DECEMBER 2011

UNITED STATES

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON

WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY

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Table of Contents

Statement of National Policy 1

The Case for Women in Peace and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Women as Equal Participants in Conflict Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Protections for Women During and After Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Women and Conflict Prevention Efforts 8

Women’s Equal Access to the Means for Recovery 9

Developing the National Action Plan 11

National Objectives and Action Framework 12

National Integration and Institutionalization 12

Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-making 14

Protection from Violence 16

Conflict Prevention 20

Access to Relief and Recovery 21

Coordination, Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting 23

Partnerships and Collaboration 24

Call to Action 26

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Statement of National Policy

The goal of this National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security is as simple as it is profound: to 

empower half the world’s population as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in 

countries threatened and affected by war, violence, and insecurity. Achieving this goal is critical to our 

national and global security.

Deadly conflicts can be more effectively avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when 

women become equal partners in all aspects of peace-building and conflict prevention, when their lives 

are protected, their experiences considered, and their voices heard.

As directed by the Executive Order signed by President Obama entitled Instituting a National Action 

Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, this Plan describes the course the United States Government will 

take to accelerate, institutionalize, and better coordinate our efforts to advance women’s inclusion in 

peace negotiations, peacebuilding activities, and conflict prevention; to protect women from sexual and 

gender-based violence; and to ensure equal access to relief and recovery assistance, in areas of conflict 

and insecurity. It is guided by the following five principles: 

First, the engagement and protection of women as agents of peace and stability will be central to the 

United States’ efforts to promote security, prevent, respond to, and resolve conflict, and rebuild societies.

Second, by building on the goals for gender integration described in the United States National Security 

Strategy and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, the United States’ efforts on Women, 

Peace, and Security will complement and enhance existing initiatives to advance gender equality and 

women’s empowerment, ensure respect for human rights, and address the needs of vulnerable populations in crisis and conflict environments. 

Third, in executing this policy, the United States will be guided by the principle of inclusion, seeking 

out the views and participation of a wide variety of stakeholders—women and girls, men and boys, and 

members of marginalized groups, including youth, ethnic, racial or religious minorities, persons with 

disabilities, displaced persons and indigenous peoples, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) 

individuals, and people from all socioeconomic strata.

Fourth, in order to maximize the impact of this Plan, the United States will ensure that activities in support of Women, Peace and Security are coordinated among all relevant departments and agencies 

The U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security builds upon the goals for gender integration 

described in the U.S. National Security Strategy and the 2010 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development 

Review. Gender integration involves identifying and addressing, in all our policies and programs, gender 

differences and inequalities, as well as the roles of women and men. The goal of gender integration or 

“mainstreaming” is to promote gender equality and improve programming and policy outcomes.
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United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

(agencies) of the government, integrated into relevant United States foreign policy initiatives, and 

enhanced by engagement with international partners.

Finally, United States Government agencies will be accountable for the implementation of the policies 

and initiatives endorsed in this Plan.

Above all, this National Action Plan expresses the United States’ unqualified commitment to integrating women’s views and perspectives fully into our diplomatic, security, and development efforts—not 

simply as beneficiaries, but as agents of peace, reconciliation, development, growth, and stability. We 

welcome this opportunity to work with our international partners to make the promise of this commitment real, to advance implementation of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325, and to 

make significant progress toward the goal of sustainable peace and security for all. 
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The Case for Women in Peace and Security 

Women as Equal Participants in Conflict Resolution

More than half of all peace agreements fail within the first 10 years of signature. In many countries, high 

levels of violence continue to afflict communities long after wars have officially ceased. Peace accords 

are too often negotiated only between the small number of armed combatants who originally fought 

the war—groups whose experiences on the battlefield are not easily transferred to the difficult task of 

building peace. 

When included as meaningful participants, 

women enlarge the scope of agreements 

to include the broader set of critical societal 

priorities and needs required for lasting and 

just peace. In Northern Ireland, for example, 

women negotiators secured commitments 

in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to 

involve young people and victims of violence in reconciliation; to accelerate the 

release and reintegration of political prisoners; and to ensure an integrated education system and integrated housing. In 

the 1990s, Guatemalan women involved 

in negotiations to end a 36-year civil war 

secured important protections for labor and indigenous rights as well as guarantees of a balance in 

civilian and military power. They also enshrined commitments to women’s equal rights and participation in the peace accords. In post-apartheid South Africa, more than 70 organizations united under 

the Women’s National Coalition to outline fundamental rights for women in the “Women’s Charter 

for Effective Equality.” The charter directly resulted in a constitution that not only protects women’s 

equal rights, but also contains many important rights that apply to all members of society: the right 

to education, the freedoms of religion and expression, and the right to security of person. In 2003, 

Liberian women acting largely outside of formal negotiations brought their demands into the streets 

and reinforced mediators’ efforts to secure a peace that would end that country’s devastating civil war.

Even when peace processes have failed to end conflict conclusively, women have positively influenced 

efforts to advance security and stability via negotiations. In 2006, Ugandan women involved in peace 

talks between the Ugandan government and representatives of the Lord’s Resistance Army secured a 

compensation fund for victims of violence, including gender-based violence, and ensured that health 

and education for former combatants were addressed explicitly in negotiated protocols; although the 

accord was never implemented, women’s priorities have been reflected in Northern Ugandan recovery 

efforts and women have continued to push for transparency in reconstruction. Darfurian women, who 

provided gender expertise to African Union-mediated talks in 2005, shined a spotlight on the need to 

provide protection for the vulnerable and displaced and highlighted a wide range of critical gender 

concerns related to land rights and physical security. These women inserted critical issues into the talks 

that negotiators had previously ignored. 

First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 

pose with awardees at the 2011 International Women of Courage 

award ceremony at the State Department. 

Photo Credit: State Department
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Institutionalizing Our Commitment to Women as Agents of Positive Change

As noted in the U.S. National Security Strategy, “Experience shows that countries are more peaceful and 

prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights and opportunity.” In order to bring about the 

peace and prosperity we seek, the United States is promoting better understanding and integration of 

gender issues across all our agencies. 

The Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are implementing 

reforms initiated through the 2010 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) related to 

support for women and girls abroad in the realms of policy development, budget planning, and personnel training. The new positions of the Department of State’s Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s 

Issues and USAID’s Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment ensure that 

women’s rights and concerns remain at the core of U.S. foreign policy. USAID’s policy framework highlights a commitment to gender equality and female empowerment as a key operational principle, while 

USAID’s revised Policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment will institutionalize our commitment 

throughout U.S. development and humanitarian assistance activities. In all countries, including those 

affected by crisis and conflict, USAID mandates that development and humanitarian assistance activities 

be informed by gender analysis. Expanded guidance on gender integration in Country Development 

Cooperation Strategies, Programming, Project Design, and Learning and Evaluation tools are helping 

ensure programs reduce gender disparities and promote equal access for women and men to political, 

economic, and social resources and opportunities. In order to address forced labor and sexual exploitation, 

USAID is also revising its Counter Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Policy, which will include a specific objective aimed at increasing USAID investments in TIP prevention and protection in conflict and crisis-affected 

areas. Finally, foreign assistance indicators tracking the performance of programs implemented by USAID 

and the Department of State now include specific indicators on gender equality, women’s empowerment, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response, and women’s participation in 

peacebuilding.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has dedicated staff responsible for addressing gender considerations in keeping with DOD’s mission. Within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of the 

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy coordinates the development and implementation of DOD’s efforts 

on Women, Peace, and Security. The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 

coordinates the Department’s efforts on sexual assault prevention and response, and combating trafficking in persons. For the Military Services, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services 

advises on policies related to the recruitment, retention, treatment, and integration of women into U.S.

