Parliament As Partners Supporting The Women Peace and Security Agenda - A Global Handbook

A G L O B A L H A N D B O O K
Empowered lives.
Resilient nations.
PA R L I A M E N T S A S PA R T N E R S S U P P O R T I N G
THE WOMEN
PEACE AND
SECURITY
AGENDA
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This parliamentary handbook was developed as part of the Global Project on Parliaments
as Partners Supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda implemented by the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and supported by the Government
of Norway. We express our appreciation to the principal author of this handbook,
Charmaine Rodrigues, under the coordination and editorial direction of Nika Saeedi and
Agata Walczak, under the guidance of UNDP’s Bureau Bureau for Policy and Programme
Support. We are most grateful to UNDP’s Olso Governance Centre, headed by Sarah
Lister, for providing strategic direction and thought leadership for the development of
the Handbook.
The publication was made possible with financial support from the Norwegian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. We would like to extend our thanks to Marita Sørheim-Rensvik, who
played a leading role in supporting the production of this Handbook.
We also extend our special thanks to colleagues in countries where the Global Project
was piloted for their support throughout the process: Richard Chambers and Lisette
Albrechtsen (UNDP Jordan), Umutai Dauletova and Bermet Ubaidillaeva (UNDP
Kyrgyzstan), Lakshmi Pillai, Josephine Scott-Manga and Musu Bangura (UNDP Sierra
Leone) and Chamani Prematilake, Sonali Dayaratne, Bimali Ameresekere, Nimmi
Ariyaratne, Lakna Siriwardena and Udeni Thewarapperuma (UNDP Sri Lanka).
The handbook would not be complete without the invaluable expertise, contributions
and guidance received from Doina Ghimici and Nashida Sattar and Alexandra Wilde. We
would also like to recognize the contributions from Risa Arai, Rosalie Fransen, Barbora
Galvankova, Frances Guy, Ulrika Jonsson, Yağız Öztepe, (UNDP), Zeina Hilal (Inter-
Parliamentary Union) and Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini (International Civil Society Action
Network).
Finally, thanks go to Paul VanDeCarr (copyediting) and Phoenix Design Aid (graphic
design).
United Nations Development Programme

Oslo Governance Centre
Kongens gate 12, 0153 Oslo, NORWAY
www.undp.org
Copyright © UNDP 2019. All rights reserved.

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind
of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global
perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
Design & Production: Phoenix Design Aid A/S, Denmark

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
1. “WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY” AGENDA: OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................ 4
2. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORKS............................................................................................................................11
ALIGNMENT WITH AGENDA 2030 AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS..........................................................11
ALIGNMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORKS AND PROCESSES.................................................15
3. PARLIAMENTS AND THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA.................................................................................19
4. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH NATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORKS......................................................................................................................................................................21
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY NATIONAL ACTION PLANS............................................................................................................21
NATIONAL OR SECTORAL STRATEGIES OR DEVELOPMENT PLANS...............................................................................................23
5. MAKING LAWS TO IMPLEMENT THE WPS AGENDA........................................................................................................................25

IDENTIFYING LAW REFORM PRIORITIES..........................................................................................................................................................25
COMMON WPS LAW REFORM ISSUES.............................................................................................................................................................26
PROGRESSING WPS LAW REFORMS..................................................................................................................................................................27
6. BUDGETING FOR WPS IMPLEMENTATION.............................................................................................................................................30

ENSURING RESOURCES FOR WPS......................................................................................................................................................................31
ENSURING WPS BUDGETS ARE EFFECTIVELY USED................................................................................................................................32
7. OVERSIGHT OF WPS IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................................................................................................35

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT OF SPECIFIC WPS NAP......................................................................................................................................35
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT ON SPECIFIC WPS SECTORAL ISSUES......................................................................................................36
QUESTION TIME / INTERPELLATIONS...............................................................................................................................................................37
PARLIAMENTARY MOTIONS / RESOLUTIONS...............................................................................................................................................38
INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT BODIES REPORTING TO PARLIAMENT................................................................................................39
8. REPRESENTATION.....................................................................................................................................................................................................42
PARLIAMENTARIANS AS REPRESENTATIVES..................................................................................................................................................42
PARLIAMENTARIANS AS GENDER-SENSITIVE PEACEBUILDERS.........................................................................................................43
PARLIAMENTARIANS AS PARTNERS...................................................................................................................................................................44
9. ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS..........................................................................................................................................................47

CROSS-PARTY WOMEN’S CAUCUSES...............................................................................................................................................................47
CROSS-PARTY WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS............................................................................48
10. HARNESSING PARLIAMENTARY STAFF....................................................................................................................................................50
USEFUL RESOURCES...............................................................................................................................................................................................51
2 PARLIAMENTS AS PARTNERS SUPPORTINGTHE WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In October 2000, the UN Security Council endorsed the groundbreaking Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on women,
peace and security (WPS). UNSCR 1325 responded to a raft of lessons learned over the previous decade or more on
peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
The nature of warfare was changing, with civilians increasingly targeted, and women, in particular, often bearing the
brunt of conflict. Women suffered a range of harms, from sexual and gender-based violence inflicted by combatants,
to the loss of their spouses and families, to the loss of their livelihoods and personal autonomy. Furthermore, even
during transitional and peacebuilding periods, it became clear that women continued to be marginalised, with
domestic and international stakeholders overlooking their contributions and excluding them from peace processes.
There is now a growing understanding that sexual minorities and non-binary gender identities also face distinct
vulnerabilities during conflict, which should be reflected in a broader framing of the WPS agenda.
UNSCR 1325 called on countries to address the impacts that conflict had on women and girls around the globe
and to systematically include women in peacebuilding efforts, including peace talks, peacekeeping and post-
conflict reconstruction efforts. Over the last two decades, UNSCR 1325 has been complemented by an additional
nine resolutions on women, peace and security (see Figure 2 for more detail). Together, these resolutions provide
guidance to national and international actors on their roles in relation to WPS.
The women, peace and security agenda remains critically important in a world that grapples with complex conflict,
whether it be violent state-based warfare, civil war, internal conflict or violent extremism. In nearly 80 countries,
National Action Plans (NAPs) on women, peace and security have been developed to set priorities for action by
government bodies and other agencies. In other countries, gender-sensitive peace and security priorities have been
captured in sectoral strategies on gender, justice or national security. The participation of parliaments in efforts to
support the women, peace and security agenda has been variable, with many parliaments either unaware of or
uninvolved in national implementation efforts.1
The Handbook
This Handbook seeks to provide guidance to parliamentarians on their role in supporting the UNSCR 1325 agenda.
The objectives of this Handbook are three-fold, namely to:
• Provide information to parliamentarians on the global women, peace and security agenda as it applies
domestically.
• Provide guidance on how parliaments and parliamentarians can help implement the women, peace and
security agenda. This guidance is for use not only by Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, but also
by development practitioners who work with parliaments.
• Share examples of good practice from other parliaments and projects.
1 Only Europe has undertaken a systematic review of parliamentary engagement in supporting the WPS agenda, through the survey by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
on WPS implementation. In other regions, there is only sparse information available and a simple review of existing WPS NAPs shows only limited inclusion of legislatures;
see Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves, The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.12-13.
A G L O B A L H A N D B O O K 3
This Handbook is aimed at all Members of Parliament (MPs) of whatever sex. Addressing peace and security issues
that affect women is an issue not only for women MPs; it is the role of all MPs to ensure that every member of society
has the protections and opportunities to live peaceful and prosperous lives. The Handbook is organised this way:
• Chapters 1-3 give an overview of the WPS agenda and its relationship to other global and national commitments
to gender equality and sustainable development.2
• Chapters 4-8 discuss how the WPS agenda can be implemented in the context of each of the core functions of
a parliament — namely, lawmaking, budgeting, oversight, and representation. These chapters provide action
ideas and examples of good practices for parliamentarians and other stakeholders interested in working to
advance the WPS agenda.
• Chapters 9-10 reflect upon how parliamentary groupings and staff can support women’s peace and security.
At the end of each chapter is a short series of self-assessment questions and a set of action ideas to spark reflection,
discussion, and action on the WPS agenda.
This Handbook is not a “one-size-fits-all” template for action. Instead, it offers information, questions and ideas that
parliamentarians can apply in their own contexts to ensure implementation of the women, peace and security
agenda.
2 For more detailed guidance on UNSCR 1325, refer to:

(a) UN Women Sourcebook on Women, Peace and Security.
http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2012/10/un-women-sourcebook-on-women-peace-and-security; and
(b) UN Women Guidebook on CEDAW general recommendation no. 30 and the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/8/guidebook-cedawgeneralrecommendation30-womenpeacesecurity
C H A P T E R 1
THE WOMEN, PEACE

AND SECURITY
AGENDA: OVERVIEW
Understanding the gendered nature of conflict
Since the year 2000, global understanding of the gendered nature of conflict and peacebuilding has grown
substantially. Not only do we now know that conflicts are experienced differently by women and girls than by
men and boys, but also that their roles in conflict and peacebuilding are varied and complex. Women and girls
have long been targets of war, regularly subjected to sexual and gender-based violence and enslavement as
part of the strategy of combatants. Often left to manage home life when men go off to war, in many countries,
women have also been active in protecting their homes and communities. Women may act as peacebuilders,
including through women’s organisations and by using their influence in families and communities. They may
also be agents of violence, acting as supporters or combatants in the armed groups. Finally, they may move
between these roles, depending on the situation they find themselves in and the opportunities they are given.3
In recent decades, as war has morphed from inter-state conflicts between competing armies to include violent
armed insurgencies and violent extremist groups, the impact on women has become even more troubling.
Despite decades of effort by the women’s movement to focus attention on the gendered impact of conflict, the
increase in UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations during the 1990s saw the continued application of
narrowly-focused military responses, with little attention paid to addressing the particular needs of women in
conflict-affected contexts. Women also continued to be overlooked for peacekeeping operations and excluded
from subsequent peace processes. In response to ongoing gender-blind international responses to conflict, the
women’s movement ramped up its efforts to force governments to act. In 2000, this lobbying came to a head,
with the UN Security Council leveraging the political momentum of the new millennium to officially acknowledge
women’s exclusion from peace-making and peacebuilding and to call for action.
UNSCR 1325 and four pillars of WPS
The Women, Peace and Security (“WPS”) agenda was formally initiated by the landmark UN Security Council
Resolution 1325 (2000), which was adopted on 31 October 2000.4 UNSCR 1325 affirmed the important role of
women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building initiatives. The WPS agenda rests on four
pillars: prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery. (See Figure 1.)
3 UNDP, ICAN, “Invisible Women: Gendered Dimensions of Return, Rehabilitation and Reintegration from Violent Extremism” (2019).
4 UN Security Council, Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), 31 October 2000, S/RES/1325 (2000).
FIGURE 1 FOUR PILLARS OF THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y FRAME WORK
Prevention of conflict and all forms of violence against women and girls
PREVENTION in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Women’s equal participation and gender equality in peace and security

PARTICIPATION decision-making processes at all levels.
Women and girls are protected from all forms of sexual and gender-based
PROTECTION violence and their rights are protected and promoted in conflict situations.
Specific relief needs of women are met and their capacities to act as agents in
RELIEF & RECOVERY
relief and recovery are strengthened in conflict and post-conflict situations.
UNSCR 1325 is a wide-ranging resolution that reaffirms the important role of women in the conflict prevention
and resolution, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and post-conflict
reconstruction. It stresses the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to
maintain and promote peace and security. 5
UNSCR 1325 urges all stakeholders to take action to increase the participation of women and calls on the UN to
incorporate gender perspectives into all of its peace and security efforts. It calls on stakeholders to take special
measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual
abuse, in situations of armed conflict.
Subsequent resolutions
In the years since the adoption of UNSCR 1325, the UN Security Council has adopted nine more resolutions on
women, peace and security, in order to provide more detailed guidance on specific aspects of war and its impact on
women, addressing such issues as sexual and gender-based violence, human trafficking and the gendered aspects
of peacekeeping efforts.
Relevance to all country contexts
UNSCR 1325 was designed not for any one type of development or conflict context, but for all contexts. It applies
to countries in ongoing violent conflict that urgently need to address protection and recovery issues, and it applies
equally to so-called “stable” countries that may still need to address issues such as violence against women or the
gendered aspects of increasing radicalisation.
UNSCR 1325 is also directed at countries that deploy forces for peacekeeping operations. These countries still need
to ensure that women are included in decision-making and leadership roles in military and civilian peace operations,
and that all forces are properly trained in gender-sensitive peace operations, have the skills and resources to address
the conflict issues faced by women and girls where they are deployed, and are properly managed to address any
shortcomings in these areas (including punishing sexual or gender-based violence committed by peacekeeping
troops). Likewise, countries that provide more general development funding to support women’s empowerment
and peacebuilding need to ensure that their contributions are conflict-sensitive and contribute to the WPS agenda.
5 UNSCR 1325, http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/1325.

