National handlingsplan forside

Coverphoto of the National Plan. Photo: Henrik Wallström.

What is 1325 and the women, peace and security agenda?

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security (WPS). 1325 became known as a landmark resolution, as the Security Council for the first time recognized:

 

  • That women have the same rights as men to contribute to working for peace and security
  • That women and men have different interests and needs, also in crises and conflict situations
  • That women too have the right to affect the development of the their own societies; and
  • That meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security issues increases the probabilities of achieving sustainable peace

Since its adoption in 2000, resolution 1325 has been followed by nine other Security Council resolutions, which combined constitute the framework of the WPS agenda.

 

The new National Action Plan for women, peace and security agenda (2020-24)

In 2005, Denmark was the first country in the world to adopt a national action plan (NAP) on the implementation of resolution 1325. This year, the Danish Government launches the fourth NAP, which distinguishes itself from former NAPs by placing a strong emphasis on the WPS agenda as a security policy agenda. Therefore, the NAP firstly focuses on how Denmark as a security policy actor can strengthen its efforts for furthering the WPS agenda. Secondly, the NAP emphasizes the importance of women’s inclusion and meaningful participation in efforts for peace and security. Finally, the third main focus of the NAP is on increasing efforts to counter sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflicts as well as sexual harassment.

 

In other words; The fourth NAP will strengthen Denmark’s ambitions for working with the WPS agenda. The NAP reflects a political determination to further the agenda for gender equality and women’s rights and ensuring more lasting results from Danish efforts for peace and security. This will be achieved by a targeted, systematic and result-oriented effort to secure equal, comprehensive and meaningful inclusion of women in the efforts to prevent conflicts and build peace through a rights-based approach.

 

Working with WPS within the Danish Ministry of Defence

For the first time, the national action plan is accompanied by yearly implementation plans developed by each of the participating authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice/National Policy). The implementation plans will spell out in more detail how each of involved authorities will work to contribute to the overall strategic objectives of the NAP. They will be evaluated and updated on a yearly basis.

 

During the past 20 years, Denmark has worked to implement resolution 1325 in many different ways, including within the Armed Forces. Today, more women choose the Armed Forces as a career path, and more Danish security efforts internationally have meaningful participation of women in peace and security efforts on their agenda.

 

However, both home and abroad we can and must do more. The 2021 implementation plan of the Ministry of Defence therefore sets out the overall political guidance on how to work towards the strategic objectives of the NAP.

 

Status for implementation in 2021

In 2021, the Ministry of Defence will make made increased knowledge and understanding of the WPS agenda a priority, including at management level. The Danish Defense Command began the predatory work to establish a “gender structure” to ensure a deeper anchoring of the agenda. As part of the implementation, the Danish Home Guard Command focused on education of Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points, while the Danish Emergency Management Agency has ensured that all standard operation procedures (SOP) incorporates the gender perspective.

 

The reporting shows that across the department and all agencies, gender perspectives are  will be included more systematically in the strategic efforts to counter security threats, including in operational deployments. A working group under the Danish Ministry of Defence Personnel Agency is tasked to map barriers for deployments and implement strategic initiatives We will work to increase recruitment, retention and deployment of female soldiers, and efforts to ensure a better understanding of issues related to sexual and gender-based violence will be strengthened. Finally, countering sexual harassment will continues to be prioritized.

 

Reporting of the 2021 implementation can be found here (Danish)

 

The WPS agenda in 2022 and forward

In 2022 and forward, the Danish Ministry of Defence continues the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. In the spring 2022, the implementation plan was updated with strategic goals for the next year e.g. by addressing the challenging and needs identified during the first year of implementing Denmark’s National Action Plan on WPS (2020-2024)

Last updated November 25, 2022 - 11:23