Armed Forces. Around the world, several of DOD’s Combatant Commands have made gender issues a 

focus. U.S. Africa Command has established a Gender Working Group focused on integrating gender 

considerations across the command’s programs and engagements with African militaries. In Afghanistan, 

U.S. Central Command and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have established gender advisors to assist commanders in identifying the differing effects a potential operation may have on 

local men and women. In addition, the Marine Corps’ Female Engagement Teams and the Army’s Cultural 

Support Teams are providing new avenues for women Marines and soldiers to support ongoing operations 

and engage women in local populations.
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Despite this positive record, since 1992 women have represented fewer than three percent of mediators 

and eight percent of negotiators to major peace processes, numbers that have not markedly improved 

since the passage over a decade ago of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325. While the 

number of women heading UN field missions has increased, the UN has never appointed a woman 

as a lead mediator. In country after country, women who risked their lives to confront and persuade 

armed actors to join peace negotiations and foster the trust necessary to initiate negotiations have 

found themselves sidelined once official talks began. This exclusion is as much a blow to peace and 

international security efforts as it is to women. 

The voices and concerns of women who 

endured violence and supported communities during conflict, and who will 

carry much of the burden of healing and 

rebuilding communities in peacetime, are 

routinely absent from or overlooked at the 

negotiating table. This exclusion often carries over into related post-conflict efforts 

to rebuild, to strengthen peace by reforming the security sector, and to redress past 

grievances and abuses. Peace agreements 

that focus solely on ending the fighting 

fail to address the vital tasks necessary 

for sustaining a genuine peace: providing security and basic services, building 

trust amongst opposing parties, fostering institutions that can uphold the rule of law, and promoting 

legitimately-elected leadership. Engaging women as leaders and participants can help close this gap 

and offer a chance for more lasting peace agreements. 

Evidence from around the world and across cultures shows that integrating women and gender considerations into peace-building processes helps promote democratic governance and long-term stability.

In order to achieve these goals, women need to be able to play a role in building and participating in 

the full range of decision-making institutions in their countries. These institutions, from civil society to 

the judicial and security sectors, must also be responsive to and informed by women’s demands.

U.S. Marines with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan and 

members of a Female Engagement Team (FET) use an interpreter 

to interact with Afghan women and children in Helmand province, 

Afghanistan. Photo Credit: Sgt. Evan Barragan/U.S. Marine Corps
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Protections for Women During and After Conflict

Even as we work to include more women in peace negotiations, we must make stronger and more 

comprehensive efforts to protect them from violence both during and after conflict. Two decades into 

the 21st century, conflict remains primarily an intra-state phenomenon. Civilians bear the overwhelming 

brunt of today’s wars. Starvation and disease prey primarily upon women, children, and the elderly.

Amidst such suffering, in many conflict zones around the world women and girls are deliberately targeted and attacked, often with impunity. Forced displacement associated with crisis and conflict exposes 

refugees and internally displaced persons, particularly women and girls, to additional risks of violence 

and exploitation. Violence against women, particularly forms of sexual violence including rape, sexual 

assault, mutilation, forced prostitution, and sexual slavery, is increasingly recognized as a facet of many 

recent conflicts, from the Balkans to Africa. 

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in conflict and situations of extreme violence is at times 

deployed as a deliberate tactic for purposes of humiliation, terror, societal destruction, and ethnic 

cleansing. In other circumstances sexual violence is opportunistic. 

In places where wars have officially come to an end, women and girls often continue to be plagued 

by high levels of violence and insecurity; widespread impunity and breakdowns in the rule of law can 

contribute to high rates of gender-based and domestic violence. Thus, increased violence against women 

can be a cause and a consequence of a societal breakdown. When countries are not experiencing active 

conflict, evidence shows that violence against women can be a primary indicator of a nation’s stability, 

security, and propensity toward internal or external conflict. This indicator may be as telling as levels 

of democracy or wealth. 

Promoting Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding: Afghanistan

Since 2001, the United States has worked with the women of Afghanistan to ensure that they take part in 

all key country-wide political decision-making processes. Afghan women have advocated successfully for 

protections for women’s rights in the 2004 Constitution, including a 25 percent quota for female representation in Parliament. More than 400 candidates for the 2011 parliamentary elections were women, 

representing a sizeable increase since the 2005 parliamentary elections. Today, women hold 69 of the 249 

seats in the Afghan National Assembly (68 of which are constitutionally mandated). Three women serve as 

Cabinet members, and many others participate in provincial assemblies.

In order to secure Afghanistan’s long-term stability and development, we will continue to work with 

the international community and Afghan civil society to help ensure women participate at all levels of 

decision-making and governance. Afghan women are involved in the Afghan Peace and Reintegration 

Program, and a gender advisor now works on the Joint Secretariat charged with implementing the 

program. Nine out of the 68 members of the policy-making High Peace Council are women, and women 

are beginning to serve on Provincial-level Peace and Reintegration Councils. The United States is insisting 

that reconciled Taliban agree to abide by the Afghan Constitution, including its provisions on the rights of 

women and minorities. There is no question that the women of Afghanistan still must travel a long road 

before they achieve full equality. We are committed to supporting their entire journey.
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No society can restore peace or stability when its population lives in daily fear of rape or other sexual 

assault—or when the perpetrators of such crimes are not held accountable for their actions. We must 

take strong, unified action to ensure that victims have access to justice, that those responsible for these 

crimes are held accountable, and that those who contemplate violence against civilians understand that 

their actions will carry consequences. Sexual violence in conflict is a security issue that must receive the 

same level of attention as other threats to individuals in conflict situations. The safety of women and 

their families must be a top priority for security efforts around the world.

Protecting Women from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

The United States has prioritized efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence 

(SGBV), including sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), in conflict situations around the world. Since 2010, 

USAID has programmed over $17.5 million in humanitarian assistance funds to prevent and respond to 

SGBV in disasters and conflicts, reaching nearly 3 million beneficiaries in 12 countries. Over the same 

timeframe, the State Department has programmed more than $21.5 million in humanitarian assistance 

funds to prevent and respond to SGBV in displacement crises. The Department of Justice, through its 

human trafficking and justice-sector development programs, has actively promoted efforts to increase the 

commitment and capacity of partner countries to investigate, prosecute, and deter gender-based exploitation. The Department of Homeland Security counters human trafficking, exploitation, and violence against 

women by administering humanitarian immigration benefits, collaborating with law enforcement abroad, 

and promoting international partnerships and public awareness. In recent years the U.S. Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have brought public health and epidemiologic principles to the aid 

of women and girls affected by complex humanitarian emergencies in Liberia, Sri Lanka, Haiti and Uganda 

by documenting the magnitude and risks of SGBV and using data to improve programs and inform policymaking. In collaboration with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, CDC has employed 

enhanced surveillance systems to monitor SGBV cases in humanitarian situations through the development of the UNHCR health information system, which currently reaches a total of 2.4 million refugees in 18 

countries around the world.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United States has provided legal advice and care and 

treatment services for well over 100,000 SGBV survivors. These services include mobile clinics that expand 

the reach of services for survivors of sexual violence, as well as programs that engage men and boys in 

challenging norms and practices that contribute to rape and domestic violence in their communities. The 

Unitet States has made efforts to improve accountability by promoting national-level legal reforms, such 

as the adoption of the 2006 Law Against SGBV and reform of the Family Code, advocacy, and increasing 

access to legal services to survivors through mobile courts. Instructors from DOD’s Defense International 

Institute of Legal Studies provide training to the Congolese military on preventing SGBV and prosecuting cases through the military court system. In addition, the United States has provided support to the 

UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) for its Prosecution Support Cells, which 

assist Congolese prosecutors with cases, and its Joint Protection Teams and Joint Human Rights Office to 

strengthen the protection of victims, witnesses, and judicial officials in cases involving serious abuses of 

international law. 