FIGURE 2 UN SECURIT Y COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS RELATED TO WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y
Resolution 1325 (2000) Addresses the impact of conflict on women and recognizes the contribution
of women in preventing and resolving conflict and their role in maintaining
international peace and security.
Resolution 1820 (2008) Recognizes conflict-related sexual violence as a tactic of war used by warring
parties to achieve military or political ends and resulting in impunity, which
require strengthened efforts to end sexual violence in conflict.
Resolution 1888 (2009) Provides for more effective implementation of Resolution 1820, including
by establishing a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual
Violence in Conflict to provide high-level leadership, and establishing women
protection advisers within peacekeeping missions.
Resolution 1889 (2009) Focuses on post-conflict peacebuilding, includes a strategy for increasing the
number of women participating in peace talks, and calls for the development
of global indicators to measure the implementation of Resolution 1325 by
the UN and Member States. A set of 26 indicators have now been developed
to track and account for implementation, organised into 4 Pillars: Prevention,
Participation, Protection, and Relief and Recovery. The indicators are listed in
the Secretary-General’s Report (S/2010/498).
Resolution 1960 (2010) Reaffirms the earlier commitments required to address sexual violence in
conflict and mandates the creation of tools to combat impunity by listing
perpetrators and establishing monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements.
Resolution 2106 (2013) Requests all actors, including the Security Council, to do more to implement
earlier resolutions and to combat impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence
in conflict. Acknowledges the importance of civil society in preventing and
responding to sexual violence in conflict.
Resolution 2122 (2013) Sets in place stronger measures to improve women’s participation and
representation in conflict resolution, especially through leadership positions.
Reaffirms that gender equality is central to achieving international peace and
security. Sets out the need for humanitarian aid to ensure access to the full
range of sexual and reproductive health services.
Resolution 2242 (2015) On women’s roles in countering violent extremism and terrorism and improved
Security Council working methods on women, peace and security CEDAW
General Recommendation No. 30 (2015). Links the women, peace and security
agenda to CEDAW, providing detailed guidance on implementation of the
agenda. (See Chapter 3 for more.)
Resolution 2272 (2016): Provides measures to address sexual exploitation and abuse in peace operations.
Resolution 2467 (2019) Calls on parties to conflicts around the world to put an end to sexual violence
immediately, to prevent such acts in the future, and introduces accountability
measures for perpetrators of sexual violence and calls for effective support
measures for victims of sexual violence to be implemented.
Implementation challenges and opportunities for parliamentary action
In the years since the endorsement of UNSCR 1325, there have been some improvements in how states protect and
include women during and after conflict. However, women around the globe continue to suffer severely. In an effort
to learn from efforts to implement UNSCR 1325, in 2015 the UN Secretary General published a Global Study on the
Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (“Global Study”).6
The Global Study revealed that while the women, peace and security agenda had contributed to significant changes
in international norms surrounding women’s political leadership and decision-making on peace and security, its
effect on the lives of women at local levels has been limited. Some of the issues the Global Study identified can be
addressed by parliamentary action, such as legislation on:
• The protection and promotion of women’s rights (see Table 1 in the next chapter for some common
examples of such WPS-related laws).
• Insufficient funds from the national budget for WPS National Action Plans (NAP).
• Lack of monitoring and accountability for WPS NAP implementation.
• Lack of coordination across government bodies and levels of government, as well as with civil society, to
ensure WPS activities are effectively implemented.
These approaches will be discussed in more detail in the following chapters.

Ensuring that the women, peace and security commitments have a meaningful impact on the lives of women and girls
is a critical problem. How can governments — and parliaments — take the words of UNSCR 1325 and its supporting
resolutions and make them a lived reality for women and girls, especially for those living in areas affected by conflict?
LEGISLATING UN RESOLUTIONS ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y
Since UNSCR 1325 was approved in 2000, it has been complemented by additional resolutions on
emerging issues. For example, Resolutions 1820, 1888 1960 and 2106 draw attention to sexual violence
and rape as a tool of war and call on governments to take urgent action.
Parliaments are now starting to report on their own efforts to implement these resolutions.7 For example,
Croatia reported as part of a 2018 NATO study on WPS priorities that it passed the historic Act on the Rights
of Victims of Sexual Violence during the Military Aggression against Republic of Croatia in the Homeland War,
which was in response to sexual violence perpetrated during the wars of 1991-95. Under the law, rape
victims receive a single payment of HRK100,000 (about US$14,500), in addition to a monthly HRK2,500
allowance, free counselling, health care and legal assistance.8 It was the first law of its kind, providing
financial reparations for wartime acts of sexual violence against women.
The Latvian Saeima, or parliament, passed the 2015 Asylum Law, which requires that interviews with asylum
seekers should be conducted by officials “sufficiently competent to take into account the personal and
general circumstances of the asylum seeker,” including sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.9 Croatia
also adopted the 2015 International and Temporary Protection Act, which ensures that “appropriate support
shall be provided for applications in relation to their [asylum seekers’] personal circumstances” through
“special procedural and reception guarantees,” including gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and
exposure to rape and sexual violence.10
6 Radhika Coomaraswamy, Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: A Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325
(UN Women, 2015).
7 Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves, The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.12-13.
8 (2015) “Croatia: Legislation Gives Benefits to War-Time Rape Victims,” Library of Congress: Washington DC, 5 June,
http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/croatia-legislation-gives-benefits-to-war-time-rape-victims/; (undated) “Compensation for Croatian survivors of sexual vio-
lence in conflict, 20 years after the war,” Global Fund for Women, https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/rosa-croatia/#.XBIEPmgzbZs
9 Ibid. p.13.
10 Ibid. p.13.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPS AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: RAISING AWARENESS

OF WPS AND MEASURING PREPAREDNESS IN PARLIAMENT
? P
arliamentary staff can raise awareness of WPS in parliament by distributing materials to MPs on the
women, peace and security agenda (e.g., this Handbook, key resolutions, a WPS National Action Plan,
national reporting on WPS issues).
? Interested MPs, women’s caucuses or parliamentary committees can work with staff, civil society
organisations or development partners to organise a seminar for MPs on the WPS agenda.
? I nterested MPs, women’s caucuses or parliamentary committees can undertake a WPS self-assessment
based on the questions in this Handbook. Such self-assessments can benefit from involving external
partners (e.g., women’s organisations, local politicians and CSO leaders, development partners) who
can offer their expertise, resources or facilitation support.
QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT
? Have any information sessions or trainings been held for MPs on the WPS agenda?
 If parliament runs an induction programme for MPs following national elections, does the induction
include briefings on gender and/or WPS?
 Has the parliament reached out to the national WPS focal point or relevant departments to request
a briefing or training for MPs on the WPS agenda?
? H
as the parliamentary secretariat or a relevant government department provided MPs with any
materials or information seminars on the women, peace and security agenda?
 Has this Global Handbook on Parliaments and the Women Peace and Security Agenda been shared
with all MPs?
? H
as the parliament reviewed the status of implementation of the WPS agenda and agreed to a set of
priorities to move forward?
C H A P T E R 2
ALIGNING THE
WOMEN, PEACE AND
SECURITY AGENDA
WITH INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
FRAMEWORKS
Since the endorsement of UNSCR 1325, other resolutions have been agreed upon that provide further guidance
on how Member States can ensure women’s peace and security. At the same time, the international community
has continued to implement global frameworks on this agenda. After the publication of two major UN reports on
peacebuilding — the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations11 and the global study on
the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 132512 — the UN General Assembly and Security
Council passed complementary “peacebuilding resolutions” in April 2016 (referred to as the “Sustaining Peace”
resolutions)13 which addressed peace at all stages of a conflict and in all its dimensions, with specific references
to the needs of women and girls in line with UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions. Together, UNSCR 1325 and
other global resolutions form a set of measures that Member States have committed to implementing.
Alignment with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, 193 Member States of the United Nations endorsed Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development (“2030 Agenda”). The 2030 Agenda is supported by 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs),14 which together set out universal, long-term development objectives intended to guide the world
towards more sustainable economic, environmental and social development. Agenda 2030 came into force on 1
January 2016 and all countries are now moving forward with planning and implementation efforts to achieve the
SDGs by December 2030.
11 High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, ‘Uniting Our Strengths for Peace — Politics, Partnerships, and People: Report of the High-Level
Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations’ (United Nations, 2015), https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/446.
12 Radhika Coomaraswamy, Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: A Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution
1325 (UN Women, 2015).
13 ‘A/RES/70/262: Review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture.’
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_70_262.pdf
‘Security Council Resolution 2282 (2016)’ 1, https://undocs.org/pdf?symbol=en/S/RES/2282(2016).
14 The SDGs replace the eight Millennium Development Goals that were to be achieved during the years 2000-2015.
FIGURE 3 SUSTAINABLE DE VELOPMENT GOALS
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests,
combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for
all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable
Development
Although the women, peace and security agenda was endorsed in 2000, the SDGs, adopted in 2015, do not replace
the agenda, but instead complement it. The SDGs also complement the global gender equality commitments
that were reflected in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an agenda which has driven global efforts
on WPS in the years since it was agreed upon in 1995. These efforts eventually resulted in UNSCR 1325. The aims
of the Beijing Platform, UNSCR 1325 and its subsequent resolutions are now captured in the SDGs, and efforts to
implement these commitments will contribute to achievement of SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and
economic growth) and SDG 16 (inclusive governance and peace).
OAL 5 commits countries to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all
G
women and girls. SDG 5 is broken down into six targets, with Target 5.2 specifically calling
on governments to “Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public
and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.” This
tracks closely with the women, peace and security agenda, as do additional targets on
ending all forms of discrimination against women (Target 5.1) and increasing women’s role
in decision making (Target 5.5). This last target is particularly relevant to parliamentarians.
Research by the Inter-Parliamentary Union has shown that both women MPs and staff are
vulnerable to experiencing sexism, abuse and violence as part of their work environment.15
SDG Target 5.5, when read with the WPS agenda, encourages MPs to reflect on whether
their own parliament has policies and mechanisms to ensure safe conditions for women to
participate equally in the work of the legislature.
15 Issues Brief: Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe (October 2018), IPU: Geneva,
https://www.ipu.org/file/5472/download?token=PjtucdkS.
GOAL 8 commits countries to promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic

growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. SDG 8 is broken down
into ten targets, a number of which directly relate to the need for women, including in
conflict-affected contexts, to have secure work. Target 8.5 calls for “decent work for all men
and women,” while Target 8.7 calls for an end to forced labour, modern slavery and human
trafficking and Target 8.8 calls for safe working environments for all workers, including
women migrants and those in precarious employment.
GOAL 16 commits to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
at all levels. There are often trade-offs within countries regarding which SDGs are more
important for a country’s development aspirations, with SDG 16 sometimes being treated
as less important for governments that focus on economic growth, poverty reduction,
health or education. However, the risks of not investing in SDG 16 are considerable: conflict
and violence can reverse development gains; injustice and exclusion can fuel violence;
insecurity, lack of access to justice and inequality is cyclical and mutually reinforcing and
can lead to the outbreak of violent conflict.16 SDG 16 is supported by twelve targets, some
of which focus on the rule of law, protection from violence and addressing the causes
and effects of conflict. Target 16.7 focuses on ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory
and representative decision-making at all levels, and highlights the role of parliament to
promote gender-responsive decision-making. This approach recognises that women’s
peace and security is inseparable from society’s peace and security, and that parliaments
have an instrumental role in ensuring that laws concerning peace, justice and inclusion,
including issues related to WPS, are discussed and adopted.
16 The Global Alliance for Reporting Progress on Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, ‘Enabling the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through SDG 16+: Anchoring
peace, justice and inclusion’, United Nations, New York, 2019, www.sdg16hub.org.
PARLIAMENTARY EFFORTS TO PROMOTE SDGS IMPLEMENTATION
Parliaments have an important role to play in supporting sustainable development efforts at home and
around the world.
From 2000 to 2015, the global development agenda was guided by the Millennium Development
Goals, a set of eight goals developed primarily by the executive branch of governments. In 2015, these
Goals were replaced by the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, which were
developed through a much more participatory process, including with inputs from parliamentarians via
regional groupings and the global Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The SDGs reinforce the WPS agenda; both the SDGs and WPS reflect the understanding that peace,
conflict and inclusion — especially of women and girls — are inextricably linked.
Since the endorsement of the 2030 Agenda, considerable attention has focused on ensuring that
parliamentarians are engaged as active partners in implementing the SDGs. Two guides have been
published to assist MPs to identify how they can most effectively use their law-making, budgeting,
oversight and representational roles to effectively progress the SDGs agenda:
• P arliament’s Role in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: A Parliamentary Handbook (UNDP,
GOPAC, IDB).17
• Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals: A self-assessment toolkit (UNDP, IPU).18
UNDP and the IPU have been working with parliaments across the world to facilitate parliamentary self-
assessments based on the abovementioned Toolkit, thus helping MPs to determine how their parliaments
can systematically support the SDGs. This Handbook on the Role of Parliaments as Partners in Advancing the
Women, Peace and Security is intended to be used alongside such an SDGs self-assessment, with a special
focus on SDG 5 and WPS.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: INTEGRATING WPS IN

PARLIAMENTARY PROCESSES ON THE SDGS
? If parliament undertakes a self-assessment on the SDGs, the questions in this Handbook can be used
as a supplement to ensure that parliament integrates the WPS agenda into its efforts on the SDGs.
? If parliamentary committees have been tasked with oversight of the SDGs, these committees could
also review progress to implement the WPS agenda, in support of SDG 5 (gender equality), SGD 8
(decent work) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and inclusion). See Chapter 8 for more on promoting the
WPS agenda through parliamentary committees.
17 Parliament’s Role in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: A Parliamentary Handbook (UNDP, GOPAC, IDB),
https://www.undp.org/content/dam/serbia/Publications%20and%20reports/English/DobraUprava/UNDP_SRB_Parliaments%20role%20in%20implementing%20the%20SDGs.pdf.
18 Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals: A self-assessment toolkit (UNDP, IPU),
https://www.ipu.org/resources/publications/handbooks/2017-01/parliaments-and-sustainable-development-goals-self-assessment-toolkit.
? D
oes Parliament have a committee that is mandated to monitor SDGs implementation progress and/
or has the SDGs agenda been mainstreamed into the mandates of one or more existing committees?
? H
as any parliamentary committee undertaken an inquiry into how best to align the WPS agenda with
national SDG plans and programming?
Alignment with international human rights frameworks and processes
Since the establishment of the United Nations, the protection and promotion of human rights has been at the heart
of the commitments of member states to ensure that their people can live safe, peaceful and prosperous lives. The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out these commitments in 1948 and has been followed by numerous
subsequent declarations and conventions that elaborated on those fundamental principles. Implementation of the
commitments in these declarations and conventions are continually monitored by UN committees and processes
and by civil society groups. The most relevant of these human rights frameworks and processes are described
below.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Even before the endorsement of UNSCR 1325, international frameworks already existed which sought to ensure
women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of life, including as a prerequisite to peace. Most notably, one of the
seven core international human rights treaties was specifically dedicated to women’s rights, namely the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“CEDAW”). The Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons also recognise the intersectionality of the
identities of women and girls, an approach that also informs efforts to implement UNSCR 1325.
CEDAW clearly underpins the peace and security priorities elaborated upon in UNSCR 1325. CEDAW was drafted in
1979 and came into force in 1981. Since that time, it has become one of the most ratified treaties in the history of
the UN, with 189 States Parties19 (only Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga and the USA have not ratified). It sets out a
framework of rights and duties, calling for action by States parties to address ongoing discrimination and inequality
in political, social, economic and cultural life.
None of CEDAW’s provisions refer to the WPS agenda, but the Preamble recognises that “the cause of peace requires
the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.” To provide more explicit guidance for
States parties, the UN CEDAW Committee, in 2013, issued General Recommendation No. 30 (“GR-30”) on women
in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, which offered measures to ensure women’s rights are
protected before, during and after conflict. GR-30 explicitly affirms CEDAW’s linkages with the women, peace
and security agenda. It also makes clear that CEDAW applies in all forms of conflict and post-conflict settings and
addresses crucial issues facing women in these settings, including violence and challenges in access to justice,
education, employment and health. It also provides guidance on the obligation of States parties to ensure due
diligence with respect to crimes against women by non-State actors.
19 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),

https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en.
For more detailed guidance on CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30, please refer to the UN Women
Sourcebook on GR-30. See the resource listings at the end of this Handbook.
THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY FOREIGN AFFAIRS / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

COMMIT TEES IN OVERSEEING CEDAW AND UNSCR 1325 IMPLEMENTATION
Almost every legislature has a parliamentary committee with a mandate to oversee issues related to
international relations or foreign affairs.
Such parliamentary committees can play an active role in overseeing national efforts on the women,
peace and security agenda, especially when overseeing CEDAW implementation. All countries
that have ratified CEDAW must regularly report to the UN CEDAW Committee on implementation,
including in relation to WPS issues. In 2010, CEDAW issued guidance on the role of parliaments in
relation to CEDAW (see Annex 1). For example, national CEDAW reports should be tabled for discussion
in parliament, at least by the relevant parliamentary committee. Once the CEDAW Committee provides
its written recommendations to the government, these should also be tabled in parliament, in order to
identify what, if any, action parliament should take to advance the recommendations.
Recommendations from the CEDAW Committee often include guidance on law reform priorities.
UN Universal Periodic Review process
Each of the core human rights instruments agreed to by Member States has a process in place designed to oversee
implementation. CEDAW has the UN CEDAW Committee, and other such committees have been established that
require Member States to regularly report on their progress. In 2006, in an effort to support a more comprehensive
approach to national human rights reporting, the UN replaced the previous UN Commission on Human Rights with
a new UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and established a Universal Period Review process, which would require
states to report to the UNHRC every five years on their progress in promoting and protecting human rights.20
The Universal Period Review (UPR) process is designed to “prompt, support, and expand the promotion and
protection of human rights on the ground…[by] assessing States’ human rights records and addressing human
rights violations…. The UPR also aims to provide technical assistance to States and enhance their capacity to deal
effectively with human rights challenges and to share best practices in the field of human rights among States and
other stakeholders.”21 The UPR is a useful venue to address the human rights implication of the WPS agenda. States
are required to report across all of their international human rights commitments, which enables reviewing States
to provide observations and recommendations on the cross-cutting issues regarding women and girls whose lives
are affected by conflict and instability.
20 ‘A/RES/60/251: Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 15 March 2006 on the Human Rights Council,’
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/502/66/PDF/N0550266.pdf?OpenElement.
21 OHCHR | UPR Basic Facts about the UPR, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/BasicFacts.aspx.
PARLIAMENTARY ENGAGEMENT IN THE UPR PROCESS
Legislatures have a critical role to play in protecting and promoting human rights, including through
their engagement with the UPR process. Parliamentarians or parliamentary committees can, for example,
• Request from the executive a copy of the draft UPR report for review.
• Join the delegation that presents the UPR report to the Human Rights Council, to hear the HRC’s
inquiries and recommendations first-hand.
• R
eview the recommendations of the HRC on the national UPR report, and recommend law reform or
other actions.
In 2018, the UN issued a report produced in collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on
parliaments’ contributions to HRC and the UPR process.22 The UN/IPU study provides considerable detail of
how parliaments across the world have been using their powers to promote human rights, including women’s
rights in the context of peace and security. Of the 56 countries that responded to a survey, 35 had dedicated
human rights committees; while their mandates varied, they had a lot in common, including initiating
legislative reviews and amendments, undertaking parliamentary oversight of the executive’s efforts to fulfil its
human rights obligations, and engaging in debates and hearings on human rights.23 The study included an
annex that guided parliaments on how to establish and run parliamentary human rights committees.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF:

WPS AND TREAT Y REPOR TING
UPR and treaty reporting provides multiple opportunities for parliaments to engage with WPS issues.24
? D
uring the preparation of the national UPR and/or CEDAW report, parliaments can hold hearings and
have the resulting recommendations integrated into the final national report that is submitted to
the UN by the executive branch. In this way, the legislature can play an important role in facilitating
feedback directly from communities and civil society.
? M
Ps can take part in the UN review of the UPR and CEDAW reports. Some national delegations include
MPs whose remit covers human rights and/or women’s rights. This is an excellent opportunity for MPs
to champion women’s human rights internationally.
? O
nce the UPR and CEDAW Concluding Reports are produced by the Human Rights Council and
CEDAW Committee respectively, MPs can also call for the report to be tabled in parliament and
referred to relevant parliamentary committees for further consideration and action.
22 ‘A/HRC/38/25: Contribution of Parliaments to the Work of the Human Rights Council and Its Universal Periodic Review - Report of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights.’
23 OHCHR Summary Report: Meeting on “Increasing Parliaments’ Engagement with Human Rights”’ (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 28 June 2018).
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/UPR/Parliaments/SideEventParliamentsSummary.docx.
24 ‘A/HRC/38/25: Contribution of Parliaments to the Work of the Human Rights Council and Its Universal Periodic Review - Report of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights,’ https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G18/135/75/PDF/G1813575.pdf?OpenElement.
Constance Hybsier, ‘The Universal Periodic Review and Parliament: Opportunities for Engagement’ (PowerPoint presentation, Viet Nam, 10 December 2014),
http://www.vn.undp.org/content/dam/vietnam/docs/Article/NA%20PDF%20Connie.pdf.
‘Conclusions: Workshop on Strengthening The Role Of Parliamentarians In The Implementation Of Universal Periodic Review Recommendations’ (IPU & Commonwealth
Secretariat, 12 and 13 November 2012), http://archive.ipu.org/splz-e/hr12/conclusions.pdf.
? Does Parliament have a committee that oversees foreign affairs issues, including reporting to the UN?
? D
oes the government submit its CEDAW reports and other UN human rights reports to parliament
for consideration?
? D
oes a parliamentary committee review national CEDAW and UPR reports — including any
recommendations from UN human rights bodies — in relation to the women, peace and security
agenda?
C H A P T E R 3
PARLIAMENTS AND THE

