CANADA
Canada’s first WPS National Action Plan covered the period 2011-2016 and the second covered 2017-2022. The latest National Action Plan was adopted in 2023 to run through 2029.
Objectives of the 2023 – 2029 NAP
Canada’s NAP outlines six focus areas chosen due to their potentially transformative impacts:
1) Building and sustaining peace: focuses on increasing support for women and gender-diverse peacebuilders and human rights defenders, women’s rights organisations and feminist movements to carry out their work
2) Security, justice and accountability: focuses on improving security, justice and accountability for all – particularly women, girls and gender-diverse people – in Canada and abroad
3) Crisis response: focuses on ensuring that the needs of women, girls and gender-diverse people are addressed in the Government of Canada’s responses to peace and security-focused crises in Canada and abroad
4) Sexual and gender-based violence: focuses on reducing sexual and gender-based violence – including online – in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian contexts, and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable
5) Leadership and capabilities: focuses on strengthening the capabilities of the Government of Canada and its partners to fully implement the action plan and ensuring Canada is a recognised leader and trusted partner in advancing the WPS agenda
6) Inclusion: focuses on meaningfully integrating diverse, intersectional and anti-racist perspectives throughout all of the Government of Canada’s efforts on women, peace and security.
Commentary
Canada has been a strong advocate for the WPS agenda, both nationally and internationally, ever since its inception.
The development of the third NAP was informed by lessons learned from Canada’s first and second action plans. These include bridging the gap between domestic and international implementation of the WPS agenda, developing an intersectional feminist approach and strengthening partnerships with civil society and Indigenous Peoples.
The action plan acknowledges that the gender equality challenges present in Canada, particularly related to Indigenous women, make it essential to be more diligent, coordinated, strategic and transformative in implementing the women, peace and security agenda.
Civil society involvement in development of the NAP
Canada recognises the crucial role that civil society and external stakeholders play in the development of their NAP and is one of the only countries to have created an official role for civil society to advise on the implementation of its NAP.
Civil society is engaged through the National Action Plan advisory group, co-chaired with the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada. They uphold a commitment to continue to diversify and increase their engagement with civil society representatives and Indigenous Peoples.
The plan also outlines the creation of a coordination hub to be established at Global Affairs Canada, which will facilitate communication across partners and with external stakeholders, strengthen implementation, increase efficiencies, and support timely and effective monitoring, evaluation and learning.
UN peacekeeping statistics
Statistics published by UN Peacekeeping for March 2024, show that just less than 30% of uniformed personnel deployed by Canada to UN missions are women:
Women’s role in peacekeeping
Canada is a major founder and funder of the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations which aims to “support and incentivise efforts to increase the meaningful participation of uniformed women in United Nations peace operations”.
Canada is also the first country to have a WPS Ambassador, Jacqueline O’Neill, who has developed a strategic framework for WPS. This is a post that SecurityWomen has advocated for in the past, including calling on the UK to have such a post.
The plan addresses the need to foster an organisational culture within the Canadian Armed Forces that supports the recruitment, retention and career progression of women.
The action plan also recognises that to build and sustain peace, Canada must not only advocate for the meaningful participation of women in peace and security efforts but must also make sure that there is suitable funding and that the security threats that may prevent women from participating are eliminated.
References and Sources
National Action Plan of Canada 2023-2029, English translation available at: *2023-2029-foundation-peace-fondation-paix-en.pdf (international.gc.ca)
The Elsie Initiative: https://elsiefund.org/
Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country and Personnel Type (as of 31/03/2024) is available at: 05-Missions Detailed By Country
Strategic Framework - Canada's Ambassador for Women Peace and Security (May 2022): Strategic framework - Canada's Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security (international.gc.ca)
