Women, Peace and Security Strategic Context of Civilian CSDP

Mid-Term Evaluation of the Implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III

European Commission EU documents Reports, articles, briefs 2023 Public

Half-way through its term, this report examines the implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) in EU external action based on a series of country-specific and thematic case studies. While the strategic importance of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) has increased and is now included in a much broader array of EU actions, the remaining gap is in human resources (HR) commitments, especially true for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).

The aim of GAP III is to accelerate progress towards gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment in the European Union external policies and actions. GAP III has increased the strategic importance of GEWE with an approach that includes intersectionality and transformative change across virtually all sectors, including non-traditional ones such as energy, transport, and competitiveness. GAP III has strengthened GEWE platforms for political and policy dialogue, particularly with civil society groups. The evaluation also notes the continued support for Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) and identifies new opportunities in digital transformation and the green economy. However, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda has lagged behind, with tools for implementing GAP III and the WPS Action Plan not well aligned as indicators for the former are based on outcomes while the latter are based on outputs. Human resources for promoting GEWE lag behind the commitments that the EU has made, with more WPS positions and training needed for further implementation. 

On civilian CSDP, the report highlights the integration of gender perspectives. It emphasises the need for further gender-responsive leadership and WPS support on gendered conflict analysis. Civilian CSDP missions utilise dedicated operational documents and training to ensure a gender perspective is incorporated. Recommendations include creating full-time positions dedicated to GEWE, systematic training for managers and Gender Focal Points (GFPs), and strengthening gender analysis at each programming stage. Additionally, the evaluation suggests updating internal guidance on WPS, increasing in-house expertise, and improving monitoring of GEWE financial allocations.

Though it is primarily about GEWE as a whole, this report situates WPS in civilian CSDP within the broader framework of EU external gender action and highlights cross-cutting issues for EU and Member State policymakers.

Reference: MacKellar, L., Peebles, D., Vaillant, C., Massey, C., & Ulla, T. (2023). Mid-Term Evaluation of the Implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III. Publications Office of the European Union.

Resource

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