WOMEN, PEACE AND
SECURITY AGENDA
As the elected representatives of the people, parliamentarians have a duty to ensure that all people, including
women and girls, can live their lives safely, securely and peacefully and have equal opportunities to build peaceful
and secure societies. To these ends, parliamentarians can use their powers in the legislature to promote laws,
budgets, policies and programmes.
WPS and core functions of parliament
Parliamentarians are valuable partners in ensuring the accountable, inclusive, participatory and transparent
governance that is necessary to achieve sustainable development for all. The core functions and powers of
parliaments provide MPs with avenues to promote the WPS agenda.
There are four key functions that practically all legislatures have as part of their mandate, though they may vary from
one country to another. These functions include law-making, budget approval and oversight, oversight and control
of the executive branch, and representation and outreach.
Table 1 summarises some of the entry points for parliaments

to support the agenda, and the next four chapters
discuss these approaches in more detail. LAW-
MAKING
REPRESENTATION/
PARLIAMENT BUDGETING
OUTREACH
OVERSIGHT /
CONTROL
TABLE 1 SUPPOR TING THE FOUR PILLARS OF THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y AGENDA THROUGH THE CORE FUNC TIONS OF THE 20
LEGISLATURE
Law-making Budgeting Oversight / Monitoring Representation / Outreach
WPS planning &  Enshrining WPS commitments in legislation  Resources for WPS coordination A
nnual review of WPS NAP  Inclusion of MPs in WPS Inter-
monitoring  Requiring governments by law to produce agency to support and monitor WPS implementation by Government Coordination Groups
a WPS NAP and annual WPS reports NAP implementation the executive branch  Local MP community forums on
 Resources to strengthen capacities the WPS agenda, in collaboration
of various WPS implementing with local government and civil
agencies society groups
 Budget Committee oversight to  Meetings with women and youth
ensure resources allocated for WPS rights activists and groups to learn
provided and expended effectively how MPs and parliament can
support their WPS work
Prevention: Prevention  Legislative review to identify existing discriminatory  Resources to support institutions  Regular committee review of UPR,  MP community forums to address
of conflict and all forms of laws for amendment (e.g., marriage, inheritance, tasked with implementing laws (e.g., CEDAW and other recommendations local tensions and potential
violence against women ownership, nationality) gender commission, human rights from all treaty bodies related to women’s conflict triggers and their
and girls in conflict and  Anti-discrimination laws commission, ministry of justice, rights and GBV, including WPS reporting gendered impact, in collaboration
post-conflict situations  Gender equality legislation police or security sector)  Committee review of implementation with local government and civil
 Resources for programmes (e.g., of laws listed under “Law-Making” to society
 PVE laws
PVE) identify areas for improvement
 Human and sexual trafficking laws
Participation: Women’s  Quotas and other measures for increasing  Resources for increasing political R
eview of levels of women’s  Support for parliamentary
equal participation and women in national parliament and other local and participation of women at local and participation in peace and security women’s caucus to work on WPS
gender equality in peace public bodies national levels decision-making issues, drawing on expertise from
and security decision-  Quotas and other measures to encourage  Training for women candidates R
eview of national peacekeeping officials and civil society
making at all levels increase in women in security forces  Resources for training security efforts, including  MPs mentoring women leaders at
 Quotas and other measures to increase women in personnel on gender and peace on WPS local level
diplomatic corps and/or peace negotiation and  MPs mentoring women
mediation teams candidates
PARLIAMENTS AS PARTNERS SUPPORTINGTHE WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA
 Employment laws, property and inheritance laws, or potential canidates

family law
Protection: Women and  Sexual and gender-based violence law  Resources to implement SGBV  Review of effectiveness of existing  MP community forums to discuss
girls are protected from  Criminalisation of sexual exploitation by legislation, such as women’s shelters, criminal or local SGBV issues and challenges
all forms of sexual and peacekeepers counselling services, police services, SGBV laws and their implementation and their impact on the rights
gender-based violence  Sexual harassment law court processes of women and girls, conducted
(SGBV) and their rights are  Resources to train security forces in collaboration with local
protected and promoted in and/or peacekeepers on their WPS government and civil society
conflict-affected situations and gender obligations
Relief & recovery: Relief  Laws promoting reconciliation and reparations for  Resources to implement  Review of relevant government DDR  MP forums to support
needs of women are met women in post-conflict situations government relief programmes, programmes peacebuilding, e.g., to discuss
and their capacities to act as  Laws promoting women’s economic empowerment including for  Review of relevant government local conflict or women’s issues,
agents in relief and recovery  Laws ensuring disarmament, demobilisation, and conflict-affected women programmes on women’s economic especially in collaboration with
are strengthened in conflict reintegration (DDR) programmes empowerment local government and civil
and post-conflict situations  Review of government relief society
 Laws to ensure support for war widows, women ex-
combatants and women-headed households programmes
C H A P T E R 4
ALIGNING THE WOMEN,

PEACE AND SECURITY
AGENDA WITH NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORKS
The women, peace and security agenda has a strong global dimension, reflected in the guidance in UNSCR
1325 on UN peacekeeping operations. Still, the agenda was always meant to be implemented domestically and
internationally, that is, through domestic state action, as well as through its inclusion in peace negotiations and
operations both at home and abroad. For this reason, it is useful for national development frameworks to consider
the WPS agenda to assess possible national action. The localisation of the WPS agenda must align with governments’
commitments to localise Agenda 2030, and with the overarching recognition that there can be no sustainable
development without peace.
WPS National Action Plans
Following the adoption of UNSCR 1325, the UN Security Council encouraged Member States to develop government-
led National Action Plans (NAPs) or other national strategies which would enable countries to identify their local
WPS priorities and assign resources, responsibilities and deadlines for their implementation. As of April 2019, 79
nations had created NAPs.25
FIGURE 4
WPS NATIONAL
AC TION PLANS
GLOBALLY 26
25 Member States of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, http://peacewomen.org/member-states.

26 Ibid.
The development of WPS NAPs should be done through an inclusive, participatory process that brings together
relevant government agencies, the national security services (both police and military), civil society and, ideally,
parliament. In practice, however, the involvement of parliaments in the development of NAPs has been variable.
Most commonly, the WPS NAP development process has been led by either the national women’s ministry or the
ministry for national security. The lead agency sets up a working group, drawing together different stakeholders
to conduct a problem analysis and develop an action plan. The NAP development process is an opportunity for
parliament to get involved in setting the priorities for WPS implementation. MPs may be directly involved in the
drafting process, and the final WPS NAP may be officially submitted for consideration and endorsement by the
legislature.
ENGAGING PARLIAMENTARIANS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF

NATIONAL AC TION PLANS
Good practice suggests that MPs should be involved in the development of National Action Plans as
early as possible. MPs can benefit the NAP with their knowledge of the most critical issues in their home
constituencies, law reform, budgets and parliamentary procedure.
When a WPS NAP is under development — whether or not the parliament is included in the drafting
process — it may be useful to raise awareness with MPs on WPS and its relevance in their country. This
will lay the groundwork for MPs to feel more ownership over the final WPS NAP and to take charge of
ensuring oversight of its implementation.
A parliamentary briefing on WPS could be organised for MPs as a way to position the WPS agenda within
larger development frameworks such as the SDGs or national development plans. Such a seminar would
also provide an opportunity to start building commitment for elements of the NAP which may require
parliamentary support, most notably, law reforms and peacebuilding in constituencies.
UNDP supported such WPS awareness-raising workshops in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan
through the “Global Project on the Role of Parliaments as Partners in Women, Peace and Security (2018-
19).” These workshops were organised with local partners and included government officials to brief MPs
on key issues. Including officials in such briefings facilitates relationships between parliaments and the
executive branch, which is useful for ongoing monitoring efforts.
In Sierra Leone, following a UNDP-supported “WPS Workshop for Parliamentarians” in July 2018, women
MPs became more actively engaged in the design of the second Sierra Leone WPS NAP (SiLNAP), which
was launched by the government in August 2018. The chair of the Women’s Caucus participated as a
member of the National WPS Steering Committee and took part in several planning meetings during
the drafting process. She was also part of the team to validate the assessment tools to be used for the
consultations. Eight MPs — four men and four women — then participated in the regional consultations
on the second SiLNAP draft and contributed their inputs.27
27 Sarah Ferbach and Audrey Reeves, The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamen-
tary Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.15.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: ENGAGING IN THE

WPS NAP PROCESS
? P
arliamentarians can be included in the working group responsible for developing the WPS NAP. This
way, parliamentarians can offer their knowledge of the priorities of their electorate. It can also be a first
step to generate buy-in for law reform and budgetary aspects of the WPS NAP that will need to be
approved by parliament.
? Even where parliament was not involved in developing the WPS NAP, once endorsed by the
government, the WPS NAP can be submitted to Parliament by the responsible Minister, for
acknowledgement or endorsement.
? R
egular progress reports should also be submitted to Parliament to enable monitoring (see Chapter
7 below for more on parliamentary monitoring).
? A
re there opportunities for MPs to be involved in developing the WPS NAP, either during the
consultation and drafting process or once a final draft has been agreed upon?
? I f a NAP has been developed, was the final version submitted to Parliament for its information, debate
or endorsement?
National or sectoral strategies or development plans
Not all countries have developed a WPS National Action Plan. In some countries, WPS may not have been prioritised
amongst a range of other pressing national agendas. Other countries may have integrated WPS issues into other
national development plans, recognising the importance of mainstreaming gender issues across all sectors or to
ensure that they attract the resources and political will necessary for their implementation.
Most commonly, a national gender strategy will be developed, which will include an analysis of and recommendations
on women’s security. Some countries have passed legislation that requires such a gender strategy to be produced
and presented to parliament, which is an excellent opportunity for MPs to advocate for WPS issues. For example, in
Iceland, the Act on the Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men No. 10/2008 required that, “Within one year
following a general election, the Minister shall present to the Althingi [Parliament] a motion for a parliamentary
resolution on a four-year gender equality action programme” listing proposed activities and budgets.28
In some countries, the national human rights machinery may develop strategies to address the needs of women
affected by conflict, as part of their overall work to protect marginalised groups. Instead or in addition, national
defence, police, peacekeeping or security strategies may also include a gender analysis, with recommendations
and resources for WPS gaps or priorities. Sectoral strategies, policies or action plans may include WPS priorities
such as: establishing Women’s Desks to handle SGBV complaints at police stations; enabling the National Human
Rights Commission to receive complaints relating to war violence; or requiring gender-sensitive training for defence
personnel deployed as peacekeepers.
28 Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men No. 10/2008, as amended by Act No. 162/2010, No. 126/2011, No. 62/2014, No. 79/2015, No. 117/2016 and
No. 56/2017, https://www.government.is/library/04-Legislation/Act%20on%20equal%20status%20and%20equal%20rights%20of%20women%20and%20men%20no%20
10%202008%20as%20amended%200101%202018%20final.pdf.
INTEGRATING WOMEN’S PEACE AND SECURIT Y NEEDS INTO

NATIONAL PLANS IN SRI LANKA
For more than 25 years, Sri Lanka experienced civil conflict, which came to an end in 2009. Women were
deeply affected by the conflict, whether as war widows, wives of the disappeared, internally displaced
people, combatants or survivors or victims of violence. At the end of the war, the many husbands lost to
war resulted in a disproportionate number of women-headed households as well.
Despite the gendered impacts of the conflict, the Sri Lankan government has not developed a WPS National
Action Plan. Instead, the government mainstreamed the needs of the large proportion of women affected by
the conflict into existing national sectoral plans. For example, the National Action Plan for the Protection and
Promotion of Human Rights (2017-2021) includes numerous priorities for addressing the needs of women
affected by the war identifying priorities for action by the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, as well
as the Ministries of Justice, Law and Order, Rehabilitation, Health, Agriculture and Local Government. This
approach recognises the need not only for justice, but also for women’s economic and physical security.
The Policy Framework and National Plan for Action to Address Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Sri
Lanka (2016-2020) takes a similarly cross-sectoral approach to addressing SGBV, identifying priorities for
eight ministries. Both plans call on the government to develop a Policy Framework for Women-Headed
Households, which are a continuing reminder of the impact of the war.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: INTEGRATING WPS IN

NATIONAL DE VELOPMENT PLANNING
? M
any countries develop not WPS NAPs but national development or sectoral plans, and these address
WPS issues such as plans on gender equality, human rights and peacebuilding. Parliamentarians can be
included in the working group responsible for developing such plans.
? E ven if parliament has not been involved in the development of such plans, they can be submitted to
parliament by the responsible MP for acknowledgement or endorsement, after they have been finalized
by the government.
? R
egular progress reports should also be submitted to parliament to enable monitoring of implementation
(see Chapter 7 for more on parliamentary monitoring).
? If a WPS National Action Plan has not been developed, has Parliament inquired into whether WPS
issues have been integrated into other national or sectoral development plans?
? H
ave any national development or sectoral development plans been prepared which include WPS
issues? If so, was the plan developed or drafted with parliamentary input?
? H
as legislation been passed that requires, at a minimum, that some form of gender equality action
plan be developed by the government and presented to parliament? If so, does the plan include
issues related to WPS, and was it submitted to parliament for information or endorsement?
C H A P T E R 5
MAKING LAWS TO IMPLEMENT

