The Department is committed to advancing the outcomes outlined in the NAP and going even further to promote women’s participation and enhance their protection in conflict-affected environments. This plan provides guidance on how the Department, both in Washington and in the field, can advance these outcomes and actions, inter alia, by better engaging governments, civil society, the public, the private sector, and relevant multilateral institutions to ensure women's inclusion in all aspects of peace processes, reconstruction and stabilization, civilian security efforts, economic revitalization, and the provision of emergency assistance.
We have organized the Department’s commitments by the five high-level objectives directed by the Executive Order and discussed in the NAP: (1) National Integration and Institutionalization; (2) Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-making; (3) Protection from Violence; (4) Conflict Prevention; and (5) Access to Relief and Recovery.
Each commitment identifies responsible bureaus and embassies and includes examples of diplomatic and programmatic actions that advance the NAP, and which will be coordinated, as appropriate. These examples are intended to provide guidance on advancing these commitments and to illustrate ways in which the Department is implementing the NAP; they are not a comprehensive list of the types of activities currently taking place or being planned by the Department. The Department’s undertakings are subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and to be implemented consistent with U.S. law.
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NAP Objective: Through interagency coordination, policy development, enhanced professional training and education, and evaluation, the United States Government will institutionalize a gender-sensitive approach to its diplomatic, development, and defense-related work in conflict-affected environments. NAP Outcome 1.1. Agencies establish and improve policy frameworks to support achievements in gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout our diplomacy, development, and defense work. |
The Department will integrate gender into strategic planning processes. The Department will continue to enhance gender integration in annual planning and budgeting processes and results reporting. (Reference NAP Action 1.1.1)
Responsible/offices bureaus include: African Affairs (AF), East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP), European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR), Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), South Central Asian Affairs (SCA), Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan (S/USSESSS), Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA), Focus Country Embassies, Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), Counterterrorism (CT), Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), Economic and Business Affairs (EB), Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC), Global Criminal Justice (J/GCJ), Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI), Global Youth Issues (J/GYI), International Information Programs (IIP), International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), International Organizations Affairs (IO), Political Military Affairs (PM), Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (R), and to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP).
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: S/GWI, in consultation with the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources (F) and the Bureau of Budget and Planning (BP), will work together to provide guidance on gender integration for the various strategic planning processes and tools for bureaus and embassies. Bureaus and embassies should, as per the relevant guidance, work to identify long-term goals to address gender inequalities. In addition, bureaus and embassies should continue to attribute and report on gender issue in the annual planning and budgeting processes as well as the annual results reporting process.
S/GWI will provide technical assistance on integrating Women, Peace, and Security into the strategic planning process. Bureaus and embassies are encouraged to reference the Women, Peace, and Security elements in other bureau and country level strategic plans posted on intranet websites.
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The Department will develop and integrate training modules on gender, including peace and security, into all relevant Foreign Service Institute courses and bureau-specific training programs. Bureaus and embassies will encourage officers to participate in training opportunities on gender. (Reference NAP Action 1.2.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI), in coordination with S/GWI and regional and functional bureaus, will develop for foreign and civil service personnel:
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: Bureaus and embassies will integrate training modules on gender and Women, Peace, and Security, into relevant bureau- and embassy-specific training programs.
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The Department will develop and share tools to promote gender equality and advance the status of women and girls in crisis, conflict, and transition environments. (Reference NAP Action 1.2.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: S/GWI will provide technical assistance to support bureaus’ efforts in the development of tools to assist in promoting the Women, Peace, and Security objectives.
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The Department will have identified Points of Contact on Women, Peace, and Security at bureau and embassy levels, with appropriate seniority, expertise, and training on Women, Peace, and Security. Department bureaus and embassies, where appropriate, will establish working groups on promoting gender equality and the status of women and girls. (Reference NAP Action 1.3.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: Through Points of Contact and Working Groups, bureaus and embassies are developing greater expertise and are supporting coordination and implementation of their Women, Peace, and Security priorities. In addition to assigning Points of Contact on Women, Peace, and Security, some bureaus and embassies, including PRM, CSO, and DRL, have identified gender Points of Contact in each office/section to participate in a bureau/embassy working group to advance Women, Peace, and Security efforts. Other bureaus, such as WHA, SCA, and CSO, have identified Senior Coordinators to focus on gender initiatives. Some embassies integrate Women, Peace, and Security into the responsibilities of a broader working group, such as, in the case of the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, where Women, Peace, and Security issues were included in the Democratization Goal Implementation Group. The U.S. Embassy in India established a Women’s Empowerment Working Group that meets with S/GWI to coordinate its efforts throughout the Embassy and four consulates as well as with Washington. All major sections in the Embassy and consulates are represented.
