The resolve of Allies and partners to take forward the principles outlined in the UNSCRs on WPS and to apply them in a NATO context led to the first formal NATO/EAPC Policy on Women, Peace and Security in December 2007. It focused on how gender perspectives apply in operational contexts. A first Action Plan to support the implementation of this Policy was endorsed at the Lisbon Summit in 2010 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of UNSCR 1325. The Policy has been updated several times, most recently in 2018, with new plans to guide the implementation of each revision. The updates account for changes in the security environment as well as the continued evolution of NATO’s understanding of how best to integrate gender perspectives across all of its work. The NATO 2021-2025 Action Plan on WPS was endorsed by Defence Ministers in October 2021.
NATO recognises the disproportionate impact that conflict has on women and girls, the vital roles women play in peace and security, and the importance of incorporating gender perspectives in all that the Alliance does. Three principles guide NATO’s work on WPS: integration, inclusiveness and integrity.