THE WPS AGENDA
MPs are responsible for reviewing, debating, amending and enacting legislation, and this is one of their most
important powers. Most commonly, draft laws are developed by the executive branch, but in some countries, MPs
also have the power to initiate legislation, either because the legislature is a truly co-equal branch of government or
through so-called “Private Members Bills,” which enable individual MPs or groups of like-minded MPs to table their
own draft laws. Law reform is a key way for parliaments to support the women, peace and security agenda.
Identifying law reform priorities
In countries where a WPS National Action Plan has been developed, law reform priorities may already have been
identified. In some countries, reports from the UPR process, the UN CEDAW Committee and other relevant human
rights processes may also contain recommendations for law reform. National sectoral strategies, in sectors such
as human rights, gender equality, defence national security and peacebuilding, could also contain guidance on
priority areas for legislation.
Advocating for, initiating, debating and enacting law reform is a key contribution that parliaments can make to
supporting implementation of the WPS agenda. In support of law reforms to promote women’s peace and security,
MPs may want to request parliamentary staff to undertake a law reform assessment to identify which laws need to
be amended and whether any new laws are needed to implement the WPS agenda. (Ideally this will be embedded
within a whole-of-government process such as the development of a WPS NAP.) In support of SDG 5 on gender
equality, ideally any such assessment would examine not just law reforms to promote WPS, but also to promote
gender equality and women’s empowerment more broadly.
PARLIAMENTARY RULES REQUIRING A GENDER REVIEW OF PROPOSED LAWS
In some countries, parliament is required to undertake a gender assessment of draft legislation to identify
whether a proposed law is gender-sensitive and protects, and does not diminish, gender equality
and women’s rights. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, the Law on Normative Legal Acts 2009 guides the
Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) on how it reviews draft laws. Article 20 specifically requires that draft laws
be subjected to an analysis to assess their impact on human rights protection, gender, anti-corruption,
and ecological protection.29 In Fiji, Parliament’s Standing Orders provides the mandates of committees
to review draft laws and undertake inquiries and then states that committees “shall ensure that full
consideration will be given to the principle of gender equality so as to ensure all matters are considered
with regard to the impact and benefit on both men and women equally.”
29 Development Alternatives Inc. (2011) Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Strengthening Programme(KPSP): Assessment of Parliamentary Legislative Drafting Process in the Kyrgyz Repub-
lic, USAID: Bishkek, p.8, https://www.auca.kg/uploads/Tian%20Shan%20Policy%20Center/Reports/Country%20Reports%20and%20Assessments/KPSP%20Assessment%20
of%20Legislative%20Drafting%20Process%20-%20Final.pdf.
Depending on the extent and complexity of the law reforms that are required, MPs may wish to discuss the results
of any law reform assessment to prioritise reforms. This may even result in the development of a broader legislative
reform agenda, which could be used to guide efforts of both the executive branch and parliament to draft and
enact of laws.
Common WPS law reform issues
There are no templates for legislation to promote women, peace and security, but experience around the world
shows that parliaments have taken action to legislate on a range of different issues. For example:
Non-discrimination, equality and equal participation
? O
mnibus gender equality laws that set out general principles in relation to equality, non-discrimination and
women’s rights, or which may include the establishment of key gender equality structures (such as a Gender
Commission or National Women’s Council). Such laws may also include provisions on women’s involvement in
peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
? Legislation outlawing gender discrimination, perhaps including some form of institutional mechanism to
oversee its implementation (e.g., a commission on sex-discrimination or human rights).
? Legislation introducing affirmative action quotas for women’s participation in political institutions and decision-
making or recruitment for military, police, public service, peacekeeping or diplomacy (especially in relation to
peace operations).
Preventing and responding to violence and trafficking
? Legislation to address SGBV, passed as a stand-alone law or package of laws, or through amendments to an
existing criminal code.
? Legislation addressing SGBV committed in conflict contexts, including provisions allowing for extra-territorial
jurisdiction to allow prosecution of offences committed overseas (e.g., by peacekeepers).
? Legislation providing criminal and civil penalties for sexual harassment in the workplace, on public transport or
in public.
? Legislation outlawing human trafficking, including specific provisions allowing for extra-territorial jurisdiction to
allow prosecution of offences committed overseas (e.g., by peacekeepers).
? G
ender-sensitive legislation on transitional justice, both in terms of process (i.e., including women) and
substantive issues (i.e., topics relevant to women and girls).
? G
ender-sensitive legislation addressing the prevention of violent extremism and/or radicalisation, taking into
account the different experiences of men and women in such contexts.
? Legislation providing for economic support for people affected by conflict, including gender-sensitive provisions
addressing the special needs of women ex-combatants, war widows, children orphaned by conflict and/or post-
conflict woman-headed households.
INTEGRATING LAW REFORM ANALYSIS AND AC TION INTO WPS

NATIONAL AC TION PLANS IN NIGERIA AND IRAQ
In some countries, a law reform needs-assessment is part of the research undertaken to develop the
WPS National Action Plan. For example, the Nigerian WPS NAP (2017-2020) identifies five pillars of
work, which are supported by five core strategies to implement the priorities; one of these strategies is
“Legislation and Policies.” 30 An annex gives more detail on the law reforms that are needed to achieve
the NAP’s objectives.
The Iraq WPS NAP (2014-18) identifies “Legislation and Law Enforcement” as one of the six pillars requiring
action, and the objective of his pillar is to harmonize “national legislation with international standards and
mechanisms for women’s rights.”31 The NAP also identifies two larger strategic objectives: “Adopting
legislation that respects the basic universal human rights for all women and men; [and] Ending impunity
for perpetrators and enhancing legislation.”
Advancing WPS law reforms
Different legislatures have different procedures for drafting, submitting and enacting laws. Most commonly, the
executive branch will be responsible for initiating and drafting legislation or amendments. In such cases, although
MPs are less likely to initiate a draft bill, they can still push for action, such as by raising a question about law
reform, proposing a motion or using the committee inquiry process as an opportunity to discuss WPS and propose
legislative reforms.
Once a government-initiated bill is finalised, it will be submitted by a government minister to the legislature
for debate, amendment or enactment. During this process, draft bills will commonly be referred to a relevant
parliamentary committee for further review. This is an important process for committee members, who can take
the opportunity to propose amendments to the draft law. Once the committee process is complete, the draft bill
returns to the main plenary for debate, amendment and a final vote. In bicameral parliaments, the process may then
be repeated in the upper house.
In many presidential or semi-presidential systems, the legislature has more power to initiate its own draft laws. In
such contexts, groups of parliamentarians (grouped by party or by issue) or even individual parliamentarians can
develop their own draft law and then work to advocate for their bill to be included on the legislative agenda for a
hearing. Where a bill is accepted for consideration by the leadership of the legislature, it then goes through a similar
process as described above, usually involving a committee review, followed by debate, amendment and enactment
in the main plenary.
In some countries, an MP may be able to push for what is called a “Private Members Bill.” In such cases, a member
will draft the proposed law themselves (often drawing on the expertise of civil society organisations) and try to
get it on the legislative agenda. This approach is less successful in countries with strong political parties, where it is
usually only party-endorsed bills that are taken up by the whole legislature. That said, in some cases, for example, on
a people-focused issue such as WPS, Private Members Bills may have cross-party appeal and be accepted.
30 National Acton Plan for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and Related Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria (2017-2020), Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs
and Social Development: Abuja, p.14, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-nigeria.
31 Iraq’s Women Peace and Security National Action Plan, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-iraq.
In the UK, a Members Bill was proposed in 2018 to address weaknesses in existing national legislation dealing with
female genital mutilation.32 In the speech introducing the Bill, the initiator referenced multiple UN resolutions on
the issue, demonstrating the value of international commitments to encourage domestic law reform. The advocacy
and cross-party support of a Women’s Caucus can be particularly useful in support of Private Members Bills, as
women from multiple political parties may group together to drive forward WPS-related legislation (see Chapter 9
for more).
PHILIPPINES CONGRESS TAKES AC TION TO PASS LAWS IN SUPPORT OF WPS
The Philippines has produced two WPS National Action Plans, the first from 2010-1633 and the second
from 2017-22.34 Both NAPs reference key laws as the basis for further reform efforts, including the Anti-
Rape Act of 1997 (RA 8353), the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998 (RA 8505), the Anti-
Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208) and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children
Act of 2004 (RA 9262). The NAPs recognise that these laws already contribute to the national legislative
framework protecting women’s security. 35
The Philippines has also passed two pieces of legislation that provide good practice models for consideration
by other countries. Republic Act 7192 “recognizes the role of women in nation building and shall ensure the
fundamental equality before the law of women and men.” 36 The law requires that a large portion of official
development assistance from foreign governments or multilateral agencies be dedicated to programs for
women, that government departments ensure that women benefit equally from such programs, and that
government agencies remove gender biases from their regulations and procedures.
In August 2009 the Philippines Congress enacted what is called the Magna Carta for Women (RA 9710),
which promotes gender equality broadly, and, in particular, provides for increased participation of
women in peace-building and their protection against gender-based violence in armed conflicts. One
section of the law, for example, called for an increase in women in decision-making in the peace process
and greater inclusion of women’s concerns in the peace agenda.
32 David Alton, ‘Female Genital Mutilation Bill Debated in the House of Lords: 200 Million Women Are Subjected to FGM’ on DavidAlton.net (20 July 2018),
https://davidalton.net/2018/07/20/female-genital-mutilation-bill-debated-in-the-house-of-lords-200-million-women-are-subjected-to-fgm/.
33 Progressing WPS law reforms Philippine National Action Plan O UNSCRs 1325 & 1820: 2010-2016, http://peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/philippines_nap.pdf.
33 Philippine National Action Plan on UNSCRs 1325 & 1820: 2017-2022, http://peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/Philippines_20172022NAP.pdf.
34 Philippine National Action Plan on UNSCRs 1325 & 1820: 2010-2016, p.2, http://peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/philippines_nap.pdf.
35 The Women in Development and Nation Building act, https://www.pcw.gov.ph/law/republic-act-7192.
AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: LAW REFORM
? Ideally, the development of a WPS NAP or another sectoral plan will have been supported by a legislative
needs-analysis. Where this has not been done:
• A systematic law reform assessment can be commissioned to identify laws or amendments needed to
advance the WPS agenda.
• MPs can engage with their constituents, NGOs, academics, national law associations and other experts
to identify the most critical areas requiring law reform.
? D
epending on the size and complexity of the law reforms identified, MPs or parliamentary committees
may wish to formally discuss the results of any assessment to prioritise law reforms. This may result in
a legislative reform agenda, which could be used to guide efforts of both the executive branch and
parliament to draft and enact laws.
? In support of an agreed set of law reform priorities, MPs or parliamentary committees can:
• Request the executive branch to prioritise key law reforms.
• Raise a question about law reform during Question Time (see Chapter 7 for more).
• Propose a motion on WPS to draw the attention of parliament and the government to a key concern
(see Chapter 7).
• Use the committee inquiry process to discuss a WPS issue in detail and propose legislative reforms in
the form of committee recommendations (see Chapter 7).
• Work with the parliamentary legal counsel or consultants to develop draft laws.
? In some countries, an MP or group of MPs may be able to develop and lobby for their own “Private
Members Bill” on topics related to women, peace and security.
? H
as a systematic Gender and WPS Law Reform Assessment been undertaken (whether as part of a
NAP development process, sectoral plan development process or by parliament itself ) to identify law
reform priorities?
? H
as an annual legislative plan been developed to guide parliament’s work with regard to key WPS law
reform priorities?
? D
o MPs and parliamentary committees have access to legal expertise to support their efforts to
advance WPS-related law reforms?
C H A P T E R 6
BUDGETING
FOR WPS
IMPLEMENTATION
While it is vital that countries commit in law to ensuring that women have agency and can live safe and peaceful
lives, experience has shown that one of the most critical weakenesses in current efforts to implement the WPS
agenda is a failure to allocate proper resources to plans and programmes. The global non-governmental organisation
PeaceWomen has reported that of the 79 WPS National Action Plans adopted around the world, only 34 included a
budget.37 Of these 34, considerably fewer allocated the budget that was requested in the Plan.
The national budget is largely an act of parliament. In most countries, parliaments have constitutional powers for
debating and adopting the national budget. In some countries, they can amend it, though usually this power is
limited to deleting items. Parliament is also responsible for monitoring implementation of the annual state budget,38
often through a dedicated parliamentary budget or public accounts committee. The process of debating, approving
and monitoring the budget is known as the “annual budget cycle,” and is often a constitutionally mandated duty of
parliament.
Despite this, in many jurisdictions, parliaments play only a limited role in debating the budget, often simply accepting
the budget proposed by the government. Similarly, one of the most common parliamentary committees to exist
throughout the world is one with a remit to review the proposed budget, as well as final expenditures;39 however,
the effectiveness of these committees has been variable.40 If the WPS agenda is to be successfully implemented,
parliamentary action to ensure adequate resources is essential.
37 Countries with WPS National Action Plans are listed at https://www.peacewomen.org/member-states.