Despite these critical investments, SGBV remains a terrible reality for communities in conflict affected 

countries. We are committed to expanding our efforts to identify and build on successful programs, and 

work with partners to scale up their impact.
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Women and Conflict Prevention Efforts

Measured in lives and livelihoods, stopping cycles of conflict and preventing wars before they occur is the 

most important way to ensure stability and prosperity around the world. Socio-economic and cultural 

analyses must inform any effort to forecast and counteract emerging drivers of conflict; examining how 

risk factors for conflict affect men and women differently improves our understanding of the root causes 

and consequences of conflict, including vulnerability to mass atrocity. From Kosovo to Rwanda, societies have witnessed rising discrimination and violence against women as early indicators of impending 

conflict. Tracking and better understanding how these indicators relate to the potential for instability 

should inform the international community’s best practices in preventing conflict before it begins.

Frequently, women have held critical knowledge about impending or escalating conflict, but were 

overlooked or were unable to report their concerns safely. In Kosovo, women observed the growth 

of arms caches, but had no one to whom they could report their concerns. Similarly, women in Sierra 

Leone knew of plans to attack UN peacekeepers, but threats to their personal safety prevented them 

from relaying that information.

With these examples in mind, 

we will strengthen our efforts to 

monitor the status of women, and 

ensure that conflict early warning, 

atrocity prevention, and conflict 

mitigation and management 

endeavors incorporate gender 

analysis. For example, stateless 

women and their children face 

high levels of discrimination and 

abuse, and their particular risk 

factors should be assessed. And 

gender-specific migration patterns or precipitous changes in 

the status or treatment of women 

and girls may serve as signals of 

broader vulnerability to the onset or escalation of conflict or atrocities. This focus will help to ensure 

that conflict prevention efforts are responsive to sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of 

violence affecting women and girls, and that our approaches are informed by differences in the experiences of men and women, girls and boys. Further, we will seek to better leverage women’s networks 

and organizations in activities aimed at arresting armed conflict or preventing spirals of violence. 

Finally, the United States understands that successful conflict prevention efforts must rest on key 

investments in women’s economic empowerment, education, and health. A growing body of evidence 

shows that empowering women and reducing gender gaps in health, education, labor markets, and 

other areas is associated with lower poverty, higher economic growth, greater agricultural productivity, 

better nutrition and education of children, and other outcomes vital to the success of communities.

Kishwar Sultana, director of the Insan Foundation in Pakistan, discusses the 

importance of including women in peace and security decisions with a cadet 

from the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

Photo credit: Institute for Inclusive Security
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Women’s Equal Access to the Means for Recovery

Women and children are particularly affected by conflicts, comprising the vast majority of forcibly 

displaced persons around the world. In many cases, gender roles and norms mean that women are the 

primary caregivers for families and communities in crisis situations. Women’s perspectives are important 

for ensuring that relief and recovery assistance addresses the needs of the entire affected population. For 

example, women’s participation in camp management committees helps to ensure that displacement 

camps are safer and assistance programs are more accessible for vulnerable groups such as women, 

children, and persons with disabilities. 

Women and girls also have distinct needs and vulnerabilities that should be addressed within assistance 

programs. For example, women, particularly survivors of sexual violence, require access to sexual and 

reproductive health services. Women and girls’ vulnerabilities are often exacerbated in crisis contexts. 

While participating in activities such as food distribution, firewood collection, and travel to and from 

latrines and water points, for example, they may be separated from protective family structures and 

face increased risks of trafficking, SGBV, including sexual exploitation and abuse, or other harm. Rape 

in conflict situations can increase the incidence of HIV/AIDS, affecting not only women but also their 

families. Conflict also increases the incidence of disability, and women with disabilities can face particular 

Investing in Conflict Prevention through Economic Empowerment, Health, and Education 

The United States is committed to amplifying the critical role women can play in conflict prevention and 

mitigation by participating in early warning systems, leveraging women’s networks, and building bridges 

across divided communities. We also recognize that successful conflict prevention efforts require longterm investments in women’s economic empowerment, health, and education. USAID recently launched a 

new multi-year initiative to support game-changing programs that remove barriers to women owning and 

managing small and medium-sized enterprises, including legal, social, education and economic barriers, 

along with rigorous impact evaluation of these efforts.

The United States is also working collaboratively with conflict-affected countries to ensure that women 

are beneficiaries of priority global development efforts such as the Global Health Initiative and Feed the 

Future—both for their own well-being and because of the centrality of women to the health and prosperity of families and communities. The Global Health Initiative, for example, aims to reduce maternal mortality by 30 percent in assisted countries, through a range of targeted investments including prenatal care and 

services, obstetric care, voluntary family planning, HIV testing and counseling, nutritional support, and safe 

water, sanitation and hygiene interventions. Women are also at the forefront of President Obama’s Feed 

the Future food security initiative, and USAID has recently allocated $5 million for a new Feed the Future 

program that will promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in agriculture and land use.

Education can also mitigate the effects of conflict and provide the basis for long term economic growth 

and stability. Out of 70 million primary school-aged children not in school, nearly 40 million live in countries affected by armed conflict. It is therefore critical to restore education sites, services and system-wide 

capacity for children and youth, particularly girls, in conflict-affected or insecure environments. We are 

working to increase equitable access to education in crisis and conflict environments for 15 million learners, including those with disabilities, by 2015.
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Supporting Women’s Equal Access to Relief and Recovery Assistance

The United States is working with its partners to develop and implement relief and recovery assistance 

programs that address the needs of women and girls, mitigate risks to their safety, and reflect their perspectives and priorities. We do this through dedicated State and USAID programs focused on prevention 

and response to SGBV, provision of reproductive health care, and broader efforts to ensure all relief and 

recovery programming is accessible to women and girls. We have supported the development of a toolkit 

on reproductive health in emergencies, and training modules for NGOs on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of beneficiaries. We are also looking at ways to minimize risk to women and girls 

in humanitarian crises through supporting new technologies, such as a program to provide fuel efficient 

cookstoves to women in and around the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. This is part of a broader effort 

to familiarize the humanitarian community with best practices in fuel and firewood interventions, so that 

women and girls do not have to risk their safety when gathering firewood. We are also supporting access 

to education in emergencies for displaced children and youth. For example, in the Darfuri refugee camps 

in Chad, we are ensuring that secondary education programs are accessible to both girls and boys.

