Netherland's 4th National Action Plan

2021-2025

Introduction

This is the fourth NAP from the Netherlands spanning the next four years. It was drafted in conjunction with Ministry departments, police forces and over 60 civil society organisations. The Netherlands have dedicated WPS funding for implementing programmes in Afghanistan, Burundi, Colombia, the DRC, Iraq, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. These programmes aim to increase female participation at all levels of the peace building process.

General comments

The Netherlands has a close relationship with NATO and undertakes a significant role in gender research for the UN and NATO.

The Netherlands recognises the early impact of COVID-19 and the adverse effects it has had on the work of WPS.As a result, the NAP calls for a more localised effort to re-building communities and tackling gender inequality. As a result, there is a strong Dutch commitment to applying a gender lens to all actions of reorganisation, policy implementation and development in a peace and security context.

Key points/objectives

·     Working towards participation, prevention, protection, relief, reconstruction and recovery in mainstreaming WPS.

·     Promoting more women into leadership positions and areas of conflict prevention, peace building and reconstruction efforts.

·     Ensuring that peace processes are part of a bottom-up approach and involve the participation of women and girls in all aspects of human rights, security and gender equality.

·     Addressing unequal power structures to increase female participation in UN peace operations and peace networks.

·     Applying a gender lens to all aspects of peace and security and creating a gender responsive budget to reflect this.

·     Supporting the involvement of women's grassroots organisations in peace processes and deradicalisation programmes.

·     Improving the humanitarian response to conflict by accounting for the specific needs of women and girls in conflict.

·     Secure systems of support and justice for those seeking asylum, victims of gender-based violence, victims of LGBTQ+ targeting and displaced women and girls.

·     Creating a gender-sensitive asylum policy to secure the rights of minorities and survivors.

Security Focus

·     Commitment to institutional change in order to increase the number of female peacekeepers in civilian missions, especially in senior positions. Executed by supporting the UN system-wide Strategy on GenderParity to eliminate gender barriers to women's involvement in all levels of UN missions.

·     Working to eliminate barriers to women in the defence and security sector and civilian and military missions and operations.

·     Systematic gender awareness training for all members of security institutions.

·     Contribute to the improved representation of women peacekeepers and women in leadership positions during civilian missions.

Statistical analysis

·     4/24 UN uniformed personnel are female. = 16.7%

·     Missions involved in include: MINUSMA, UNDOF,UNIFIL, UNTSO

Sources

NAP: https://www.wpsnaps.org/app/uploads/2021/01/Netherlands-The-NAP-4-2021-2025.pdf

PK stats: https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/03-country_and_mission_36_mar2021.pdf

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