The Department will encourage award submissions to honor individuals or operating units performing exceptional and innovative work to advance gender equality. (Reference NAP Action 1.3.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department issues the Swanee Hunt Award for Advancing Women’s Role in Policy Formulation. The award recognizes outstanding work to advance the status of women; excellence in reporting on the status of women and their role in the public policy process; originality and perseverance in promoting women’s influence in policy formulation in their host country; and the effective improvement of the influence of women and girls in international affairs.
In May 2012, SCA presented a group Meritorious Honor Award to the interagency that included several Washington bureaus and six posts, recognizing their efforts in launching a Central Asia and Afghanistan women’s economic empowerment initiative.
The Department will incorporate Women, Peace, and Security objectives in program proposals and program design as appropriate. (Reference NAP Action 1.3.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
The Department will set targets and report results for performance indicators to track progress towards goals and objectives related to Women, Peace, and Security. (Reference NAP Action 1.4.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: Bureaus and embassies will develop and improve data collection mechanisms to track and report progress on Women, Peace, and Security objectives, assess lessons learned, and identify best practices from existing programs. For example, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan will develop a ‘gender tracker’ to account for agency interventions, progress toward indicators and success/challenges.
To guide evaluation, bureaus and embassies should adapt the framework outlined in the Department of State Program Evaluation Policy (February 2012) to implement evaluations of programs, projects, and activities, with specific guidance on gender.
In order to support coordination and synergy across bureaus’ gender-specific monitoring and evaluations systems, a Department-wide Gender Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) working group will be formed. This will complement the efforts of other M&E groups, such as the interagency M&E subgroup of GHI’s Women, Girls, and Gender Equality (WGGE) Principle Task Force, which is working on ways to facilitate a collaborative approach to sharing and putting to use performance information, as well as a matrix to track programs, budgets, planning, and performance management related to achievement of the NAP objectives.
Examples of Ongoing Work: In 2011, the Department and USAID drew on technical expertise within both agencies and from within the development and security communities to develop new performance indicators related to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and made it standard practice for all indicators in every sector (e.g. Counterterrorism, Education, Environment) to be disaggregated by sex. Data for these standard foreign assistance indicators can be used by all bureaus missions worldwide to set targets and report results on in their annual Performance Plan and Report. In this way, country and bureau specific targets and results are captured, and that information can be aggregated to determine what is being accomplished with U.S. Foreign Assistance as a whole across the Department and USAID. In addition to standard indicators related specifically to women’s issues and sex-disaggregated information across all sectors, missions and bureaus can also develop and track progress on custom indicators in their Performance Plan and Report, which could be used to focus on select programs or goals associated with Women, Peace and Security.
Bureaus and embassies have already taken steps to integrate gender into their evaluation processes. For example, INL has established standard assessment procedures to track the integration of women in police, corrections and justice sectors. PEPFAR developed Next Generation Gender Indicators to monitor and evaluate male norms and behaviors, gender-based violence, women’s legal rights, and women and girls’ access to income and productive resources. CSO developed a bureau indicator on gender, measuring the increase in the number of female local leaders, reformers, or female-led partner organizations that take action to prevent and mitigate violent conflict as a result of CSO engagement.
The Department will strive to have U.S. Government delegations be models for the inclusion of women in talks and negotiations concerning conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and political transitions. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.1.)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
The Department will advocate for the inclusion of women in senior positions in international organizations. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.2.)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: IO helps promote the hiring of women for positions at the UN along with its efforts to promote qualified U.S. citizens for UN employment. Additionally, IO’s regular engagement through the UN Security Council, General Assembly, and work with the UN Secretariat reinforces efforts to increase recruitment and retention of women in all aspects of peacekeeping, and in particular for career development leading to leadership positions, as it participates in relevant UN forums. INL serves on UN panels and workgroups to advance efforts to increase the number of women in peacekeeping operations and establish a network to support female peacekeepers.
The Department will support the participation and leadership roles of women in peace and security-related decision-making forums, both formal and informal, during all phases of conflict, resolution, and transition. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: As part of its assessed UN contributions, the United States provides 22 percent of the budget for the various UN Special Political Missions worldwide. Many of these missions support the integration and political participation of women in countries emerging from conflict.
