Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA

Women, peace and security

Switzerland advocates for women to play an active role in conflict prevention and peace processes, in reconstruction efforts and in post-conflict reconciliation. At the same time, women should be better protected – especially from sexual violence. Switzerland reaffirms this commitment in its national action plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

A group photo of women and men with their arms crossed as a symbol against rape.
Group photo at the workshop on conflict-related sexual violence. The crossed arms stand as a symbol against rape. (Stop Rape). © IPSTC Nairobi

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its follow-up resolutions require UN member states to draw up national action plans to implement the resolution. Switzerland's National Action Plan 2018–22, the fourth of its kind, has five thematic priorities:

  1. Effective involvement of women in conflict prevention

  2. Women's participation in and influence on conflict resolution and peace processes

  3. Protection against sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, refugee and migration contexts

  4. Women's participation in peace missions and security policy

  5. Multi- and bilateral commitment to UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security

Switzerland's National Action Plan to Implement UN Resolution 1325

Two reports have been published to illustrate and assess how Switzerland’s fourth National Action Plan "Women, Peace and Security" implements UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The most recent one covers the entire duration of the Action Plan (2018-2022) and is based on a Peer Review with Germany. The first report illustrates the implementation period between October 2018 and the end of 2019.

Report on the Peer Review of Switzerland’s fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325) (PDF, 24 Pages, 675.4 kB, English)

Other languages

Report on Implementation of Switzerland's fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325). Implementation Phase 2018-2019. (PDF, 20 Pages, 319.0 kB, English)

Measures and implementation are reviewed annually and the results are included in the report of the UN Secretary-General.

What the FDFA is doing

The FDFA supports projects and organisations which draw on Resolution 1325 for their work on the ground for peace and security and for international cooperation.

 

Peace circles in Mali

Since 2015, Switzerland has supported the Peace Circles project in Mali run by the organisation 'Women in Law and Development in Africa' (WILDAF). The aim of the project is to encourage and enable women to play an active role in the country's peace and reconciliation process, after many years of armed conflict. 

The project started out by setting up 'peace circles', where women from all over the country – irrespective of status, origin, religion or politics – come together to discuss the future of Mali. They also receive training in mediation and reconciliation, for which they earn a recognised certificate. 

The women are now also involved in spreading awareness and understanding of the peace agreement among the general public. As part of their work, they go out and visit communities throughout the country and explain the content of the agreement. They discuss it with the communities using a summarised version that has been translated into several of Mali's languages. Here they make direct use of the knowledge acquired in the project to work towards national reconciliation and social cohesion.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

Resolution 1325 makes it binding under international law for women to be involved at all levels in conflict prevention, peace processes, security policy and state reconstruction in an appropriate, equal manner. The UN and its member states are also obliged to give special protection to women during and after conflicts against sexual and gender-based violence, and to take preventive measures.

They must take measures

  • to increase the participation of women in peacebuilding.

  • to protect the rights of women and girls in and after conflicts and to prevent gender-specific violence.

  • to take greater account of the gender perspective in emergency aid, in reconstruction both during and in the aftermath of armed conflicts, in conflict prevention, and in dealing with the past.

At the same time, UN member states are urged to take into account the different living conditions of women and men in war and post-war situations, in civil crisis prevention and in state reconstruction. The UN Security Council recognised for the first time at the end of October 2000 that women experience war and peace differently from men. 

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000

Links

Documents

Last update 13.12.2022

Contact

Peace and Human Rights Division

Bundesgasse 32
3003 Bern

Phone

+41 (0)58 462 30 50

Fax

+41 (0)58 463 89 22

sts.afm@eda.admin.ch

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