38 Parliament’s role with regard to the annual state budget is often considered a cross-cutting issue. Thus, the law-making function is exercised in the passage of the
budget, while the monitoring of the budget’s implementation is oversight. Throughout the budget cycle, the engagement of the public is a form of representation.
39 Bill Woodley, Vinod Sahgal and Frederick Stapenhurst, ‘Scrutinizing Public Expenditures: The Role of Public Accounts Committees’; Joachim Wehner, ‘Best Practices of
Public Accounts Committees, https://www.internationalbudget.org/wp-content/uploads/Best-Practices-of-Public-Accounts-Committees.pdf.
40 Ibid.
FIGURE 4 PARLIAMENTS AND THE NATIONAL BUDGE T PROCESS ROLE IN SDGS, P.32
Parliament may gather This executive presents its budget

information and public and proposal to parliament, which refers
interest group opinion, presenting consideration of the proposal to
a recommandation paper to specialist legislative committees,
assist the executive in budget with the finance committee often
formuation. coordinating. After consideration
BUDGET and possible amendment the
FORMULATION BUDGET
budget is presented to the
CONSIDERATION
AND
plenary for approval.
APPROVAL
Parliament, in conjunction with Parliament and its standing

BUDGET
Supreme Audit institution, audits committees will monitor budget
AUDIT
government revenues and OVERSIGHT execution, including for example
expenditures for the previous OF BUDGET questions to ministers and
year, identifying weaknesses IMPLEMENTATION observation missions. Parliament
and recommending changes in itself does not execute the
practice. If appropriate it certifies budget, this is the
the previous year’s account, government’s job.
providing a baseline for the next
year’s accounts.
(taken from UNDP-GOPAC-IDB “Parliament’s Role in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: Parliamentary Handbook”)
Securing resources for WPS
The lack of funding for WPS action is a critical issue that MPs can be proactive in addressing.
Specifically, when the draft National Budget is tabled in the legislature, MPs can use their powers in plenary, as well
as during the committee review process, to ask questions about whether and how WPS issues have been funded.
At a minimum, parliamentary scrutiny could include a hearing by a committee responsible for reviewing the
national budget and with representatives from the ministry or department for women’s affairs. Officials would be
asked whether and how they have budgeted to address priority WPS issues for the country. Such budget review
could also involve holding hearings with a broader cross-section of relevant ministries, including, for example, the
ministries responsible for foreign affairs, the police force, military and security services, welfare, employment and
peacebuilding. Each of these ministries could be asked about what funds they have allocated to the WPS agenda.
It is important to review a budget holistically, and not just focus on funds for the women’s affairs ministry, because
addressing WPS requires a cross-sector approach. Commonly, budgeting for WPS becomes a request for additional
resources, but in many countries with a limited budget, this may not be possible. Nonetheless, parliament can still
inquire whether existing budgets could be used more effectively or efficiently.
SRI LANKA PUBLIC FINANCE COMMIT TEE HOLDS BUDGE T HEARINGS ON WPS
The Sri Lankan parliament adopted a series of reforms, which included establishing strong parliamentary
committees with clear oversight mandates for the first time in many years. These new committees cover
a range of sectoral issues and include two committees focused on ensuring proper expenditure of
government funds — pre-expenditure and post-expenditure reviews.
In October 2018, the Public Finance Committee held a special hearing on budgeting in support of the
WPS agenda. In attendance were representatives of the Ministries of the Women and Child Affairs, Justice,
Health, Finance, Mass Media, Law & Order and others.
These bodies all have responsibilities for WPS issues, under the Policy Framework and National Plan for
Action to Address Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Sri Lanka (2016-2020) and the National Action
Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (2017-2021). The chairperson inquired on a
wide range of relevant issues, including, for example, funding allocations for shelters for women fleeing
violence, the provision of psycho-social support to victims of violence, and the role of the police in
increasing women’s access to justice.
Ensuring WPS budgets are effectively used
Even where an adequate budget is allocated towards gender equality or women’s peace and security, it is still
critical for parliament to assess whether such funds were received by the relevant government department and
used efficiently and effectively. In many countries, officials complain of money being budgeted but not actually
allocated in practice. MPs can address this issue by using their oversight powers to track actual disbursements by
the government.
Most countries have a parliamentary committee dedicated to reviewing expenditures at the end of the budget
cycle, commonly called a Public Accounts Committee. Such committees usually have strong powers to hold
hearings and undertake a thorough review of expenditures. Such a review should look both at value-for-money
but also the actual results for people, in particular the most marginalised and needy. In practice, many such finance
committees draw on information and analyses already produced by the national Supreme Audit Institution, and
some even call on the audit office for advice in dissecting the technicalities of budget and expenditure reports and
the impact of public spending.
Members of the expenditure review committee have an especially powerful role, but other MPs can also play a
role in budget oversight, by engaging with their own constituents to find out whether the services promised by
the government were actually delivered. For example, were survivors of violence able to access police and welfare
services? Were shelters for women operational and accessible? Were livelihoods opportunities for war widows or
women-headed households actually made available? Were pensions for war widows actually paid out to the right
people?
USING PARLIAMENTARY COMMIT TEES TO ASSESS THE GENDER AND WPS

IMPAC TS OF BUDGE TS
For many years, countries have been encouraged to implement “gender-responsive budgets,” but limited
resources in the executive and legislative branches have often hampered their ability to undertake a
proper gender analysis of the budget. Nonetheless, some countries have forged ahead.
In Bangladesh, for example, gender issues are integrated into the Medium-Term Budget Framework,
which requires ministries to link their objectives back to the advancement of women’s rights, including
WPS. Their annual budgets must then also identify how gender equality is being promoted. A gender
budget analysis of all ministries is then done by Ministry of Finance and submitted to the Parliament
during each budget session. The government has presented a gender budget since the 2009-10 financial
year, and now applies across 43 ministries or divisions.41
In Namibia, UNDP has worked with the Parliament to provide training to MPs on gender-responsive
budgets to assist MPs to more effectively review proposed budget and final budget expenditures.42 This
work with MPs advanced the commitments in Namibia’s National Gender Policy 2010-2020 and the
National GRB Guidelines, whereby MPs are in charge of overseeing the application of GRB principles in
the national budget in accordance with 2014 Cabinet Decision.
In Canada, the government produces a Gender Budget Statement that provides a gender-based
analysis of the budget, identifying how policies may affect women differently than men. Additionally,
committees have used the budget review process to examine gender and WPS issues. In 2018, two
House of Commons Standing Committees joined together to examine the spending of governmental
departments responsible for the implementation of the WPS agenda.43 MPs questioned the Minister of
National Defence on the recruitment of women, its commitments to peace operations, and its policies
on eliminating inappropriate sexual behaviour in the military. 44
41 This case study from Bangladesh was based on Md Osman Al (2018) “Parliament’s role in gender responsive budget,” 27 June 2018, The Independent.
http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/155490.
42 “Members of Parliament trained on Gender Responsive Budgeting,” 1 November 2018, UNDP: Windhoek,
http://www.na.undp.org/content/namibia/en/home/presscenter/articles/2018/members-of-parliament-trained-on-gender-responsive-budgeting.html
43 Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves, The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.16.
44 Ibid.
AC TION POINTS FOR MP S AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: WPS AND THE

BUDGE T CYCLE
? M
Ps can engage gather information from their constituents on whether and how government
programmes have been useful in advancing the WPS agenda. This information can be used to inform
parliamentary questions and hearings on the budget.
? W
hen the draft national budget is tabled in the legislature, MPs can use Question Time to ask whether
and how WPS issues will be funded.
? C
ommittees responsible for reviewing budgets can commission the parliamentary secretariat to
undertake an analysis to identify how existing budgets could be targeted more effectively to address
WPS, such as by redirecting existing funds or using them more efficiently.
? C
ommittees responsible for reviewing public finances can hold hearings with representatives from
relevant ministries, including the ministry for women, but also ministries responsible for foreign affairs,
the police force, military and security services, welfare, employment and/or peacebuilding. Each of
these ministries could be asked about what funds they have allocated towards implementation of the
WPS agenda and whether and how they have set performance indicators to assess the impact of such
funds.
? C
ommittees responsible for reviewing budget expenditures at the end of the budget cycle can hold
hearings with government departments to review what government funds were actually spent and
whether they had a positive impact. Such a review should look both at value-for-money but also the
results for people on the ground.
? C
ommittees that interact with the national Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) can examine audits or other
reports to focus attention on WPS implementation. Committees may wish to recommend that the SAI
integrate some form of gender audit into their work, and/or undertake performance audits that include
gender equality and WPS issues.
? H
ave MPs or parliamentary staff received training on gender responsive budgeting, especially budgets
to support women’s peace and security?
? D
oes the country and/or the legislature implement gender responsive budgeting? In any case, is an
analysis of gender and WPS impacts of the budget produced for MPs to inform their work?
? H
ave any parliamentary committee/s responsible for reviewing the proposed national budget held
hearings to examine budget allocations for national gender equality and WPS priorities?
? H
ave any parliamentary committee/s responsible for reviewing budget expenditures held hearings
or asked questions of ministries to assess whether budget allocations to implement national gender
equality and WPS priorities (i) were provided as budgeted, (ii) were expended efficiently, and (iii) were
expended impactfully to improve the lives of women and girls, especially the most vulnerable and
marginalised?
C H A P T E R 7
OVERSIGHT OF WPS
IMPLEMENTATION
One of the most powerful mandates that legislatures have is the ability to oversee the activities of the government.
Oversight can be done by all MPs, for example, by asking questions, making interpellations or debating resolutions
to provide guidance to the government (see later sections for more).
However, it is particularly the role of parliamentary committees, which have a mandate and powers to review
the work of government bodies and/or issues of public interest. Committees are known as the workhorses of
parliament, because they are responsible for undertaking the longer-term, more detailed reviews of government
policies and programmes. Committee inquiries can be a particularly effective monitoring mechanism, because
they allow MPs to call witnesses, demand and review government documents, organise public hearings and debate
policy issues in greater depth. They also enable committees to involve the public in their work, not only by holding
their hearings in public but also by inviting written or oral submissions from any member of the community. At the
end of an inquiry, the committee will table a report in the House for debate and consideration by the government.
Producing and debating committee reports can be an excellent opportunity for MPs to participate in policymaking,
by making recommendations for concrete action to be taken by the government.
Committee oversight of WPS NAPs
Where a WPS National Action Plan has been developed, parliamentary committees can play a key role in overseeing
government implementation. Very often, WPS NAPs include a mechanism by which the lead ministry issues annual
progress reports. In some countries, these are also shared with the legislature. For example, in Finland, the WPS
NAP requires that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs prepare an annual report to the Foreign Affairs Committee of
Parliament on implementation of NAP. 45 In France, the first iteration of the WPS NAP (2010-13) required annual
WPS NAP reports to be presented to the relevant parliamentary committees, and in the second WPS NAP (2014-
16), this was reduced to a final report on WPS NAP implementation.46 In Australia, three progress reports have
been tabled to the parliament, with a report submitted every two years for the WPS NAP (2012-18).47 Germany’s
most recent NAP (2017-20) requires a report on the outcomes of the WPS NAP to be presented to the Bundestag
(parliament) at the end of the Plan.48
Most commonly, WPS National Action Plan implementation is reviewed by a foreign affairs or international relations
committee, in recognition of the fact that the WPS agenda is set out in multiple UN Security Council Resolutions.
These committees sometimes send their members to take part in international conferences on gender, CEDAW
or the WPS agenda, and they typically have the power to review the policies and programmes of foreign affairs
ministries, which in turn may deploy officials to support the WPS aspects of peace operations.
45 WPS NAP (2018-21), p.64, WPS NAP (2012-16), p.41, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-finland.