In engaging in transitions around the world, the Department encourages the participation of women in peace and decision-making processes. The Department is working to strengthen women’s engagement and empowerment domestically in Sudan and South Sudan – including their ability to participate in international negotiations and in the ongoing constitutional processes in both countries. As part of the Africa-Women, Peace, and Security Initiative, AF, together with S/GWI, is providing targeted assistance to local partners in South Sudan, in follow-up to the 2011 International Engagement Conference, which the U.S. hosted and during which women's participation was featured. The Office of the Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan is promoting cross-border engagement, training, and network building between women.
The Department, including the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, with support from multiple bureaus and together with interagency and international partners, advocates for the inclusion of female Afghan decision-makers, and male and female civil society leaders in all high-level international conferences regarding the future security and economic development of Afghanistan in order to strengthen the political and economic transition process. By engaging with the High Peace Council’s Joint Secretariat, the Department is also advocating for the inclusion of Afghan women and civil society representatives in the development of strategies for its Afghanistan Peace and Reconciliation Program.
The Department will assist partner governments in improving the recruitment and retention of women, including minority and other historically marginalized women, into government ministries. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.4)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: In South Sudan, the Department is promoting gender mainstreaming in the defense sector and in the South Sudan Development Plan through a Gender Awareness Workshop that aims to create a baseline understanding of the relationship between gender and defense structures and highlight practical steps that can be taken to transform the defense sector into a democratic security service provider in South Sudan. Training the military on gender is also part of a larger security sector reform, as gender equity and diversity within the defense sector is expected to create more representative and non-discriminatory defense forces, as well as to increase the operational efficiency of the security sector.
The Department will increase support for women’s political participation and leadership through training and capacity building for political parties, female candidates, female government officials, and women in civil society and the private sector, in crisis, conflict and transition environments. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.5)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department engages directly with women’s caucuses in Parliaments and Assemblies to support their efforts to organize and advance women’s participation and protection. In Kosovo, the U.S. Embassy partners with the USAID Mission to support the Women’s Caucus of the Assembly on drafting and implementing an annual workplan, and by providing research and organizational resources for the Caucus' roundtable policy discussions and legislative hearings. The Embassy further supports the Caucus as it monitors the implementation of the Gender Equality Law and conducts public outreach activities.
The Department also engages with women in civil society to advance their engagement in the political process. In Cambodia, DRL funds a program that educates local government officials and offices on issues affecting their Cham Muslim constituents while building the Cham community’s capacity to participate in local decision making processes. This program includes an emphasis on improving Cham women’s participation by providing women’s leadership trainings and support for women’s advocacy groups in two districts that have the highest concentration of Cham Muslims.
In addition to trainings at local and national level, the Department also supports regional institutions, such as the Middle East Partnership Initiative’s Arab Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI), which trains women leaders in order to maximize their political gains during periods of transition. AWLI beneficiaries include women from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Yemen.
ECA promotes women’s empowerment and participation in all aspects of conflict resolution and decision-making in their societies through academic and exchange programs. ECA supports student leader institutes in the U.S. for foreign women undergraduates from the developing world; seminars for foreign women Fulbright students in the U.S. to promote leadership and prepare them for an active role when they return home; after-school English classes overseas for disadvantaged teenage girls and boys; Humphrey Fellowships in the U.S. for developing world midcareer professionals, of which a majority in 2012 were women; and teacher exchanges for U.S. and foreign school teachers to develop their skills and international awareness and encourage them to share new knowledge with their fellow teachers and students. In addition, ECA conducts professional exchange programs, including TechWomen, TechGirls, Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership, and Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative. These exchangeencourage women’s leadership and confidence in a variety of fields in which they can promote peace and stability.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The U.S. Embassy in Egypt supports dozens of talented Egyptian women of all ages who use music to advocate for an increased and equitable role for women in society. This program has contributed to multiple positive media stories and a dedicated core of talented women advocating for women’s empowerment.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: in Libya, the Department provides technical assistance to a network of Libyan civil society organizations in mobilizing young men and women to conduct the country’s first-ever nationwide, nonpartisan election monitoring effort, and to develop strategies and tools to monitor the National Public Congress and other state institutions between elections. In Egypt, a Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) project enhances women’s ability to participate in politics by increasing their knowledge of election campaigns and public life. Through this project, a center works with a number of young women in North Sinai to develop their leadership skills in order to potentially run for public office.
The Department will increase support for women’s participation and leadership in security and judicial sectors. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.6, 2.1.9)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: Bureaus and embassies have developed strategies and targeted programming to promote gender equality in capacity building efforts in the security and judicial sectors. For example, in Pakistan, INL funds training for female police in criminal investigation, instructor development, and first aid courses; provides ambulances, radios, protective gear and other equipment; and funded infrastructure refurbishment to Women’s Police Stations. Additionally, INL hosted a roundtable discussion on women police in Pakistan, attended by Pakistani police and international police experts.
