Planning for Action on Women and Peace and Security: National-Level Implementation of Resolution 1325 (2000)

With the upcoming 10th anniversary of resolution 1325 in October 2010, UN-INSTRAW, International Alert and OSAGI have prepared this Review to support the formulation, implementation and monitoring of national action plans (NAPs) on resolution 1325. Based primarily on an assessment of the 16 existing NAPs, the Review looks at the multiple and varied strategies that have been successfully applied in different countries, and shares lessons learned from these diverse processes.

Resolution 1325 (2000), unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council in October 2000 under the Presidency of Namibia, is regarded as one of the most influential documents in establishing the legitimacy of addressing women’s and gender issues in the areas of peace and security. The resolution provides a framework that makes the pursuit of gender equality relevant to every conflict-related action, ranging from mine clearance to elections to security sector reform.

Despite these resolutions and a number of policy and programmatic initiatives at the international, regional and national levels, the connection between international laws, national legislation and policy frameworks on the one hand and meaningful change in the lived realities of men and women affected by conflict on the other remains elusive. To address this disconnection, over the last nine years, increasing attention has been paid to the development of national action plans (NAPs) as an effective and concrete tool for putting resolution 1325 into practice. As of August 2009, 16 countries have adopted NAPs on women and peace and security and several other countries are in the process
of developing plans.

While all major stakeholders need to take responsibility for the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), Member States in particular should ensure that it is integrated into their national policies and training programmes to make its implementation systematic and sustainable. The development of national strategies or action plans through an inclusive process can provide the necessary space to analyse the situation, build alliances with key stakeholders, initiate strategic actions and mobilise resources. In addition, such plans should encourage a holistic approach that links development, security and peace. Given the necessity of national level implementation, the low number of countries which have adopted national action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is deplorable.