46 WPS NAP (2010-13), p.10, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-france.
WPS NAP (2014-16), p.8, https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/PNA_en_DEF.pdf.
47 Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012–2018,
https://www.pmc.gov.au/office-women/international-forums/australian-national-action-plan-women-peace-and-security-2012-2018.
48 WPS NAP (2017-20), p.9, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-germany.
In addition, it is increasingly common for parliaments to set up a committee focused on gender equality.49 This is an
observable trend, as more countries develop dedicated gender equality action plans or WPS National Action Plans
that require oversight and recognise the need for all arms of government to prioritise SDG 5 on gender equality
and the wellbeing of half of their population. An existing gender equality and women’s affairs committee will
clearly have a role to play in providing oversight over the WPS agenda. Such a committee will often undertake joint
hearings so that MPs can share their gender expertise while harnessing the sectoral expertise of other committees.
It would be good practice, for example, for a review of implementation of the WPS agenda to be undertaken jointly
by a foreign affairs committee and a gender equality committee.
GROUNDBREAKING REPORT ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y FROM

CANADIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS & INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMIT TEE
The Canadian Federal Parliament has been one of the most active proponents of the women, peace and
security agenda in the world. Most notably, in September 2016, the Canadian House of Commons Standing
Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development studied the WPS agenda and Canada’s
role in its implementation, both through its national contributions to peace operations and through its
development assistance. It launched a final report, An Opportunity for Global Leadership: Canada and the
Women, Peace and Security Agenda,50 in October 2016, following an open process of oral and written
submissions. Witnesses involved in the committee review reflected a broad range of perspectives, including
the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
UNDP, UN Women, Global Affairs Canada and a range of NGOs, academics and practitioners.
The Standing Committee then released two complementary reports. The first was published in October
2016 and focused on Development Cooperation for a More Stable, Inclusive and Prosperous World: A Collective
Ambition.51 The second report, released in November 2016, looked specifically at the WPS agenda, with
an overview on Supporting Peace and Development in Guatemala and Colombia for the Long-Term,52 and
produced an additional report as a case study, Guatemala and Colombia — Women, Peace and Security
and Countries of Focus for Bilateral Developmental Assistance.53
Committee oversight on specific WPS sectoral issues
While committees dealing with foreign affairs or international development have clear mandates to deal with
UNSCR 1325 and related WPS resolutions and activities, many other committees have related mandates. Ensuring
women’s peace and security is a cross-cutting issue that may require action across a number of sectors, including
the military, police force, human rights, education, economic development, religious affairs and peacebuilding. In
many parliaments, these sectors will be dealt with by different parliamentary committees, meaning that each has a
right to inquire into aspects of the WPS agenda that relate to their mandate. For example:
? S
DGs committee: More parliaments are beginning to establish dedicated SDGs committees. Such committees
can assess WPS as part of the review of implementation of SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 8 on economic
development and SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.
49 As part of the global efforts to track implementation of the SDGs, IPU is now keeping track of relevant parliamentary committees working on gender equality and
women’s rights in support of SDG 16.7.1a reporting. For information, http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/Instancelist.asp.
50 https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/FAAE/report-3/page-5.
51 https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/FAAE/report-4/.
52 https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/FAAE/report-5/.
53 https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/FAAE/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=9225021.
? J ustice, police or law and order committee: It is common for parliaments to have some form of committee
dedicated to oversight of domestic law enforcement and justice agencies. Parliament has an important role in
overseeing their effectiveness in ensuring access to justice for victims of violence, and in promoting gender
equality and awareness in such institutions (e.g., by reviewing efforts by such agencies to recruit and promote
more women officers or to provide gender-sensitivity training to staff ).
? A
rmed forces, defence or security services committee: Many parliaments have a separate committee
dedicated to oversight of the military and national security agencies. Such committees can examine military and
civilian peacekeeping activities, as well as the gendered impact of any domestic military operations.
? N
ational security committee: In addition to committees focused on security sector institutions, some
parliaments also have committees mandated to review national security processes and priorities. Such
committees can also review WPS issues as they relate to the security sector. Notably, such committees are also
increasingly being mandated to examine national efforts focused on the prevention of violent extremism. Such
powers can be used to examine the gender-specific aspects of both violent extremism and prevention efforts.
? P
eacebuilding or reconciliation committee: Where countries are recovering from violent conflict, it is common
for the government to develop a peacebuilding plan and programmes. Parliament may create a peacebuilding
or reconciliation committee to oversee such policies and activities. Such committees have a role in overseeing
implementation of the WPS agenda, including the impact of peacebuilding efforts on women and girls.
? E
conomic development, employment or livelihoods committee: Many parliaments have set up one or
more committees to review government economic and employment policies. A key aspect of the WPS agenda
is ensuring that women affected by violence are included in recovery efforts, including efforts to rebuild their
economic security in the aftermath of conflict. Such committees can review government programmes to assess
whether they are gender-sensitive and include components to address the special economic needs of women
affected by conflict.
? S
ocial welfare committee: In some countries, the WPS agenda has included support to women affected by
violence through pensions or other welfare payments or programmes. Committees with a welfare focus can
examine the impact of such programmes, such as whether beneficiaries are receiving the rightful entitlements.
Any of these parliamentary committees can initiate an inquiry on a topic within their mandate. Parliament may also
pass a resolution in plenary tasking one or more committees with undertaking an inquiry, for example, into SGBV
implementation, welfare and employment benefits for war widows or peacekeeping deployments in particular
countries. Where an inquiry is of sufficient public interest to warrant its own dedicated resources, parliament may
also choose to establish an ad hoc or special committee, which will disband upon completion of its work.
Question Time / Interpellations
In many countries, there are processes that MPs can use to push for action where the government or the ruling
parliamentary party has not prioritised key issues or reforms. Such processes can be useful to draw attention to
WPS issues. They can also be useful in countries that have a WPS National Action Plan, to provide oversight on
implementation progress.
One of the most common forms of oversight that an individual MP can use is to ask a question of the government.
Depending on the type of parliamentary system that exists in a country, this can be done via a question asked
during Question Time or as a written interpellation:
? Q
uestion Time: Many countries have a regular time during the plenary parliamentary session for individual MPs
to ask questions of Ministers. (This is in addition to the opportunity to use parliamentary committees to hold
longer hearings with Ministers.) MPs could take this opportunity to ask about WPS implementation, and to draw
government attention to key law reforms and other WPS priorities.
? I nterpellations: In countries where the system of government means that Ministers do not sit within the
parliament, Question Time may be replaced or complemented by interpellations. Such interpellations enable
an individual MP to ask a question in writing of a Minister and receive a response. Interpellations can help MPs
access detailed information on what the government is or is not doing on the WPS agenda.
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS CAN BE USEFUL TO DRAW AT TENTION TO WPS

ISSUES
The Norwegian Storting (Parliament) and individual MPs have been active in supporting the WPS
agenda. A number of them have used their powers to ask questions and make interpellations to draw
attention to WPS issues.
During Question Time in 2016, MP Hon Olaug Bollestad asked the Minister of Defence what was being
done to safeguard women recruits to the Armed Forces, “so that they are appreciated and shown respect
and so there are attitude changes?” 54
In 2015, MP Hon Kjell-Ingolf Ropstad submitted a question in writing to the Minister of Defence, which
asked (in summary): “What signal does the government believe it sends to women that the Armed Forces
do not invest in material and logistics to get them geared in line with men and what will she do to ensure
that this will take place?” 55
In 2010, MP Hon Ine Eriksen Søreide submitted an interpellation to the Minister for Foreign Affairs asking,
“What has Norway done to contribute to the implementation of UN1325?” 56
In 2018, German MPs asked the federal government about allegations of sexual violence in international
missions. Similarly, the Turkish Parliament asked for updates from the government regarding the
constantly evolving situation of women displaced and affected by the Syrian conflict.57
Parliamentary motions and resolutions
Many countries allow individual MPs to propose motions or resolutions to the plenary, which serve as an opportunity
to call for action on a particular issue. Such motions cannot usually force a government to do something, but they
draw attention to a particular topic, such as WPS, generate public debate and put pressure on the government to
take action.
54 Question, https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Sporsmal/Sporretimesporsmal/et-sporretimesporsmal/?qid=64403.
55 Question, https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Sporsmal/Skriftlige-sporsmal-og-svar/Skriftlig-sporsmal/?qid=62239.
56 Question, https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Publikasjoner/Referater/Stortinget/2010-2011/110118/4#a2.
Debate: https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Sporsmal/Interpellasjoner/Interpellasjon/?qid=48428.
57 German and Turkish examples come from Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves, The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and
Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.16.
USING PARLIAMENTARY PROCESSES TO FOCUS GOVERNMENT

