On May 14, 2024, the International Gender Champions (IGC) Impact Group on Women, Peace and Security, in partnership with UN Women-Geneva and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations in Geneva, hosted a briefing in support of the implementation of the WPS-HA Compact and to identify priority areas for action ahead of the Summit of the Future and the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325. The hybrid event took place at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and brought together Gender Champions and Compact Signatories from around the world, heads of international and civil society organizations, as well as Permanent Missions to the UN.
The IGC and the WPS-HA Compact have joined forces to address the impacts of conflict and crisis on women and girls globally. In line with the Compact’s objective of increasing coordination and evidence-guided strategies for sustainable peace across existing mechanisms, the partnership is a strong example of multistakeholder collaboration between WPS networks in New York, Geneva, Vienna, and the Hague.
Ambassador Greminger, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and co-chair of the WPS Impact Group provided welcome remarks where he highlighted the importance of the new impact group and how it supports the implementation of the WPS-HA Compact. “Action and implementation start with each of us…it does not fall neatly into categories, however, there are many ways we are committed to integrating the Compact into our work,” he said.
Adriana Quiñones, head of human rights and development and deputy head at UN Women’s Geneva office highlighted that “there’s been huge progress in terms of legislation, NAPs, and the understanding of the situation of women, but there are still limited resources to finance gender equality to meet all the Sustainable Development Goals”.
The WPS-HA Compact lead, Harriette Williams Bright, highlighted that the Compact was launched to address the gaps for conflict-affected women and girls by improving accountability, financing, and awareness of the WPS agenda and gender-responsive humanitarian action. She also added that there is a need to strengthen coordination and networks and that the partnership with the IGC’s WPS Impact Group will play a pivotal role in advocating for a more transformational implementation of the WPS agenda across continents and regional hubs.
Signe Guro Gilen, Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-chair of the WPS-HA Compact board highlighted the widespread proliferation of conflict around the world and the urgent need to invest in WPS. “Without peace and stability, there is no development, and without peace and stability the need for humanitarian aid will only increase.” She also highlighted the multistakeholder nature of the Compact and how it can be used to both amplify the work of each signatory and serve as an effective platform for networking and joint action.
Clara Cabrera Brasero, Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva highlighted the concrete and results-driven nature of the Compact. “Resolutions and NAPs [National Action Plans] are very useful, but what the Compact gives us is a road map on the humanitarian path specifically…it’s useful if we want to invest in women locally and gives us the key on where to invest and how to invest.” She also added that Spain has found a lot of value in the Compact’s intergenerational approach, which has inspired the inclusion of youth engagement in the development of their next NAP.
Mavic Cabrera Balleza, the founder and CEO of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and co-chair of the Compact board also shared the Compact’s recommendations for the Summit of the Future, including the need to be even bolder and more ambitious when it comes to advancing the WPS agenda and gender-responsive humanitarian action. She also highlighted that the Pact for the Future must be action-oriented and not only represent commitments but also a plan for how those commitments will be translated into action. The Pact should mainstream gender in all chapters and highlight the role of conflict prevention and the centrality of women’s leadership in peace and security.
Madeleine Rees, secretary general of WILPF and co-chair of the IGC WPS Impact Group, provided closing remarks where she highlighted the need to address the patriarchal system that is stopping us from realizing all our goals around the WPS agenda. She also highlighted the goals of the impact group to shift the narrative around the agenda and “make WPS a core of what we do and how far we can get.”
To further increase coordination and collaboration between the WPS-HA Compact and other organizations working to advance the WPS agenda, we encourage you to become a Signatory and to join the Compact. Learn more here.