At the regional and multilateral level, the Department supports the work of OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to train security sector personnel across Europe and Eurasia with a view to improving compliance with gender equality standards among defense and law enforcement agencies; to improve respect for the rights of security personnel; and to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the security sector.
In order to promote diversity and equal opportunity, the U.S. Embassy in Serbia supported a program on Women in the Professional Armed Forces focused on integrating women into career positions in the Serbian Armed Forces. The Ohio National Guard organized the event under the State Partnership Program, a National Guard program which links partner countries with U.S. states for the purpose of building the capacity of partner armed forces and supporting U.S. national interests and security cooperation goals.
The Department will support and encourage government, civil society, and the private sector to advocate on behalf of women and women’s organizations for their engagement in peace processes. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.7-2.1.8)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is dedicated to supporting and building existing women’s networks, across civil society, government, and the private sector. CT provides opportunities for female leaders in civil society and female police officers in Afghanistan to interact in order to bridge gaps between women in civil society and in the security sector in order to build trusted networks of women across communities committed to countering the spread of violent extremism. DRL’s program in Iraq aims to strengthen a nationwide network of grassroots-based women leaders committed to advocating for the advancement of women’s rights in Iraq.
The Department will seek to ensure that women are significantly and appropriately represented in U.S. funded training programs—including exchange programs, conferences, seminars, and other educational opportunities. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.10)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: The Department will develop model criteria for the inclusion of female candidates in U.S.-funded training programs, which bureaus and embassies can adapt to meet their own purposes. Bureaus and embassies will identify and share best practices to increase the participation of women in training programs.
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department strives to promote women’s participation in educational opportunities. For example, ECA ensures gender balance in speakers for its academic and exchange programs. Embassies encourage female participants in trainings, such as in Nepal, where the U.S. Embassy ensures that INL-funded police programs have at least 15 percent participation of women.
The Department will mobilize men as allies in support of women’s leadership and participation in security-related processes and decision-making. (Reference NAP Action 2.1.11)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: The Department will develop a number of tools to facilitate increased engagement with the audiences identified above on the issue of women’s political empowerment. For example, S/GWI will develop a set of standard talking points on the value of women in the public and political life for bureaus, offices, and embassies to adapt as Department principals and officers engage with their counterparts, the public, and civil society.
Examples of Ongoing Work: Department principals, including the Secretary, Ambassadors, and Assistant Secretaries, routinely engage with their male counterparts on the important role that women can play in advancing peace and security. The Department also leads by example, by ensuring that U.S. officials, including the Secretary, meet with women's organizations and participate in women-focused conferences and events. Furthermore, U.S. Embassies serve a convening role, providing a venue for women’s civil society organizations to meet with U.S. and partner nation officials.
The Department will engage partner governments, at national and local levels, on the passage and enforcement of laws and policies that promote gender equality and advance the status of women and girls. (Reference NAP Action 2.2.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department will continue its diplomatic and programmatic support, at all levels, to strengthen the promotion of gender equality through laws, policies, and practices. For example, CT and DRL, together with U.S. embassies, encourage partner governments to mitigate the use of women’s rights as bargaining chips to achieve counterterrorism goals and of “counterterrorism measures” as vehicles to restrict civil society organizations working on women’s issues.
The Department will assist partner governments in building the capacity of their Defense, Interior, Justice, Gender Ministries, and other relevant ministries to implement and enforce laws and policies that promote gender equality and protect women’s rights. (Reference NAP Action 2.2.2-2.2.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department will continue its diplomatic and programmatic support, at all levels, to strengthen the capacity of government partners to implement laws and policies that promote and protect women’s rights. In Iraq, DRL currently funds a program to build the capacity of Iraqi sub-national legislatures to enact critical legislation to promote women’s rights by taking a comprehensive approach that engages research institutions, provincial councils, civil society organizations and the Iraqi electorate. In Guatemala, through the multi-year Model Police Precinct Program, the Department is supporting the development of a network of Femicide Courts, a multi-institutional initiative promoted by the President of the Supreme Court. The U.S. Embassy participates in the permanent commission established by the Government of Guatemala to monitor the development of the project and has supported the creation of procedural manuals and training for judges, prosecutors and police officers.