Investments in women’s economic empowerment can also support crisis recovery and stability by empowering women and girls as agents of positive change and early recovery. For example, we fund literacy and 

livelihood programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the DRC to improve women’s prospects when they return 

to their countries or communities of origin after displacement. And in Cote d’Ivoire, we support cash-forwork opportunities for women to engage in community clean-up activities to help them and their households recover from displacement and conflict.

risks including social stigma and isolation, difficulty accessing humanitarian assistance, unmet health 

care needs, and higher rates of SGBV and other forms of violence during and after conflict.

Finally, women and girls act as combatants and in other capacities associated with armed forces, but 

demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) programs often fail to take into account their 

distinct needs. Women ex-combatants are often grouped with those who have been kept as ‘wives’, 

despite distinct experiences and recovery needs. Women who have played a leadership role in a military 

structure are often reluctant to return to the roles that are expected of them when conflict ends, and 

women and girls associated with armed forces in any capacity require appropriate support to recover 

from physical and psychological trauma and rebuild their lives successfully.

For all of these reasons, it is vital that relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts meet the distinct needs 

of women and children in crises, while preventing sexual exploitation and abuse by those meant to 

help.Critical protection activities including prevention and response to SGBV should be prioritized in 

emergencies alongside other life-saving assistance. Women and girls must be able to access all humanitarian assistance programs safely and equitably, from water and sanitation to food aid and shelter, 

along with education, reproductive health care, and livelihood activities.This work begins by ensuring 

women’s participation in the design of relief and recovery projects, which helps secure the explicit and 

systematic integration of gender and protection issues into response efforts. And women must have 

the opportunity to shape agendas and inform priorities for transitional justice and accountability, for 

the reconstruction of infrastructure and restoration of basic services, and for rebuilding economies in 

ways that offer opportunity for themselves and their families.
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Developing the National Action Plan

In instituting this National Action Plan, the United States joins countries around the world in accelerating the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), the first resolution 

adopted by the Security Council to recognize the crucial role of women in restoring and maintaining 

peace and security. Resolution 1325 and its subsequent, related resolutions—1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 

1889 (2009), and 1960 (2010)—aim, inter alia, to increase women’s participation in all efforts related to 

peace and security and to strengthen the protection of women in situations of armed conflict. The 

United States drafted and presented three of these resolutions, including Resolution 1888, which established the position of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, 

and remains a strong supporter of international and multilateral efforts to support the Women, Peace, 

and Security agenda. This plan expands on efforts at the Security Council by addressing the agenda’s 

core pillars, to include taking action in a broad array of situations which do not necessarily fall within 

the scope of that body’s mandate.

This Plan represents a government-wide effort to leverage U.S. diplomatic, defense, and development 

resources to improve the participation of women in peace and conflict prevention processes, protect 

women and girls from SGBV, and help ensure that women have full and equal access to relief and recovery resources. To ensure a whole of government perspective in developing the Plan, over the course 

of a year the White House National Security Staff assembled representatives from the Departments of 

State, Defense (DoD), Justice, Treasury, and Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Mission to the UN 

(USUN), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC), and the Office of the U.S Trade Representative (USTR) to initiate and coordinate 

commitments. 

These agencies each created internal working groups to provide input into the National Action Plan.

Agency working groups consulted with staff in Washington and collected information from both diplomatic and development missions at U.S. Embassies, as well as at DoD’s Unified Combatant Commands.

Importantly, U.S. representatives in the field engaged in consultations with women and women’s organizations, gender equality advocates, and government interlocutors to ensure that their perspectives 

and interests informed the Plan. Additionally, the interagency group conducted consultations with 

representatives of civil society in the United States and congressional staff to inform this document.

Based on these consultations, we have identified several priorities for advancing women’s equality and 

empowerment in peace and security. We are confident that the actions proposed in this document are 

high-impact, necessary, achievable, and informed by those charged with implementation on the ground.
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National Objectives and Action Framework

A directed by the Executive Order, the U.S. National Action Plan is targeted at meeting the following 

five high-level objectives:

• National Integration and Institutionalization: Through interagency coordination, policy 

development, enhanced professional training and education, and evaluation, the United States 

Government will institutionalize a gender-responsive approach to its diplomatic, development, 

and defense-related work in conflict-affected environments.

• Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-making: The United States Government will 

improve the prospects for inclusive, just, and sustainable peace by promoting and strengthening women’s rights and effective leadership and substantive participation in peace processes, 

conflict prevention, peacebuilding, transitional processes, and decision-making institutions in 

conflict-affected environments. 

• Protection from Violence: The United States Government will strengthen its efforts to prevent—and protect women and children from—harm, exploitation, discrimination, and abuse, 

including sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking in persons, and to hold perpetrators 

accountable in conflict-affected environments.

• Conflict Prevention: The United States Government will promote women’s roles in conflict 

prevention, improve conflict early-warning and response systems through the integration of 

gender perspectives, and invest in women and girls’ health, education, and economic opportunity to create conditions for stable societies and lasting peace.

• Access to Relief and Recovery: The United States Government will respond to the distinct 

needs of women and children in conflict-affected disasters and crises, including by providing 

safe, equitable access to humanitarian assistance. 

To guide our efforts, the Action Framework below details the outcomes we seek, as well as the coordinated, exemplary actions agencies plan to pursue in order to achieve our objectives, recognizing that 

agencies may implement additional actions as appropriate.

1. National Integration and Institutionalization

Through interagency coordination, policy development, enhanced professional training and education, 

and evaluation, the United States Government will institutionalize a gender-sensitive approach to its 

diplomatic, development, and defense-related work in conflict-affected environments.

Outcome 1.1: 

Agencies establish 

and improve policy 

frameworks to support achievements in 

gender equality and 

women’s empowerment throughout our 

diplomacy, development, and defense 

work.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Incorporate NAP objectives in strategic and operational planning, 

such as Bureau and Mission Strategic and Resource Plans (BSRPs and 

MSRPs) and Operational Plans, as appropriate. Disseminate guidance 

to all operating units on gender integration.

State, USAID

Establish comprehensive, revised Agency-level policy on gender 

integration and women’s empowerment by the end of 2011 through 

existing Gender Policy Task Team.

USAID

Incorporate NAP objectives into appropriate DoD strategic guidance 

and planning documents.DoD
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 13 ★

Outcome 1.2: 

Agencies enhance 

staff capacity for 

applying a gender‐

sensitive approach to 

diplomacy, development, and defense 

in conflict‐affected 

environments. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Ensure all relevant U.S. personnel and contractors receive appropriate 

training on Women, Peace, and Security issues, including instruction 

on the value of inclusive participation in conflict prevention, peace 

processes, and security initiatives, international human rights law and 

international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, prevention of 

SGBV, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), and combating trafficking in persons (TIP). Training mechanisms may include: 

Pre-deployment and in-theater training for members of the U.S. military and civilians, as well as Professional Military Education, including 

Commanders’ courses, and intermediate and senior service schools.

Introductory gender and C-TIP training for all USAID Foreign Service 

and Civil Service Officers, Personal Service Contractors, and Foreign 

Service Nationals and specialized training in gender analysis to personnel posting to conflict-affected countries or working on conflict 

issues.

Training for State foreign service and civil service personnel, including 

senior management, and envoys and mediation team members.

Training for CDC personnel working in conflict-affected countries to 

mainstream gender considerations into the design, implementation, 

and monitoring and evaluation of CDC research and programs.

State, USAID, DoD, 

CDC

Provide technical assistance to decision-makers in headquarters and 

in the field on how to develop gender-sensitive programs. 

