Approaches to Implementing National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security

Abstract

This report aims to identify a selection of programmes and projects undertaken by countries under their respective National Action Plans. It focuses on discrete, large-scale initiatives that specifically target aspects of the WPS agenda and aim to influence change outside the implementing agencies, rather than changing agencies’ own policies and practices. Common themes that appear frequently across these programmes and projects include: supporting global pools of technical capacity on WPS and on peacebuilding generally; training military, police, and other personnel from partner countries, including building women’s professional capacities as well as training personnel in WPS-related good practices; supporting WPS networks and forums to share experience and expertise; extensive use of multilateral mechanisms for channelling funding and for sharing technical capacity; extensive support to and collaboration with civil society organisations; initiatives focusing on combating violent extremism and counter-terrorism; initiatives focusing on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and humanitarian contexts; a wide range of commitments to stopping gender-based violence; and support for sexual and reproductive health initiatives. All of the countries discussed in this report also undertake considerable efforts to change policies and practices within their own agencies. In addition, all of the countries discussed in this report undertake a range of initiatives focused on individual countries; smaller donors, in particular, often focus many of their own programmes on single countries while using multilateral mechanisms to engage at the regional and global scales. However, in accordance with the terms of reference for this report, these types of activities are not discussed below. In the time available for this report, it was possible to review six countries’ activities. These countries were selected for inclusion because they had sufficient documentation readily accessible in the form of action plans, implementation plans, and progress reports; they are donor countries with significant international activities that may be considered peers to the UK; and/or they have been cited in the literature as being leaders in promoting the WPS agenda.