Women, peace and security
In support of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, the Organization supports the efforts undertaken internationally to engage both women and men in conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.
Quick links
Overview
Our challenge, our action, our teams
Commitment
The resolution and other international commitments and declarations recognize the importance of women’s full and equal representation and participation in peace and security governance at all levels. They also call for special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict. The OSCE participating States supported these efforts in the 2004 Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality and called, in a Ministerial Council decision in 2005, for the development of policies to “encourage the full and equal participation of women and women’s organizations in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation” and to support the sharing of experiences and best practices and […] engage with women’s peace initiatives.
Implementation
Several OSCE offices and teams are involved in furthering the women, peace and security agenda. The Secretariat’s team working under the Programme for Gender Issues supports government and civil society actors with a variety of activities to help the States implement their commitments under the agenda. They also work with the Conflict Prevention Centre on an initiative to further the inclusion of women in effective peace processes and helps to empower young women professionals in the fields of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation through a scholarship programme run by the Conflict Prevention Centre. Within the OSCE’s work on transnational threats, the Programme’s team also works on raising awareness of the role of gender in preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism.
Reporting
The OSCE participating States voluntarily report every year on measures by their security services to implement the women, peace and security commitments as part of an exchange of information taking place via the Forum for Security Co-operation and in compliance with the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.
Projects
Initiatives funded by individual states and organizations
News and activities
Current announcements, press releases, media advisories and other updates
Resources
Official OSCE documents, publications, guidelines and other resource material
Guide / manual / handbook
Gender in military operations: Guidance for military personnel working at tactical level in Peace Support Operations
Study / report
Designing Inclusive Strategies for Sustainable Security: Results-Oriented National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security
Study / report
Implementing Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the OSCE Region
Guide / manual / handbook
Inclusion of Women and Effective Peace Processes: A Toolkit
Studies and reports
Reports, studies and analyses for policymakers, researchers and all those interested in this field of our work
Manuals and guides
Practice-oriented manuals, guides, handbooks and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners working in this field