State, USAID, 

CDC

Outcome 1.3: 

Agencies establish 

mechanisms to promote accountability 

for implementation 

of their respective 

gender-related policies in conflict‐affected 

environments.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Designate one or more officers, as appropriate, as responsible for 

coordination of implementation of the NAP.State, DoD, USAID

Establish an annual award to honor individuals or operating units 

performing exceptional and innovative work to address gender equality and female empowerment in conflict-affected environments, and 

to promote the principles embodied in UNSCR 1325.

 

State, USAID, USUN

Incorporate an assessment of gender integration into after action 

reviews (for USAID, those after action reviews pertaining to crisis 

response), and establish processes for addressing cases where gender 

issues are not being adequately considered in crisis response and 

conflict prevention environments.

State, USAID, CDC
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 14 ★

Outcome 2.1: 

More women are 

effectively engaged 

in peace negotiations, 

security initiatives, 

conflict prevention, 

peace-building-

-including formal and 

informal processes-

-and decision-making 

during all phases of 

conflict prevention 

and resolution, and 

transition.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

U.S. Government delegations serve as a model for the inclusion of 

women in talks and negotiations concerning conflict resolution, 

peacebuilding, and/or political transitions; and advocate for the 

integration of women and gender perspectives in processes in which 

the U.S. is involved.

State, USAID, 

USUN

Advocate for the inclusion of women in senior UN positions.State, USUN

Support the participation and leadership roles of women from all 

backgrounds, including minorities and women with disabilities, in 

peace negotiations, donor conferences, security sector reform efforts, 

transitional justice and accountability processes, and other related 

decision-making forums including those led by the UN and other international and regional organizations, and including capacity building 

for such actors as female candidates, female members of government, 

women in the security sector, and women in civil society.

State, USAID, 

USUN

Outcome 1.4: 

Agencies establish processes to evaluate and 

learn from activities 

undertaken in support 

of WPS initiatives.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Utilize innovations in foreign assistance coordination and tracking 

systems where appropriate, including gender cross-cutting indicators, 

sector-specific gender-sensitive indicators, and revised gender key 

issue definitions to support budgeting, operational planning, and 

performance management related to the NAP.

State, USAID, CDC

Develop and improve data collection mechanisms to track and report 

progress on WPS objectives, assess lessons learned, and identify best 

practices from existing programs.

DoD, USUN

Identify and share with U.S. Government agencies lessons learned and 

best practices from multilateral development banks’ experiences in 

post conflict and transitioning countries.

Treasury

2. Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-making

The United States Government will improve the prospects for inclusive, just, and sustainable peace by promoting and strengthening women’s rights and effective leadership and substantive participation in peace 

processes, conflict prevention, peacebuilding, 

transitional processes, and decision-making 

institutions in conflict-affected environments.

Rwandan women voting by secret ballot in districtlevel elections. In 2008, Rwanda became the first 

nation with women making up more than half of 

parliament—they secured 56.25% of seats.

Photo Credit: Institute for Inclusive Security
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 15 ★

Outcome 2.1:

Continued

More women are 

effectively engaged 

in peace negotiations, 

security initiatives, 

conflict prevention, 

peace-building-

-including formal and 

informal processes-

-and decision-making 

during all phases of 

conflict prevention 

and resolution, and 

transition.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Assist partner governments in improving the recruitment and retention of women, including minorities and other historically marginalized women, into government ministries and the incorporation of 

women’s perspectives into peace and security policy.

State, USAID, DoD

Provide assistance to support women’s political participation and 

leadership in fragile environments and during democratic transitions, 

including capacity building for such actors as female candidates, 

female members of government, women in the security sector, and 

women in civil society.

State, USAID, USUN

Provide common guidelines and training to assist partner nations to 

integrate women and their perspectives into their security sectors. State, DoD, USUN

Provide support for NGOs to track, analyze, and advocate on behalf 

of the engagement of women and women’s organizations in peace 

processes.

State, USAID

Expand emphasis on gender analysis and support to local organizations, including women’s peacebuilding organizations, in conflict 

mitigation and reconciliation programming.

State, USAID, USUN

Leverage the participation of female U.S. military personnel to 

encourage and model gender integration and reach out to female 

and male populations in partner nations.

State, DoD

Increase partner nation women’s participation in U.S. funded training 

programs for foreign police, judicial, and military personnel, including 

professional military education (PME), as well as exchange programs, 

conferences, and seminars.

State, DoD

Mobilize men as allies in support of women’s leadership and participation in security-related processes and decision-making.State, USAID, USUN

Outcome 2.2:

Laws, policies, and 

practices in partner 

states promote and 

strengthen gender 

equality at national 

and local levels. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Through high level diplomacy and technical assistance, encourage 

nations to develop laws that promote and protect women’s rights, 

including through the criminalization of violence against women and 

girls and adoption of effective procedural laws, as well as through 

laws and policies that advance women’s participation in parliaments, 

the judicial sector, and other political, peace, and/or security decisionmaking bodies, including those calling for affirmative measures, 

where appropriate. 

State, USAID, 

Justice
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 16 ★

3. Protection from Violence

The United States Government will strengthen its efforts to prevent—and protect women and children 

from—harm, exploitation, discrimination, and abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence and 

trafficking in persons, and to hold perpetrators accountable in conflict- affected environments.

Outcome 2.2:

Continued

Laws, policies, and 

practices in partner 

states promote and 

strengthen gender 

equality at national 

and local levels. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Provide diplomatic, development, and technical assistance to build 

the capacity of legislative, judicial, and law enforcement actors to 

develop, implement, and enforce laws that promote and protect 

women’s rights; and civil society to advocate for the development and 

implementation of such laws. 

State, USAID, 

Justice

Assist partner nations in building the capacity of their Defense 

Ministries to develop, implement, and enforce policies and military 

justice systems that promote and protect women’s rights.

DoD

Outcome 3.1: 

Risks of SGBV 

in crisis and 

conflict‐affected 

environments are 

decreased through 

the increased capacity of individuals, 

communities, and 

protection actors to 

address the threats 

and vulnerability 

associated with 

SGBV.

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Work to improve the capacity of the UN system and key protection 

and humanitarian actors, including members of the Humanitarian 

Cluster system, to prevent and respond to SGBV in conflict affected 

and crisis settings, to include development and implementation of 

training, guidance, and other operational tools; and promote better 

coordination and sharing of information across UN country teams in 

order to develop and implement holistic strategies on SGBV.

State, USAID, CDC, 

USUN

Advocate for UN peacekeeping missions to have strong mandates 

on protection of civilians (POC), including on sexual and genderbased violence (SGBV), and provide diplomatic support for initiatives 

in the UN General Assembly Special Committee on Peacekeeping 

Operations (C-34) and budget committees to build the capacity and 

provide operational tools for POC and prevention of SGBV.

State, USUN

Incorporate modules on protection, rights, and specific needs of 

women in conflict into training provided to partner militaries and 

security personnel. 

DoD

Require USG humanitarian assistance implementing partners to 

have Codes of Conduct consistent with the Inter-Agency Standing 

Committee’s (IASC) core principles on protection of beneficiaries 

from sexual exploitation and abuse, and monitor and promote 

partner compliance.

State, USAID

Support education and awareness initiatives for U.S. Government 

civilian contractors and aid workers on the prevention of sexual 

exploitation and abuse in crisis and conflict-affected environments.

