Making the WPS agenda fit for purpose for the next 25 years

In Kampala, women activists, peacebuilders, security sector reform experts, researchers, and representatives of international organisations and governments, among others, came together not only to look back on the last 25 years but more importantly to chart the way forward for the WPS agenda. And they were clear: accountability must be at the heart of advancing peace and security for women. Firstly, there is a strong desire to make governments’ commitments to the WPS agenda binding, including clear timelines for implementation and sanctions for failure to live up to these commitments. However, in the absence of clear sanction mechanisms in context of the reality of intergovernmental organisations, public pressure is the main tool to urge implementation by governments. To build and uphold public pressure, monitoring and evaluation, using both process and outcome indicators, by state and non-state actors alike, are crucial. 

Secondly, and more importantly, a revised WPS agenda must prioritize accountability, justice and prosecution as a distinct pillar. This encompasses legal mechanisms and instruments ranging from customary systems at the grassroots to international frameworks and institutions, but also tangible delivery of justice such as reparations. For civil society actors and activists, pursuing accountability means striking a delicate balance: filling immediate gaps left by dysfunctional systems in the short and medium term, while also working to transform those systems without absolving them of their long-term responsibility to deliver justice.

Participants also used the discussion to unpack allyship, distinguishing between different types of allyship, including but not limited to peers, such as other activists and civil society organisations that pursue shared goals; allies by mandate, such as government agencies charged with implementing the agenda, who however may not always be allies by practice; unexpected allies; resourceful allies; those who can offer expertise or financial support; and, perhaps most importantly, social and cultural changemakers, including, among others, traditional community leadership and media. Everyone in the room acknowledged that actors’ priorities differ and so your allies might differ across different issues and projects. An NGO-ization of the efforts to implement the WPS agenda was observed. This is often at odds with desire for localization or the domestication and adaptation of the agenda to the respective local contexts. Financial dependency on donors often forces organisations to yield to donor-imposed priorities and programmes, undermining local ownership. Donor funding models typically exclude innovative institutional approaches to sustainability, such as income generation, since being a non-profit is usually a precondition for support. Moreover, the sustainability debate is closely tied to the need to decolonize partnerships: the practice of channelling funds through Global North organisations was strongly criticised, as it absorbs a substantial share of resources that should directly benefit local actors. 

Across their different backgrounds, the women in Kampala all pursued a common goal: achieving true equality for women that will render a WPS agenda redundant. Yet, they employ a diversity of strategy and tactics, depending on their priorities and contexts. Some will not mind a degree of self-censorship in pursuit of their goals, others insist that only radical change will deliver on the desired ends. The difference of approach was most apparent in the question of if and how to involve men in efforts to advance towards the goals of the WPS agenda. Those sceptical of the involvement of men point to the adaptability of patriarchal systems, which has been evident in many ways since the adoption of the WPS agenda. Where men are implicated in efforts to advance the agenda, this must be done in such a way as to prevent it from increasing their power which would ultimately run counter to the agenda’s objectives. 

There was little disagreement however, what is at the core of achieving substantive change in line with the objectives set out in the WPS agenda: an empowered citizenry. If everyone is treated equally as a citizen with their rights and freedoms being granted, the WPS agenda will become redundant. This also means that intersectionality is key. To achieve substantial progress on the goals of the WPS agenda, change is thus required at multiple levels. This includes shifts in the everyday practices of policymakers and practitioners in development, peace and security; broader social and cultural change that shapes daily interactions; and institutional and legal reforms to align frameworks and institutions with WPS objectives. As much as there can be no peace without development, progress on women’s peace and security hinges on women’s economic development.