The fourth National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) of the United Kingdom (UK) (2018-2022) aimed to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of peace and security, as well as to prevent and address gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. It outlined a range of actions that the UK Government committed to undertake to achieve these goals, including the provision of training for peacekeeping personnel and the integration of gender perspectives into all aspects of peacebuilding and security operations.
Our evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the UK Government’s approach and implementation of these commitments and identified areas where further action is needed. The evaluation included a thorough analysis of key documents and in-depth interviews with international, domestic and focus country actors, as well as civil society organizations and women’s groups. Case studies were conducted in Jordan, Libya and Mali, as well as in the multilateral space of the UN.
The evaluation revealed a number of good practices and highlighted progress in various areas; however, there are still significant gaps in the implementation of the NAP. For example, more needs to be done to ensure that women are meaningfully involved in decision-making processes related to peace and security. Additionally, the UK Government needs to do more to address the root causes of gender-based violence and to provide adequate support to survivors.
The evaluation report includes a series of recommendations to support the UK Government to address these gaps. The recommendations are forward looking, with the aim of ultimately informing the development and strategic direction of the fifth UK NAP (2023-2027).
We believe that the successful implementation of the NAP is crucial for achieving sustainable peace and security, and for ensuring that the needs and perspectives of all members of society are taken into account. We invite you to explore our evaluation, as well as the recently launched new UK WPS NAP: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-women-peace-and-security-national-action-plan-2023-to-2027
Please find more background reading published by the Government of the United Kingdom on the WPS review here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-national-action-plan-on-women-peace-and-security-2018-to-2022-annual-report-to-parliament-2022
Please download our evaluation >here