State, USAID, DoD
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 17 ★

Strengthening Women’s Participation in Security Forces and Peacekeeping Operations

The United States seeks to increase women’s participation in security forces in order to prevent conflict and 

build peace in areas affected by war, violence, and insecurity. For example, as part of its global peacekeeping capacity building mission, the Department of State funds, and both State and DOD implement the 

Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), which has facilitated the training of 2,451 female peacekeepers 

worldwide—84 percent of whom are from African countries.  This initiative has focused on Women, Peace 

and Security education activities by supporting instruction on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse 

(SEA), prevention of SGBV, and human rights training in its 59 partner countries and in most of the 43 GPOI 

peace support operations training centers around the world. Beginning in 2011, GPOI has supported the 

pre-deployment training of Peruvian women peacekeepers focused on Women, Peace, and Security issues 

in support of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). 

In Afghanistan, the Department of Defense is working to increase women’s participation in the security 

sector. U.S. service men and women work side by side to model the successful integration of women into 

the armed forces, and U.S. and Afghan officers provide instruction, mentoring, and support to female soldiers in the Afghan National Army. In addition, through the Ministry of Defense Advisor’s (MoDA) Program, 

Department of Defense civilian personnel are working with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry 

of the Interior to increase the number of women in the Afghan National Army and Police. The first class 

of female Afghan soldiers graduated from the Afghan National Army’s Female Officer Candidate School in 

September 2010. In 2012, 10 percent of the Afghan military academy’s class will be women, and by 2014 

Afghanistan expects to field 5,000 women Afghan National Police officers. 

Outcome 3.1: 

Continued

Risks of SGBV in crisis 

and conflict‐affected 

environments are 

decreased through the 

increased capacity of 

individuals, communities, and protection 

actors to address the 

threats and vulnerability associated with 

SGBV.

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Support research, programming and learning on the use of technology with 

the potential to improve the safety of women and girls in conflict settings 

(e.g. solar lighting, solar or methane-conversion cook stoves, provision of 

cell phones as part of an early warning system, and mobile justice mechanisms), consistent with available best practices and international guidelines. 

State, USAID, 

USUN

Provide support for a range of appropriate services and tools to assist and 

empower vulnerable women and girls, including medical services, psychosocial services, and legal services, as well as opportunities for livelihood 

training, education, and rest and recreation (e.g. athletics, art, and play); promote equitable access to these services for women and girls with disabilities 

State, USAID

Issue updated public guidance for U.S. Government partners on addressing 

SGBV in humanitarian assistance programming, including proposal guidance for SGBV prevention and response programming in disaster situations. USAID

Collaborate with U.S. personnel abroad, embassy staff, and non-governmental and governmental international partners, as appropriate, to combat 

exploitation and violence against women and girls by sharing training 

resources, public awareness tools, and victim referral assistance.

DHS

Develop an evidence base for context-specific risk factors for SGBV using 

robust, scientific, qualitative and quantitative methods; and translate 

research findings into programs and policies.

CDC

Evaluate the impact of programs and policies to prevent and respond 

to SGBV to ensure that available resources are being implemented as 

efficiently and effectively as possible.

CDC
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 18 ★

Outcome 3.2:

Laws, policies, and reconciliation, transitional 

justice, and accountability mechanisms 

designed to combat 

exploitation, abuse, 

discrimination, and 

violence against 

women and girls are 

developed and implemented at national and 

locals. 

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Support the development of effective accountability and transitional justice 

mechanisms that address crimes committed against women and girls and 

reduce impunity.

State, USAID, 

DoD, Justice

Support through diplomatic efforts and development and technical 

assistance the creation of effective measures to investigate SGBV promptly, 

effectively, independently, and impartially; and to bring those responsible 

for SGBV to justice. Support the establishment of mechanisms for survivors 

and witnesses of SGBV so that they can make complaints safely and confidentially, and build capacity so that there can be appropriate follow-up to 

these complaints. Where appropriate, support compensation or reparations 

for survivors and their families.

State, USAID, 

Justice

Use public diplomacy and outreach capabilities to help ensure that survivors of SGBV understand the accountability options available to them and 

to disseminate the message that perpetrators of SGBV are held accountable 

and that impunity will not be tolerated.

State

Assist multilateral and international organizations in developing appropriate mechanisms for sexual assault prevention, response, and accountability, 

and combating sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) among their own 

personnel. Establish standard operating procedures for USG to follow up on 

cases of SEA by international personnel to ensure accountability.

State, DoD, 

USAID

Collaborate with foreign law enforcement counterparts, as appropriate, in 

joint efforts to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations 

engaged in human smuggling and trafficking, including but not limited to 

forced child labor, and engaged in other forms of exploitation and abuse of 

women and children.

DHS, Justice

Outcome 3.3:

Interventions are 

improved to prevent 

trafficking in persons 

and protect trafficking 

survivors in conflict 

and crisis‐affected 

areas.

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Engage with international and/or civil society organizations to ensure that 

standard operating procedures are in place to prevent human trafficking, 

especially among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including appropriate assistance and procedures for unaccompanied minors, to 

identify potential trafficked persons, and to refer survivors to appropriate 

service providers. As appropriate, provide support to international and 

civil society organizations to set up emergency care services for trafficking 

survivors.

State, Justice

Advocate for the inclusion of language in UN peacekeeping operations 

mandates directing a responsibility to report on trafficking, as appropriate.State, USUN
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 19 ★

Outcome 3.3:

Continued

Interventions are 

improved to prevent 

trafficking in persons 

and protect trafficking 

survivors in conflict 

and crisis‐affected 

areas.

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Engage with international and/or civil society organizations to ensure that 

standard operating procedures are in place to prevent human trafficking, 

especially among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including appropriate assistance and procedures for unaccompanied minors, to 

identify potential trafficked persons, and to refer survivors to appropriate 

service providers. As appropriate, provide support to international and 

civil society organizations to set up emergency care services for trafficking 

survivors.

State, Justice

Advocate for the inclusion of language in UN peacekeeping operations 

mandates directing a responsibility to report on trafficking, as appropriate.State, USUN

Promote establishment of local coalitions or taskforces comprised of 

relevant government authorities and civil society organizations to combat 

human trafficking as part of the justice reform measures in post-conflict 

areas.

State, USAID

Implement the USAID Counter Trafficking Code of Conduct holding 

personnel, contractors, sub-contractors, and grantees to the highest 

ethical standards with regard to trafficking, and develop a new Trafficking 

in Persons Policy with a focus on increasing anti-trafficking initiatives in 

conflict-affected areas. 

USAID

Implement agency-wide training to educate staff on ethical standards 

related to the USAID Counter Trafficking Code of Conduct and provide technical assistance to personnel to design, implement, monitor and evaluate 

effective anti-trafficking interventions, including in conflict-affected areas.

USAID

Maintain a zero tolerance policy with regard to trafficking in persons for U.S.

military and civilian personnel.DoD

Advance collaborative efforts to prevent trafficking in persons by sharing training and public awareness resources with U.S. personnel abroad, 

embassy staff and other international partners, and by additionally sharing 

investigative resources with foreign law enforcement counterparts as 

appropriate.

DHS

Coordinate implementation of the anti-trafficking-related items of the NAP 

with the ongoing work of the U.S. Presidential Interagency Task Force to 

Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Senior Policy Operating 

Group on Trafficking in Persons.