The Department will prioritize diplomatic engagement with multilateral partners as key levers in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in countries affected by crisis, conflict, and transition. (Reference NAP Action 3.1.1-3.1.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is committed to promoting a strong international architecture for protection, to ensuring that assistance and resettlement programs integrate protection principles, and to engaging in robust humanitarian diplomacy. The Department advances these objectives through engagement with, inter alia, the UN Security Council; in the relevant committees of the General Assembly; in the Human Rights Council; at the Commission on the Status of Women; through participation in UN Executive Board meeting, including UN Women; in the Humanitarian Partners Working Group’s Protection Sub-Working Group; as well as at the country level through direct engagement with the UN Country Team.
The Department supports the UN Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict, including through funding for the Team of Experts. IO supported the UN’s development of indicators on Women, Peace, and Security and the UN Security Council supported in its Presidential Statement PRST/2010/22 UN agencies’ taking forward these indicators, many of which track women’s physical security, for use as an initial framework. IO will continue to work with UN Women in developing and tracking these indicators.
The Department will increase training and capacity building to support human rights, address gender-based violence, combat trafficking in persons, and for other Women, Peace, and Security-related topics for the security and judicial sectors in partner countries to strengthen gender equality and prevent violence. (Reference NAP Action 3.1.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department’s training programs for security and judicial actors contribute to the U.S. goals of advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in crisis and conflict environments. For example, the Global Peace Operations Initiative supports instruction on protection of civilians, including prevention of gender-based violence, and human rights training in its 62 partner countries and in most of the 43 peace support operations training centers it supports around the world. Around the world, INL supports training for the police on human rights and democratic policing principles, including on women’s roles in community policing and mediation, as well as on issues related to domestic violence and trafficking in persons. Targeted training has been developed across a broad range of topics, including on enhancing procedural protections for female and male survivors of gender-based violence, in order to professionalize support services; as well as on human rights concerns when searching and arresting.
The Department willmonitor and promote our partners’ observance of appropriate international guidelines relevant to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. (Reference NAP Action 3.1.3-3.1.5; 3.2.4)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: PRM will share best practices in training and program management with respect to supporting international standards on PSEA and partner accountability with other bureaus, offices, and embassies with programmatic functions.
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department promotes PSEA through our engagement with multilateral, bilateral, and non-governmental partners. For example, PRM has required since 2003 that implementing partners for humanitarian assistance maintain Codes of Conduct consistent with the UN Secretary General’s Bulletin and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s (IASC) six core principles on PSEA. Further, PRM supports the development of trainings and e-learning tools for international organization and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners on PSEA.
The Department will support programming and learning on the use of technology as a means of improving the safety of women and girls. (Reference NAP Action 3.1.6)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: The Department will support research, programming, and learning on technological approaches to protection, such as the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves’ efforts to help women adopt clean, safe, and efficient cooking stoves and fuels that will to reduce women’s and girls’ vulnerability to gender-based violence, in addition to acute and chronic illness and burns.
Examples of Ongoing Work: DRL funds a program in the DRC to incorporate communications technology—including satellite phones, cell phones, an early warning system, a reporting hotline, digital mapping, satellite-internet, and video-conferencing—into current programming to increase civilian protection and enhance the investigation and prosecution of gender-based violence cases. With USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), PRM is co-funding a World Food Programme project to evaluate the uptake and efficiency of clean, safe, and efficient cooking stoves in refugee camps in Kenya, with a view to adapting stove distribution plans accordingly.
The Department will support and encourage through investments in the recovery and reintegration of survivors of gender-based violence, in furtherance of efforts by partner governments and civil society, and in coordination with multilateral and non-governmental organizations and the private sector. (Reference NAP Action 3.1.7)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department takes a multi-pronged approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence around the world. The Department advances these efforts at all levels, from multilateral organizations to local civil society organizations, to address gender-based violence and increase community awareness of gender equality issues. For example, with support from PRM, non-governmental organizations provide health, vocational and livelihood skills, education, and child and legal protection activities for refugee and returnee populations, including building the capacities of local mental health and social service providers in addressing and preventing gender-based violence, in the DRC, Kenya, and many other conflict-affected and refugee-hosting countries around the world.
In El Salvador, the U.S. Embassy and USAID Mission support the Government of El Salvador's Ciudad Mujer (Women’s City) program, which provides holistic services to gender-based violence survivors, including health and counseling services, and support to police in evidence collection and the submission of police reports.
