Attachments
Overview
National actors working in small arms control and on women, peace, and security (WPS) share commitments to reduce suffering, maintain peace and security, and contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This Briefing Paper finds that while cross-references between WPS and small arms control are increasingly commonplace in the international policy framework, this often does not translate into harmonized references in the national action plans (NAPs) on WPS and small arms control.
In addition, many NAPs refer either to women’s meaningful participation in small arms control or to the need to consider the gendered impacts of armed violence. This paper, however, finds that gender-responsive small arms control involves addressing both aspects. It therefore identifies potential avenues for future work that may improve the harmonization of efforts related to WPS and small arms control, as well as the effectiveness of both policy areas in achieving their objectives.
Key findings
Better aligning WPS and small arms control NAPs with wider policy objectives—such as those related to sustainable development—would reduce the risk of donor-driven or incoherent implementation activities.
Ensuring that NAPs are developed in an inclusive way— reflecting the needs of women, men, girls, and boys— would help to ensure national ownership and buy-in.
Achieving the meaningful participation of women and men, including youth, involves addressing working environments in policymaking processes and national institutions to ensure that they support diversity and inclusion.
Ensuring that expertise on small arms feeds into policy processes related to all four pillars of the WPS Agenda and vice versa could improve policy effectiveness by addressing both technical and social components in implementation activities.
Identifying existing good practices, especially at the local level, related to gender-responsive small arms control that would warrant further support, funding, and potentially scaling up or replication could support WPSrelated objectives.