Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN), launched in 2022, builds on consolidating the past and ongoing work of the region on pertinent issues relating to women, peace and security, and underlines the need to “develop guidelines to support local authorities and implementing partners at national and sub-national levels…with respect to implementation [and monitoring and evaluation of the plan”. This requires strengthening the catalytic role of national governments in ensuring that the most affected and marginalised populations, especially women, inform and shape conflict prevention and a sustainable peace. Further, the evolving concept of security from a central focus on the State to an embrace of the human security of people at large calls for a multidimensional, human-centric framework. Only this approach can meet challenges ranging from violent extremism to forced displacement, climate change impacts, trafficking in persons and gender-based violence, among many other non-traditional security threats.1 These continue to pose challenges for ASEAN member States in promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and inclusion in the context of peace and security in a diverse region.