State, DOD, 

Justice, DHS, 

USAID

Outcome 3.4:

Men and boys are 

themselves better 

protected from SGBV, 

and are mobilized as 

partners in the prevention of SGBV and other 

risks of harm, exploitation, and abuse in their 

communities. 

Actions

Implementing 

Agency or 

Department

Provide support for advocacy campaigns and programs designed to reduce 

family and community level violence.State, USAID

Increase attention to the needs of male survivors in SGBV prevention and 

response programs.State, USAID

Develop programs that address harmful norms and practices contributing 

to SGBV and other forms of exploitation and abuse, through the engagement of a broad range of potential allies, including religious and tribal 

leaders, youth, the business community, and men and boys.

State, USAID
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 20 ★

4. Conflict Prevention

The United States Government will promote women’s roles in conflict prevention, improve conflict earlywarning and response systems through the integration of gender perspectives, and invest in women 

and girls’ health, education, and economic 

opportunity to create conditions for stable 

societies and lasting peace.

Outcome 4.1:

Conflict early warning 

and response systems 

include gender‐specific data and are 

responsive to SGBV, 

and women participate in early warning, 

preparedness, and 

response initiatives. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Integrate protocols and support opportunities to share best practices 

for gender analysis in conflict mapping and reporting, including for 

mass atrocity prevention and stabilization funding. Review conflict 

early warning systems and conflict assessment methodologies, including the Interagency Conflict Assessment Framework, to assess and 

strengthen the integration of gender in these tools. 

State, USAID, DoD

Ensure the inclusion of a broad range of perspectives from women and 

youth to inform policy, strategy and programming decisions.State, USUN

Share and utilize relevant data from the Women’s Agriculture 

Empowerment Index and the Demographic and Health Survey in support of conflict prevention, early warning, and response activities. USAID

Actively engage women in planning and implementing disaster and 

emergency preparedness and risk reduction activities, including 

regarding how police can better interact with women in their role as 

first responders. 

USAID, DoD

Provide diplomatic and development support for community-based 

early warning and response activities, such as empowering local communities to develop strategies to prevent and respond to outbreaks or 

escalations of violence and conflict.

State, USAID, CDC

Provide diplomatic and development support for women’s coalitions 

working to mitigate conflict and related activity, helping to ensure 

active participation by minorities and other particularly marginalized 

women.

State, USAID

Identify and share relevant multilateral development bank databases, 

such as the World Bank’s Gender Stats, a one-stop source of information on gender at the country level, drawn from national statistics 

agencies, UN databases, World Bank surveys, and other sources.

Treasury

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Sarah B. Furrel teaches 

Afghan girls to count numbers at a 

school in Now Zad, Afghanistan.

Photo Credit: Cpl. Albert F. Hunt/U.S. Marine Corps
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 21 ★

5. Access to Relief and Recovery

The United States Government will respond to the distinct needs of women and children in conflictaffected disasters and crises, including by providing safe, equitable access to humanitarian assistance.

Outcome 4.2:

 Women and girls 

participate in economic 

recovery, and have 

increased access to 

health care and education services.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Provide diplomatic and development support to advance women’s 

economic empowerment, including through cash for work programs, 

increased access to land, credit, and other enterprise support activities.

State, USAID

Promote access to primary, secondary and vocational education for 

children and youth in countries affected by violence or conflict, with 

special incentives for the attendance and retention of girls, taking into 

account related special protection needs.

State, USAID

Support women’s and girls’ increased access to health services, including reproductive and maternal health care. State, USAID, CDC

Advocate for the operationalization within the multilateral development banks of the relevant information from the 2011 and 2012 World 

Development Reports on the role women can play both in preventing 

conflict and in promoting stability in post-conflict situations.

Treasury

Create and strengthen private sector activities and new market opportunities through U.S. trade and investment programs, such as preference programs and Trade and Investment Framework Agreements, to 

assist women entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

USTR

A flood-affected family receives USAID relief 

commodities in Luzon Province, Philippines.

Photo credit: Ben Hemmingway/USAID

Outcome 5.1:

Gender and protection issues are 

explicitly and systematically integrated and 

evaluated as part of 

responses to crisis and 

disaster.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Promote women’s, men’s, and children’s equal access to aid distribution mechanisms and services, including establishing or strengthening protocols for the safe and equitable delivery of humanitarian 

assistance.

State, USAID

Support capacity building for local and international NGOs and 

multilateral organizations involved in disaster and crisis response to 

address the specific protection needs of women and girls, including 

preventing and responding to SGBV.

State, USAID, CDC
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 22 ★

Outcome 5.1:

Continued

Gender and protection issues are 

explicitly and systematically integrated and 

evaluated as part of 

responses to crisis and 

disaster.

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Support access to reproductive health in emergencies and humanitarian settings.State, USAID, CDC

Promote access to education in emergencies consistent with international guidelines and best practices.State, USAID

Support measures for the social and economic empowerment of 

women as part of crisis and disaster response, including support for 

livelihood activities.

State, USAID

Ensure that U.S. Government crisis response and recovery teams have 

access to appropriate gender expertise, such as a designated gender 

advisor, to integrate gender considerations in U.S. Governmentsupported relief and recovery efforts.

State, USAID

Ensure that USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members deployed to crisis situations have been trained on the protection 

of women and girls in humanitarian operations.

USAID

Advocate that multilateral development banks’ post-conflict assessments, country assistance strategies, and operational programs in 

countries prone to or emerging from conflict reflect sound gender 

analysis and address the specific needs of women and girls.

Treasury

Outcome 5.2:

Relief and recovery 

assistance includes 

enhanced measures to 

prevent and respond 

to SGBV in conflict 

and post-conflict 

environments. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Provide support for survivors of conflict, torture, and sexual violence, 

to include persons with disabilities, their families, and communities, 

through direct services, including trauma-informed services and 

sexual and reproductive healthcare.

State, USAID, CDC

Encourage international organization and NGO partners to provide 

gender and SGBV training to staff members on existing international 

guidelines, such as the IASC Guidelines on GBV in Humanitarian 

Settings, the Sphere Project, and Standards Recommended by the 

IASC Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 

(PSEA) in Humanitarian Crises.

State, USAID, CDC

Make available to the public information and analysis on U.S.

Government-supported gender-based violence programming in 

disaster contexts, post-conflict situations, and political transitions in 

order to promote learning and dissemination of best practices.

USAID

Provide humanitarian protection through the administration of 

immigration benefits programs and other immigration mechanisms, 

as appropriate, to eligible individuals, including women and girls, in 

need of relief from persecution or urgent circumstances.

DHS

Outcome 5.3: 

Reintegration and 

early recovery 

programs address the 

distinct needs of men 

and women. 

Actions

Implementing 

Department or 

Agency

Support return and reintegration programs for refugees and internally 

displaced persons (IDPs) that address the needs of female returnees.State, USAID

Support demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) programs, including sustainable livelihood alternatives, that address the 

distinct needs of male and female ex-combatants and those associated with armed forces in other capacities. 

State, DoD, USUN, 

USAID
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 23 ★

Coordination, Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting

The goals set forth in this National Action Plan are the beginning, rather than the end, of effecting real 

and meaningful change. As directed by the Executive Order, within 150 days, State, DoD, and USAID 

will designate one or more officer or officers, as appropriate, as responsible for coordination and implementation, and will supplement this Plan by submitting to the Assistant to the President and National 

Security Advisor agency-specific Women, Peace, and Security implementation plans. These implementation plans will establish a full range of time-bound, measurable, and resourced actions State, DoD, and 

USAID will take to realize their commitments, and will include meaningful strategies for monitoring 

implementation and evaluating results. 