The Department will support the development of effective accountability and transitional justice mechanisms that address crimes committed against women and girls and increase accountability. The Department will engage other governments on the passage and enforcement of laws and policies on the local and national level designed to combat exploitation, abuse, discrimination, and violence against women and girls. (Reference NAP Action 3.2.1-3.2.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department will continue its diplomatic and programmatic support, at all levels, to strengthen accountability and rule of law. In Afghanistan, the Department uses diplomatic tools to encourage the implementation of the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law by the Afghan government as well as development of effective accountability and justice mechanisms that address crimes committed against women and girls. INL is providing training for prosecutors at Violence Against Women Units (VAW) at the Office of the Attorney General in Kabul, and in 2011 supported the opening of three new provincial VAW Units, with three more to open in 2012. These units are dedicated to prosecuting crimes against women and girls and have led to 26 convictions so far. More than 750 women from 23 provinces have initiated cases through the VAW Unit in Kabul since it opened in March 2010.
In Haiti, the Department supports cross-sector trainings of penal chain actors (police, magistrates, prosecutors) on gender-based violence to raise stakeholders’ awareness about gender-based violence, provide an overview of legislation, introduce techniques for medical evidence collection and survivor assistance, and increase collaboration between relevant actors.
The Department will use public diplomacy and outreach capabilities to strengthen gender-based violence prevention and response. (Reference NAP Action 3.2.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: In Afghanistan, DRL supports a program that is working to improve provincial human rights monitoring by enabling Afghan women-focused human rights organizations/institutions to use media technology for monitoring; to use radio programming and journalism training to create a more conducive environment for the work of these organizations; and to inform women about their rights and how to report and track violations and abuses. In Guatemala, the U.S. Embassy supported the development of a documentary film chronicling the story of one Guatemalan woman’s successful fight for justice after her sister was murdered by her husband. The Embassy supported more than 60 screenings country-wide, followed by discussion with trained volunteers who educated audiences about their rights under the law and services available to survivors of domestic violence.
In order to address harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting especially in post-conflict settings, S/GWI, in coordination with DRL, is funding a multidimensional program in northern Iraq composed of integrated victim services and a successful educational campaign for village residents and political and religious leaders. This has lead, for the first time, to villages – now close to ten – declaring themselves to be “Female Genital Mutilation Free.”
The Department will engage with multilateral, bilateral, and civil society partners and will invest in programs to strengthen the prevention of trafficking in persons and the protection of trafficking survivors. (Reference NAP Action 3.3.1-3.3.5, 3.3.10)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is integrating attention to trafficking in persons in countries in conflict or crisis at every level, from embassies to the U.S. Presidential Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Senior Policy Operating Group on Trafficking in Persons. Whenever possible, J/TIP will: 1) include countries in conflict or crisis as priority countries for funding in the Office’s annual solicitation for proposals; 2) incorporate the establishment of national taskforces in country narratives as part of the Trafficking in Persons Report Recommendations and/or in J/TIP-prepared action plans that are given to foreign governments as guidelines for their future anti-trafficking efforts; and 3) meet with new governments in post-conflict countries to ensure anti-trafficking measures are included in criminal justice reforms. Regional and functional bureaus support these efforts through a wide range of programs and public diplomacy, including focused, year-round work plans that engage host governments, providing grants to organizations to study or fight trafficking in specific regions; organizing conferences or public awareness events on the subject of trafficking; making public statements against trafficking in speeches or on embassy blogs and websites; and providing technical assistance and training to law enforcement and public officials to enhance countries’ anti-trafficking laws and prevention/prosecution efforts on this front. J/TIP, in conjunction with regional bureaus, may hold “Regional TIP Officers” reporting conferences to ensure reporting officers are up to speed on trafficking issues and better able to engage with host country interlocutors.
The Department will build on efforts to increase programs and advocacy campaigns to promote the protection of men and boys from gender-based violence, and to mobilize men and boys as partners in promoting gender equality and preventing gender-based violence within their communities. (Reference NAP Action 3.4.1-3.4.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department supports community-level approaches to change behaviors and attitudes about violence and to facilitate discussion among families, community organizations, religious and traditional leaders, and other community leaders about human rights and gender-based violence, and both short and long-term ways to address it. The Department works with and engages men and boys; female leaders; grassroots women’s groups; religious, faith-based, and community leaders; and youth. The Department also seeks to engage men in government, including in the security sector, and in the private sector. For example, DRL works with religious and traditional community leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to promote women’s rights by training 450 imams using a curriculum on the compatibility of women’s rights and Islam. Anecdotal evidence from a series of key-informant interviews and focus group discussions showed that community members have seen an increase in the number of imams speaking out about women’s rights in Islam, women’s inheritance rights, and condemning violence against women. Further, focus group participants agreed that since their local imams have started discussing women’s rights to education in Friday sermons, the barriers for women going to school have been reduced.
