SCR 1325 Nap Initiative Update
At the end of 2011, the United States and Georgia launched their National Action Plans (NAP) on women, peace and security and the Netherlands came out with its second action plan for 2012-2015.
The U.S. NAP can now be found on the PeaceWomen/WILPF website, accompanied by a summary prepared by WILPF-US of the Civil Society consultations held during the development of the action plan. The report features 64 recommendations for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the U.S. NAP.
Similar to many donor countries, the U.S. NAP frames its bilateral and multilateral action around the four UN women, peace and security pillars: participation, protection, conflict prevention and equal access to relief and recovery. Of note is the Monitoring and Evaluation section's placement after the matrix of specific actions to be taken. By contrast, most NAPs include this section in the matrix, showcasing the actors responsible for monitoring and evaluating implementation of the NAP, the specific actions to be taken, the expected time-frame and the resources to be potentially allocated for monitoring.
With reference to the procedural aspects of the U.S. NAP, WILPF's recommendations for explicit funds, time frames, and civil society inclusion in monitoring and evaluating the NAP remain outstanding. While not mentioned in the NAP, the US Department of State expects that its implementation will be predominantly financed by existing funds. Representative of the U.S. Department of State indicated that yearly reviews incorporating civil society and a growing circle of agencies should be considered. WILPF suggests that the US Government should create a task force within the NAP process to formally monitor and evaluate its implementation. WILPF recommends that membership of the task force should comprise of one-third government; one third civil society (domestic and international representation); and one-third experts on women, peace and security.
In terms of content, the U.S. NAP places a welcomed emphasis on prevention, including the importance of recognising women's participation as a means for conflict prevention. Although the NAP falls short on addressing disarmament and detailing actions to promote preventative work. The theme of protecting women from violence is dealt with in the NAP, while necessary, it seems to adopt a more narrow approach to the protection scope of SCR 1325, which includes the protection of women's human rights. To this regard WILPF reiterates its call for the U.S. to ratify the UN Convention on the on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).