South Africa

Introduction

South Africa adopted their first NAP in 2020, running until 2025.

Objectives

1. To promote, protect and respect an inclusive, safe and peaceful society by operationalising the WPS Agenda in South Africa;
2. To implement, evaluate and report on agreed upon WPS frameworks at international, continental and regional levels;
3. To ensure the full and meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes, structures and institutions at all levels;
4. To establish and implement effective conflict management institutions, systems and processes
5. To prevent violence against women, girls and gender non-conforming persons and protect them in all situations;
6. To position and promote South Africa as a credible international leader on issues related to WPS;
7. To ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to, and the utilisation of best practices towards information and knowledge management for WPS.

Civil Society

The NAP was a joint collaboration between the government and civil society, with civil society mentioned 93 times in the text of the NAP. Dialogues were held, key civil society leaders were on the working group which assembled the NAP, and a wide variety of NGOs were consulted.

Link to Security Women

The NAP openly discusses increased inclusion of women in the national security structure, with “Government to appoint more women to senior positions in the security cluster, including at ministerial and DG levels and in security sector institutions (police, defence, corrections, intelligence, home affairs, justice)” identified as a key task, as well as “Departments to institute measures to ensure an environment in which women are able to thrive in security sector institutions” and “Government and civil society to train and deploy women in conflict prevention, relief and recovery and postconflict reconstruction.”

Peacekeeping Statistics

As of 2021, South Africa contributed 940 peacekeepers: 774 men and 166 women

Sources

http://1325naps.peacewomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/sa_national_action_plan_women_peace_security_2020-2025.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_UN_peacekeepers_contributed

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