The Department will integrate gender considerations in conflict assessments and humanitarian response strategies, including through participatory models. (Reference NAP Action 4.1.1-4.1.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Next Steps: CSO will ensure that gender considerations are incorporated in revisions of the Interagency Conflict Assessment Framework (ICAF) – an interagency tool to assess conflict situations systematically and collaboratively to inform interagency planning for conflict prevention, mitigation and stabilization. CSO will continue to share its conflict assessment tools and findings with the Department.
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department has emphasized the need for participatory assessments to be undertaken prior to program interventions, when feasible. CSO is developing guidelines for integrating gender analysis in all stages of operations to ensure conflict dynamics and resiliencies affecting or driven by women are recognized in designing and implementing each engagement.
The Department will provide diplomatic and programmatic support for community-based early warning and conflict prevention activities, including preventing the spread of violent extremism. (Reference NAP Action 4.1.4-4.1.6)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: Bureaus and embassies, through programming and public diplomacy, are actively promoting women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict prevention activities. In Burma, the U.S. Embassy Small Grants program works with an ethnic minority’s women’s organization in conflict-affected areas of Kachin State to enhance Kachin women’s participation in ceasefire negotiations, empowering them to participate in peace talks through trainings and establishing connections between marginalized women and community leaders.
The Department will promote women’s roles in countering terrorism and preventing the spread of violent extremism. Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is working to build the capacity of women in civil society and the security sector to prevent the spread of violent extremism. For example, CT supports training to Afghan women in civil society and in the Ministry of Interior on women’s roles in preventing the spread of violent extremist ideologies, including educating them about their resources for reporting potential violent extremism activity. CT supports a Countering Violent Extremism Local Grants Program, which provides positive alternatives to individuals and communities susceptible to recruitment and radicalization, including local activities specifically tailored for women. These programs range from training exercises to alert women to signs of radicalization, to law enforcement capacity building that offers women the opportunity to help develop community engagement programs.
The Department will leverage public diplomacy to amplify the work of women in preventing conflict. Bureaus and embassies will aim, where appropriate, to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: When deemed safe to do so, senior level U.S. officials have and will continue to publicly praise and acknowledge the work of women striving to prevent the breakout or spread of conflict within their communities, including through public speeches and high-level meetings. For example, in an effort to promote public awareness of women’s roles in peace and security, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia supported a local Women’s Center’s efforts to train up to one thousand volunteers, civil society activists, media, and local government representatives on gender and minority rights. The project aims to support integration of ethnic Azeri minorities through promotion of women’s rights, to advocate for implementation of international law and domestic legislation and policies, and to educate women about existing legislation, and discuss the importance of human rights.
The Department will strengthen stabilization by providing diplomatic and development support to advance women’s economic opportunities. (Reference NAP Action 4.2.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is committed to promoting stabilization efforts across sectors, guided by evidence that where the gender gap is closest to being closed in a range of areas – including economic participation, access to education, health, and political participation – countries and economies are more competitive and prosperous. As economic solutions and opportunity are a critical component in promoting the security of the United States and our partners, the Department of State has developed a number of partnerships to advance women’s economic engagement in conflict, crisis, and transition environments where women face additional barriers inhibiting their economic participation, two of which are the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) and the Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas). For example, almost 200 women leaders and global experts attended the July 2011 Central Asia and Afghanistan Women’s Economic Symposium. The event launched a regional initiative, built a network of leading international organizations, universities and foundations, and the private sector, which will be further supported through a grant to establish a regional businesswomen’s association. Follow-on support will promote women’s enterprise and trade, equal property rights, training for women on how to run for government offices (including for disabled women), and protection of vulnerable elderly women.
In Guatemala, the U.S. Embassy supports training for and outreach to women business-owners to help grow their businesses, including by designing and starting a Pathways to Prosperity Women Entrepreneurs’ Network, which included the formation of a steering committee with representatives from the private sector and prominent economic associations, and the identification of one hundred female microentrepreneurs from all over Guatemala to participate in the network.
The Department will strengthen stabilization by promoting access to primary, secondary, and vocational education for children and youth. (Reference NAP Action 4.2.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department recognizes that education can mitigate the effects of conflict and provide the basis for long term economic growth and stability, and is committed to contributing to the restoration of education sites, services and system-wise capacity for children and youth, particularly girls, in conflict, crisis, and transition environments. For example, in South and Southeast Asia, SCA supports a non-governmental organization to expand the local school library, publish local language children’s books, and support girls’ education amongst particularly vulnerable groups of girls.
