In time for International Women’s Day, the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management has produced a suite of resources for advancing gender equality within EU civilian crisis management. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is 'Accelerate action for gender equality', highlighting the urgent need for progress in achieving gender parity across all sectors.

Marianne Flach, an expert on Gender seconded to the CoE from the Netherlands, undertook a mapping exercise to identify synergies between National Action Plans (NAPs 1325) for the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) and 2023 EU Civilian Common Security Defence Policy (CSDP) National Implementation Plans (NIPs).

This information will be used to advise CoE members on incorporating gender mainstreaming topics into their new NAPs, which are currently in development. To facilitate this, we’ve developed the following products:  

• Guidance document: Including Civilian CSDP in 1325. The report focuses on the coherence between gender references in NAPs 1325, and gender commitments stipulated in the CSDP Compact. It aims to create an increased coherence between the frameworks, which can benefit the implementation of both.

• Factsheet.  Summarises the best practices for including Civilian CSDP into NAPs in an easily accessible, shareable format. 

• An  update to the CoE Secondment Map.  The map now includes summaries of CoE members’ gender equality priorities in their NAPs 1325 and highlights any specific good practices of each member state. 

What are UNSCR 1325 National Action Plans? 

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, is a landmark resolution that focuses on women, peace, and security. It recognises the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and highlights the essential role women play in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction.

National Action Plans (NAPs) for the UNSCR 1325 are national-level strategy documents that outline a UN Member State’s approach and course of action for implementing the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. 

Most NAPs reference civilian CSDP and highlight women's participation and leadership, but there is scope for including more.

What are Civilian CSDP Compact National Implementation Plans? 

Civilian CSDP NIPs focus on commitments under the 2023 Civilian CSDP Compact. They include commitments in all areas, including gender equality. One of the major gender equality commitments in the Civilian CSDP references the UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security as an important framework through which to progress gender parity in civilian CSDP.