Introduction
With the ink barely dry on an Army memorandum appoint-
ing PKSOI as the Army lead for Women Peace and Security
(WPS), PSOTEW brought forth the perfect venue to advance
WPS issues. This was the first time WPS was addressed as a
working group in 11 PSOTEWs.
The working group brought together an experienced and
energetic array of participants from academia, civil society, and
government representatives to advance DOD Joint Staff ( JS)
planning and integration of Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
efforts. Participants hailed from the UN, the USG’s Depart-
ment of State, OSD-SHA, JS J5/J7, USAID, AFRICOM,
PACOM, NORTHCOM, Uniformed Services University of
the Health Sciences (USUHS), National Defense University
NDU, PKSOI, and the USAF Air Advisor Academy, as well as
civil society representatives from USIP, Inclusive Security, the
Folke Bernadotte Academy, Peace Operations Training
Institute (POTI), and other committed WPS SMEs.
The USG is deeply committed to the participation of women
in advancing peace and security throughout the world. Consis-
tent with this commitment, in December 2011 the inaugural
US National Action Plan (NAP) on WPS was released to help
chart a course for the USG to advance women's inclusion in
conflict and insecurity mitigation. In 2016, the NAP was up-
dated to identify areas that call for new or renewed focus. The
following five pillars are the core tenets of the NAP and DOD
objectives:
1. National Integration and Institutionalization: institute
a gender sensitive approach to defense/stability related work
in complex environments
2. Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-Making:
improve participation of women at all levels of decision-mak-
ing, peace negotiations, security initiatives, and conflict
prevention
3. Protection from Violence: strengthen DOD efforts to
prevent and protect women and children from harm, ex-
ploitation, sexual abuse, and gender based violence
4. Conflict Prevention: promote women’s roles in conflict
prevention and improve conflict early warning response sys-
tems through integration of a gender perspective
5. Access to Relief and Recovery: always consider gender
perspectives in recovery and reconciliation processes, as well
as other components of the host nation’s (re)development
WG 5 Objectives
The purpose of WG 5 was to develop a comprehensive approach
to education and training regarding WPS impacts on peace and
stability operations. We were grateful to have partner orga-
nizations lead the work on our breakout sessions. The specific
objectives and conveners of the WG sessions were as follows:
■ Develop or contribute to a milestone plan for updating the
DOD Implementation Guide on WPS ( Joint Staff J5)
■ Conduct a review and reconcile WPS Terminology at the
Strategic and Operational Levels ( Joint Staff J5)
■ Review the framework of the Commander’s Handbook to
Gender Dynamics in Military Operations (PKSOI)
■ Conduct a review (stock take) on available training courses
on WPS; investigate updating JKO ( Joint Staff J7)
The outcomes from each of these sessions are highlighted below.
More specific and detailed information can be requested from
PKSOI points of contact.
WG 5 Deliverables
DOD Implementation Plan Framework
With the updated NAP, the WG concluded that congruent
updates to the DOD implementation guidelines on WPS
should be linked to the 2016 NAP. There was consensus on a
proposed framework for updating the guidelines as developed
during the WG session. The WG emphasized the importance
of incorporating reporting processes and communications
strategies into the DOD Implementation Plan, while agreeing
on the need to further developed metrics that align with the
reporting process.
WPS Terminology
The WG conducted a thorough review of relevant termin-
ology and concepts drawn from official USG, NATO and UN
resources. When necessary and available, NATO and UN
definitions supplemented USG versions. These accepted terms
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