ECA supports both TechWomen and TechGirls, international exchange programs that use technology as a means to empower women and girls worldwide by pairing them with American women in the technology sector who serve as professional and cultural mentors. TechGirls is designed to encourage young girls in the Middle East and North Africa to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors.
The Department will strengthen stabilization by supporting women’s and girls’ increased access to health services. (Reference NAP Action 4.2.3)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department is working to ensure that women are beneficiaries of health initiatives both for their own well-being and because of the centrality of women to the health and prosperity of families and communities. In order to support investments in women’s health, S/GAC through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is committed to investing in women’s and girls’ health, education, and economic opportunity to create conditions for healthy and stable societies. This commitment is reflected in PEPFAR’s Gender Strategy, which integrates gender throughout prevention, care, and treatment programs, with a focus on increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs and services.
The Department will promote equal access and integrate gender considerations into humanitarian relief and recovery programs. The Department will evaluate the impact of gender integration in these programs. (Reference NAP Action 5.1.1-5.1.8)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department currently supports many programs and directs diplomatic energies towards achieving equal access and gender integration in relief and recovery efforts. PRM promotes women’s equal access to resources and their participation in managing those resources. PRM also encourages adherence to appropriate international standard protocols and guidelines, such as: Sphere Standards, IASC Guidelines on gender-based violence, and the Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: With regard to Department staff, CSO provides gender guidelines and tools for staff deploying to emergency situations to ensure that gender considerations are well integrated in U.S. Government-supported relief and recovery efforts. The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PRM, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will work together to conduct gender analysis for PEPFAR-funded refugee programs.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
NAP Outcome 5.2. Relief and recovery assistance includes enhanced measures to prevent and respond to SGBV in conflict and post-conflict environments.
The Department will provide support in relief and recovery assistance for direct services for survivors of gender-based violence, and for prevention of gender-based violence. (Reference NAP Action 5.2.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: PRM supports projects in the DRC and in Kenya developing community resources for providing mental health services for traumatized refugees and refugee returnee populations and receiving communities while building the capacities of local mental health and social service providers to serve this population, including to better respond to incidences of gender-based violence. The Department recognizes that often, men and women of different ages have different needs and perspectives and therefore may require special outreach, to include adolescents as well as the elderly.
The Department will encourage international organization and NGO partners to adhere to existing internationally-agreed upon protocols and guidelines. (Reference NAP Action 5.2.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: S/RAP utilizes traditional diplomatic tools to encourage international organizations and NGO partners to provide gender sensitivity training, including on gender-based violence, to staff members. PRM promotes, in its programmatic and diplomatic engagements, the use of the IASC Plan of Action to protect beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance from sexual exploitation and abuse, adherence to Sphere standards, and application of the IASC Guidelines on gender-based violence.
The Department will ensure that the active participation and the distinct needs of men and women are reflected in reintegration and early recovery programs in order to strengthen accountability to beneficiary populations. (Reference NAP Action 5.3.1)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: Participation is particularly important for those who are often excluded, such as women, children, adolescents, ethnic/tribal/religious minorities, the elderly and other groups suffering from discrimination. The United States is the single largest donor to UNHCR and has supported UNHCR’s work in aiming to place its persons of concern at the center of decision-making with regard to their own protection and welfare. As a means to ensure better participation, UNHCR has developed a Tool for Participatory Assessment in Operations as part of its Age, Gender, and Diversity Mainstreaming Strategy. The UNHCR tool outlines ten basic steps to ensure that women, girls, boys and men participate in analyzing protection problems together; in discussing capacities to face protection problems; and in finding solutions together.
The Department will ensure that demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) programs address the distinct needs of female ex-combatants and those associated with armed forces in other capacities. (Reference NAP Action 5.3.2)
Responsible bureaus include:
Regional bureaus and offices, focus country embassies, and functional bureaus.
Bureaus and embassies will aim to:
Examples of Ongoing Work: The Department currently supports programs that integrate the distinct needs of men and women in reintegration and early recovery programs. IO and other bureaus support DDR programs for women and girls through UN peacekeeping mandates and through voluntary contributions to relevant UN agencies and programs, such as UN Development Program (UNDP) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as well as through our national efforts. UN peacekeepers support demobilization and disarmament; reintegration into the community through training, stipends, and counseling is generally funded through bilateral and multilateral assistance. Certain groups, such as adolescents, may require special outreach to meet their distinct needs.
