Women, peace, security

The UN Resolution 1325 is considered a milestone. It links peace and security policy with women and gender for the first time.

The resolution calls for the prevention of conflicts and obliges all UN member states and parties to the conflict to involve women at all levels of conflict resolution, peacebuilding and reconstruction and to ensure protection from gender-based violence in war. To implement the resolution, Switzerland has adopted four National Action Plans (NAP 1325) since 2007 and is preparing the 5th NAP in 2024.

Alliance for Women, Peace and Security

In order to bring the voices of civil society into the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS Agenda), Frieda, together with PeaceWomen Across the Globe and swisspeace/KOFF, is implementing the civil society support project «Alliance for Women, Peace and Security: Bringing the voices of civil society into the WPS Agenda». The project aims to increase the relevance and visibility of the WPS agenda and the Swiss NAP 1325 in the administration, civil society and the interested public.

In May 2024, the Alliance presented the report «UN Resolution Women, Peace, Security: Civil Society Priorities for the 5th Swiss National Action Plan». The recommended measures focus on moving away from traditional state-centred security concepts towards people-centred, feminist security principles and consistent demilitarisation. Civil society is in favour of a comprehensive understanding of peace and security that incorporates international instruments such as the CEDAW Women's Rights Convention, the Istanbul Convention and the 2030 Agenda.

The project builds on the findings of the previous project "Contribution of civil society to the implementation of the Swiss National Action Plan 1325" (2018-2022) which focussed on the importance of care work in peacebuilding and the prevention of extremist violence. It also uses the co-chairmanship of Switzerland and South Africa in the WPS Focal Point Network (WPS-FPN) in 2022 and Switzerland's non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council as a learning opportunity in the preparation of the 5th Swiss NAP 1325.

In March 2023, the Alliance held a webinar with South African and Swiss experts on "Remembrance and Transformation" and a webinar on "Demilitarisation and Protection from Gender-Based Violence". Both events provided opportunities for joint learning and dialogue within a transnational civil society. They promoted practical expertise and awareness of the importance of the WPS agenda and the Swiss NAP 1325.

In autumn 2023, two public hearings were held with representatives of Swiss civil society and academia to develop recommendations for the 5th NAP 1325. In total, people with links to over 20 civil society organisations and universities took part. Based on the findings from the webinars and the hearings, the Alliance then drafted the report "UN Resolution Women, Peace, Security: Civil Society Priorities for the 5th Swiss National Action Plan".

No peace without care work

Care work contributes significantly to the sense of security of all people and at the same time represents a major obstacle to the participation of women. Frieda, PeaceWomen Across the Globe and KOFF investigated in 2019-2021 how care work affects women's participation in peacebuilding. The most important results were presented at an online conference on 21 September 2021. They also discussed how Switzerland can anchor the feminist vision of peace behind the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in domestic policy.

Reclaim Prevention!

Together with FriedensFrauen Weltweit - PeaceWomen Across the Globe and the Swiss Platform for Peacebuilding KOFF, Frieda hosted a conference in September 2019 as part of the project Contribution of Civil Society to the Implementation of the Swiss NAP 1325 . The conference brought together civil society, academia and state institutions and focussed on the prevention of violence in the context of the Nationalen Aktionsplans (NAP) 1325 der Schweiz. She highlighted critical perspectives on the prevention of violent extremism, the implementation of the NAPs and the future of women, peace & security in Switzerland and beyond.

The four parliamentary ambassadors 1325 submitted the following motions:

• Sibel Arslan: The inclusion of women in the prevention of violent extremism

• Rosmarie Quadranti: Study on the link between gun ownership and gender-based violence

• Yvonne Feri: Gender-sensitive risk analysis of arms exports

• Carlo Sommaruga: Peace process. What is Switzerland doing to promote the participation of women

The equal representation of women in peace policy decision-making processes is one of Frieda's goals. Frieda lobbies for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325). This resolution requires all actors to ensure the equal participation of women at all levels of conflict management and peacebuilding and to take a gender perspective into account when negotiating and implementing peace agreements.

Since women take on many different roles and tasks in violent conflicts, e.g. as heads of families, as victims of violence, especially sexualised violence, as combatants or as peace activists, women have a wide range of experiences, but also needs and interests to contribute to conflict resolution, peace and security policy.