To ensure all agencies involved in this effort act in close coordination as they work to implement the 

National Action Plan and, where appropriate, develop and execute their own agency-specific plans, 

the White House National Security Staff (NSS) will establish and chair an Interagency Policy Committee 

dedicated to Women, Peace, and Security (WPS IPC). The WPS IPC will monitor and review actions taken 

in support of U.S. national objectives, and will integrate the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in relevant national-level policies and strategies. For additional agencies with actions listed under this Plan, as 

well as for those agencies that may participate in future interagency discussions on Women, Peace, and 

Security, the WPS IPC will establish a mechanism to report progress. For countries of particular concern 

or countries that represent a unique opportunity, the IPC may coordinate government-wide country 

plans or provide a coordination function as individual agencies elect to develop country-level plans.

The WPS IPC will also establish a mechanism for regular consultation with civil society representatives 

on the status of the National Action Plan’s implementation. Participating agencies with a field presence 

will be encouraged to establish or maintain similar mechanisms to promote regular consultation with 

women and civil society organizations in relevant countries and regions. 

Working through the WPS IPC, agencies will report annually to the National Security Council Deputies 

Committee on progress made toward achieving the commitments contained in the National Action 

Plan and agency-level implementation plans, which the Assistant to the President and National Security 

Advisor shall draw upon to provide an annual report to the President. Progress in implementing the 

objectives of the National Action Plan will be monitored and evaluated against specific indicators, to 

be identified at the direction of the WPS IPC.

This work will build upon ongoing initiatives across the U.S. Government to ensure transparency, 

accountability, and effectiveness in our investments in diplomacy, development, and defense. We will 

analyze the success of our own staff training, enhance our efforts to collect sex-disaggregated data in 

conflict-affected areas, and establish metrics to identify where women’s participation is increasing and 

their protection is enhanced. All of these efforts will be informed by the work of multilateral partners, 

including UN agencies, and other countries, as we work to develop rigorous monitoring and evaluation 

tools to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. The Administration looks forward to working 

with Congress to ensure support for initiatives under this Plan. 

Finally, in 2015, the National Security Staff will coordinate a comprehensive review of, and update to, 

this National Action Plan, which will be informed, in part, by consultation with international partners 

and relevant civil society organizations. 
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

★ 24 ★

Partnerships and Collaboration

The goals set forward in this Plan can only be realized through partnership and collaboration with other 

governments, international organizations, and civil society actors, as well as innovative partnership 

with the private sector. Central among these partners are the women and organizations throughout 

the world working every day to build sustainable peace and security and to champion women as vital, 

equal partners. Together, we can coordinate and leverage resources, learn from the successes and challenges of others, and design and implement inclusive assistance programs that build local capacity and 

promote sustainable outcomes. 

Through our bilateral diplomacy, development assistance, and security cooperation in countries affected 

by crisis and conflict, we will support existing national government efforts to protect and empower 

women as agents of peace and security, and advocate for greater inclusion and efforts in cases where 

the voices of women need to be amplified and supported. 

We will partner with other countries, both donors and those with specific experience dealing with the 

challenges of conflict, to amplify our bilateral assistance and advocacy efforts and ensure their efficient 

coordination. These partnerships will reflect the sound principles set forth in the Paris Declaration on 

Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action, and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development 

Cooperation, which underscore the importance of country ownership, donor coordination, inclusive 

partnerships, harmonization, alignment, results, and mutual accountability.

Promoting Women’s Leadership in Countries in Transition

Today, millions of people living in the Middle East and North Africa are facing unprecedented opportunities to build more inclusive, democratic societies. The Department of State and USAID are working to 

ensure that women will be full partners in these journeys.

For example, in advance of Tunisia’s elections in October 2011, the United States helped local organizations train candidates, including women, educate voters and enhance voter participation, and raise public 

awareness of equal rights for all, including women and minorities, through mass media. In Egypt, we are 

working to enhance women’s political, economic, and social status through capacity building for women 

political leaders, scholarships for girls, and microfinance initiatives in rural areas. In Libya, we are engaging 

with our international and Libyan partners to ensure that women play an equal role in rebuilding their 

country’s government and civil society institutions.

In Iraq, the U.S. will continue partnering with the people of Iraq to bring women to the forefront of efforts 

to advance peace and security, promote economic growth, and ensure democratic governance. We will 

target more than $17.3 million to advance women’s civil, political, economic, cultural, and social rights 

through efforts such as the Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative. Successful transitions to stable and 

prosperous democracies in the Middle East will hinge on strong protections for women’s rights and the 

inclusion of women’s voices. The U.S. is committed to working with the women of the region to ensure the 

successful transformation of their countries into vital and vibrant democracies.
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

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Through our multilateral engagement, we will endeavor to ensure that the work of the United Nations 

and other international, regional, and sub-regional organizations upholds the principle that women 

must have an equal voice in addressing challenges to peace and security. When these institutions 

are themselves engaged as actors in conflict- and 

post-conflict situations, we will, as appropriate, 

assist and cooperate with them to help ensure that 

development, humanitarian assistance, and peace 

and security operations integrate a strong gender 

perspective and effectively serve the interests of 

women and girls. And we will continue to support 

the efforts of UN Women on this front.

In all our efforts, we will seek collaborative partnerships with non-governmental organizations active 

at the national, regional, and international levels, 

as well as the private sector. We will work with academic and other research institutions and practitioners to understand and expand the information 

available on the role of women in all aspects of peace and security, so that policy-makers across the 

government can reach more informed decisions on issues of peace and security, how best to invest our 

resources, and where to direct our efforts. 

Finally we expect civil society, which informed the development of this Plan, to hold us accountable to 

these commitments, to help us learn from activities and approaches implemented under the Plan, and 

to contribute to future revisions of the Plan.

A young woman works on a skirt as part of a USAIDfunded project south of Juba, Republic of South Sudan. 

Photo credit: Laura Meissner/USAID 
United States Nati onal Acti on Plan on Women, Peace, and Secur ity 

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Call to Action 

War is a regular and recurring 

feature of the human experience.

In many instances, conflicts have 

recurred or been prolonged in 

significant part because women—

those who suffered the worst of 

the violence and bore the burden 

of reconstruction—were excluded 

from the negotiating table and 

the benefits of peace.

Today, at the beginning of the 21st

century, we must take the simple 

and long overdue steps necessary 

to help stop cycles of armed conflict. Women can and must ensure 

their voices, experiences, and needs play an equal role in promoting peace and security efforts around 

the world. We can help them do this by strengthening protections for women from violence during and 

after war; and ensuring their participation in peace negotiations and relief and recovery efforts. And 

we must take proactive efforts to build women’s capacities to prevent war and promote stability—by 

providing girls and women access to tools such as education, economic opportunity, and health care. 

The United States is committed to ensuring that this National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security 

does not begin and end merely as words on paper. Today we dedicate ourselves to bringing the ideas 

and goals expressed in this document to life in our work around the world, and commit the United States 

to the essential effort of empowerment and sustained, equitable peace for all.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on 

Women, Peace, and Security, the UN organized dialogues in 25 post-conflict 

countries between womenís peacebuilding organizations, women community 

leaders, and senior UN leadership. Photo credit: Institute for Inclusive Security