AT TENTION ON WPS
In countries with strong political parties, it can be difficult for MPs to push for action outside the party
system. Nonetheless, parliamentary processes exist that MPs can use, whether they sit as independents
or simply want to take action on their own because an issue is important to them.
In Portugal, MPs have used parliamentary resolutions to draw attention to WPS issues they wanted the
government to act on. In 2017 and then 2018, members of the Portuguese National Assembly passed
two resolutions calling on the government to address and combat discrimination against women in the
Security Forces; invest in gender-appropriate facilities in the Security Forces; and provide guidelines for
maternity rights for women in the Security Forces.58
In 2018, MPs from Sierra Leone participated in a “WPS Workshop for Parliamentarians” supported by
UNDP, which produced an outcome statement capturing MPs’ discussions and identifying priorities for
parliament and recommendations for the government. The chairperson of the Sierra Leone Women’s
Caucus later worked with the Clerk of Parliament (with UNDP support) to develop those outcomes
into a parliamentary resolution. The 2019 debate over the resolution covered critical issues such as an
amendment to the Chieftaincy Act and to ensure land, property and succession rights for women. At
the end of the debate, the resolution was formally adopted by parliament. The resolution now commits
parliament to do a host of things, including moving forward with an affirmative action bill to promote
women in decision-making. Also in 2019, the parliament held a one-day workshop on the new Sierra
Leone WPS National Action Plan (SiLNAP). With input from relevant ministries, the MPs then identified
which items in the new SiLNAP would be prioritised, and this parliamentary WPS action plan will be used
to guide further work.
Independent oversight bodies reporting to parliament
In addition to internal parliamentary processes whereby members take on oversight activities, some countries have
created independent bodies which have a mandate to conduct such monitoring. Such bodies are typically set up
as independent statutory authorities, with their mandates established by legislation. These bodies may then report
annually to the legislature, with their reports tabled in the plenary. Sometimes these reports are then sent to a
relevant parliamentary committee for further review and debate.
Examples of such bodies are diverse. Many countries use an ombudsman, who might be responsible for
investigating complaints about improper conduct or repeated problems with gender-sensitivity in the security
services. In other countries, such independent monitoring may be done by a National Human Rights Commission
or Gender Commission, which will have an overarching mandate to examine complaints regarding gender equality
and women’s rights, including the failure of the government to properly implement elements of the WPS agenda.
These bodies are typically required to report to the legislature, which provides an opportunity for MPs to initiate
discussion on how to implement the WPS agenda. Even where such bodies are not obligated by law to report to
the legislature, parliaments can still develop cooperative relationships to access information and reports to inform
their work.
58 Resolution of the Assembly of the Republic No. 132/2017: Recommends that the Government take measures to value the participation of women in security forces and services,
http://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/DetalheDiplomaAprovado.aspx?BID=20057.
Resolution of the Assembly of the Republic No. 244/2018: Recommends that the Government combat discrimination against women and promote gender equality within security
forces and services, http://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/DetalheDiplomaAprovado.aspx?BID=21156.
GERMANY PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSIONER FOR THE ARMED FORCES
In Germany, the Bundestag (Parliament) appoints a Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces,
who is responsible for oversight of the Bundeswehr (armed forces). The Commissioner is elected by the
members of the Bundestag in a secret ballot for a 5-year term of office. He/she is not a member of
Parliament nor a civil servant. The Commissioner’s overarching role is “to safeguard basic rights and to
assist the Bundestag in exercising parliamentary oversight” over the armed forces, a task enshrined in the
national constitution.
The Parliamentary Commissioner produces an annual report which is tabled in parliament for its
consideration. Its reports include a section on women in the armed forces. This section provides reflections
on implementation of the Act on Equal Opportunities for Female and Male Personnel of the Bundeswehr,
which parliament passed to require at least 15% of the Bundeswehr to be women. The Parliamentary
Commissioner does not, however, report on armed personnel deployed overseas.
A separate report on implementation of the German WPS National Action Plan is required to be submitted
to the Bundestag at the of implementation of the next phase of the WPS NAP in 2020. The 2017-2020
NAP calls on the government to implement WPS-related legislation already passed by the Bundestag,
namely that on gender equality in federal bodies and equal opportunities in the Bundeswehr.59 In
the context of the WPS agenda, these laws require the government to “Implement gender-equitable
personnel development in foreign, development, security and defence policy.”
AC TION POINTS FOR MPS AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: OVERSIGHT
? M
Ps can engage with their own constituents to gather information on whether and how government
programmes have been useful in advancing the WPS agenda. This information can be used to inform
parliamentary questions and hearings.
? W
here a WPS NAP has been produced, parliamentary committees can hold regular hearings to assess
progress with implementation and provide recommendations accordingly.
? W
here WPS priorities are included in a national development plan and/or different sectoral plans,
parliamentary committees can hold their own or joint hearings to assess progress with implementation
and provide recommendations accordingly.
? M
Ps can use Question Time, interpellations or parliamentary motions to draw the attention of Ministers
and the whole House to WPS issues.
? M
Ps or parliamentary committees can use the tabling of reports by independent oversight institutions (e.g.,
national human rights institution, Police Ombudsman, Supreme Audit Institution) to draw attention to
WPS issues. Parliamentary hearings can be held to examine such reports and/or ask questions of Ministers.
59 Action Plan of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and
Security for the Period 2017-2020, p.18, https://www.peacewomen.org/nap-germany.
? D
oes your parliament have a committee on foreign affairs, international relations, gender equality or
other area with an interest in conducting (i) a regular review of progress on the WPS National Action
Plan if one exists or (ii) a review of national implementation of the WPS agenda?
? H
as a review been undertaken by the parliamentary secretariat to inform parliamentary sectoral
committees on whether and how they could use their mandates and powers to advance inquiries on
key WPS issues?
? A
re Question Time or other forms of individual MP inquiry being used effectively to ask Ministers
questions regarding implementation of WPS priorities?
? A
re there any WPS issues that would benefit from MPs proposing a resolution to the House for debate
and endorsement?
C H A P T E R 8
REPRESENTATION
Members of parliament are elected by the citizens of a country to represent their interests in political decision-making.
This means that MPs should constantly be engaging in a two-way dialogue, sharing the activities of parliament with
their constituents and collecting information from them to inform their work. In order for a parliament to maintain
its legitimacy, it is critical that citizens are provided with meaningful opportunities to provide feedback on the work
of MPs and parliament, including about the WPS agenda.
Parliamentarians as representatives
Parliamentarians in almost all countries are elected by members of the public to sit in the legislature as representatives
of the public interest. In some countries, MPs are elected directly by a geographical constituency, in others, they
may represent a segment of the public — a demographic such as youth or women or a sector such as unions or
military. Regardless, their job is to make decisions on behalf of all members of the community, not just those who
vote for them.
Good practice from around the world has shown that it is important for individual MPs to develop and maintain
open channels of communication with their constituents, whether by email, social media platforms or other means.
In the context of the WPS agenda, effective representation means that parliamentarians should reach out to women
and men, young and old, to find out what issues are most impacting women’s peace and security. In addition to
online communications, experience from around the world highlights two common approaches to MP outreach:60
? L ocal Public Forums: A parliamentarian can organise public forums, for instance in their local community, for
citizens to provide feedback on topics such as SGBV, war widows or government implementation of the WPS
agenda.
ublic Consultations: Parliamentary committees can consult with civil society as they consider draft laws and
? P
conduct inquiries. Such consultations can range from the informal (e.g., reporting sessions, online feedback,
social media) to the more formal (e.g., public hearings); and from the technical (e.g., surveys) to the simple (e.g.,
request for submissions via SMS).
When reaching out to communities to engage them in the WPS agenda, parliamentarians are encouraged to
partner with civil society organisations, which often have strong community networks, convening power and
gender expertise.
60 This good practice draws on guidance in Kevin Deveaux & Charmaine Rodrigues (2017) Parliament’s Role in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: A Parlia-
mentary Handbook, UNDP, GOPAC, IDB: Geneva.
KYRGYZSTAN MPs HOST NATIONAL WPS FORUMS THROUGHOUT

THE COUNTRY
Kyrgyzstan was a pilot country for UNDP’s “Global Project on the Role of Parliaments as Partners in
Women, Peace and Security (2018-19).” UNDP worked with parliament and a local NGO to organise a
meeting in November 2018, bringing together MPs with government officials and civil society to agree
on a Parliamentary WPS Action Plan.
Participants noted that state actors were largely unaware of the WPS agenda, and so agreed to conduct
Regional WPS Forums in all seven provinces of the country. The forums, organised in partnership with
local NGOs, were well-attended and received excellent media coverage.
At the forums, participants raised a variety of WPS issues, including:
• Improving interagency coordination in the area of protection and defence against violence.
• Ensuring better financing of WPS activities at the local level.
• Creating work plans to implement the WPS agenda locally.
• Addressing conflict and security issues in border areas.
• Introducing standards of services to counteract violence and conflict.
The forums helped localise the WPS agenda in each region. MPs gathered important insights for their
own work and that of civil society.
Parliamentarians as gender-sensitive peacebuilders
In addition to their work as representatives, parliamentarians have a critical role to play as peacebuilders. It is
an unfortunate reality that parliamentarians and other leaders can play a role in inciting violence amongst their
followers; however, they can also demonstrate leadership in peacebuilding.61
At a very minimum, in times of crisis, there is a duty on all parliamentarians to take care that their engagement with
the community does not inflame tensions or encourage partisan violence. MPs can have a huge impact on public
sentiment, and as such they are encouraged to use language that promotes moderation, reduces tensions and
encourages peaceful resolution of conflict. Similarly, MPs can encourage their followers to respect human rights,
including the rights of women to live securely and peacefully.
Parliamentarians can use public forums or other means to build peace amongst communities and call on community
members to respect women’s rights. MPs should ensure that both men and women are included in such forums.
In the aftermath of conflict, parliamentarians can also promote reconciliation amongst warring groups, address the
harm to women and girls, and develop strategies to address such harm.
61 This was recognised by UNDP in the 2006 publication on Parliaments, Crisis Prevention and Recovery: Guidelines for the International Community,
https://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Democratic%20Governance/Parliamentary%20Development/guidelines_on_the_role_of_parliaments_in_conflict_
and_post-conflict_situations.pdf.
DEVELOPING THE CAPACITIES OF MPs TO ENGAGE AS EFFEC TIVE

PEACEBUILDERS IN SOMALIA
Over the last two decades, MPs’ roles in promoting peace has been better understood. A 2005 report
by the World Bank discussed Parliaments as Peacebuilders,62 and in 2006, UNDP published Parliaments,
Crisis Prevention and Recovery.63 These guidelines recognised that MPs can facilitate dialogue between
community groups in order to ease tensions and build consensus.
Some countries and agencies are supporting MPs’ roles in peacebuilding. For example, in 2014, the IGAD
Office of the Facilitator for Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation in collaboration with the Federal
Parliament of Somalia organised a 5-day capacity-building training attended by 27 MPs, including six
women parliamentarians. The workshop covered leadership skills and peacebuilding topics such as types
and sources of conflict, mediation and peacebuilding. Participants expressed interest in participating in
the ongoing stabilization and peacebuilding processes underway in Somalia by putting in practice what
they earned during the training.64
Parliamentarians as partners
In areas such as women’s rights or peacebuilding, MPs often work closely with NGOs or other civil society
organisations, local trade unions or business groups,. Global experience has shown that parliamentary committees
on gender equality or women’s rights (see Chapter 7) and women’s caucuses (see Chapter 10) have often worked
closely with women’s rights NGOs on shared objectives. Committees such as foreign affairs, human rights, welfare
and even security also often draw on the expertise of NGOs in areas such as human rights, women’s rights, security
sector reform and peacebuilding. Such partnerships can bring benefits to both partners, with MPs able to draw on
technical the advice, research skills and community trust of beneficiary groups, and NGOs able to harness MPs’ official
convening power and more effectively channel their advocacy towards law reform or programming outcomes.
Especially in the area of human rights, women’s rights and the WPS agenda, NGOs have produced their own
“shadow reports” to provide a community-based perspective on national implementation. Where governments
produce a WPS NAP monitoring report or annual report, NGOs may offer up a shadow report, which presents their
own analysis of whether and to what extent the Government has been meeting its international and national
commitments. These shadow reports are commonly shared with international UN bodies, but can also be a useful
source of information for MPs and parliamentary committees, seeking to cross-check the government’s own data.
62 Parliaments as Peacebuilders: The Role of Parliaments in Conflict-Affected Countries, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/6532.

63 Parliaments, Crisis Prevention and Recovery: Guidelines for the International Community, http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Democratic%20Gover-
nance/Parliamentary%20Development/guidelines_on_the_role_of_parliaments_in_conflict_and_post-conflict_situations.pdf.
64 This case study is drawn from an IGAD web-based news story, https://igad.int/programs/66-somalia/926-capacity-building-training-on-good-governance-leadership-
conflict-resolution-and-development-communication-to-the-federal-government-of-somalia-members-of-parliament.
PARLIAMENT-CSO PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORT BE T TER

COORDINATION AND OUTCOMES
In Ukraine, the Equal Opportunities Inter-Faction Union created a Public Council on Gender to coordinate
the efforts of MPs, civil society and international organisations to advance gender equality. The Council’s
main objective is to launch a platform to ensure information flow and cooperation on gender issues. The
council has six permanent thematic groups, one of which is focused on security and peacebuilding, with
a mandate to monitor implementation of the UNSCR 1325 NAP and support women’s participation in
peacebuilding.65
In the Pacific, the Regional Rights and Resources Team (RRRT) — a unit in the Secretariat for the Pacific
Community that began its life as a development project — has long been working with MPs, NGOs, and
other stakeholders on law reform around women’s rights. RRRT partnered with the Fiji Women’s Rights
Movement to produce the region’s first Legislative Lobbying Toolkit66 and thereby promote gender-
sensitive legislation. This work dovetailed with RRRT’s annual Regional Human Rights Meeting for Pacific
MPs, which educated MPs on human rights issues such as CEDAW and UNSCR 1325. RRRT’s work has
borne fruit, with 11 parliaments in the region enacting domestic and family protection legislation over
the last decade or so.67

EFFEC TIVE REPRESENTATION
? M
Ps can reach out to constituents to learn about their concerns on women’s peace and security, through
such means as email, social media and public forums, or through official public consultations on draft
laws or WPS topics.
? M
Ps and parliamentary staff can develop their own peacebuilding skills. MPs can participate in mediation
and sensitivity training68 and use these skills to engage in peacebuilding activities ranging from local
mediation to high-level peace talks.
? M
Ps can develop partnerships with civil society and NGOs, which can provide expertise, research services
or assistance in convening community meetings.
? M
Ps can work with the media to raise community awareness of WPS issues and any work that parliament
is doing to address these issues.
65 (2016) Strengthening women’s political participation: An analysis of the impact of women’s parliamentary networks in Europe and Central Asia, p.10, UNDP: Istanbul,
http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/undp-rbec-strengthening-womens-political-participation-final.pdf.
66 Changing Laws: A Legislative Lobbying Toolkit, https://rrrt.spc.int/resources/publications/changing-laws-a-legislative-lobbying-toolkit.
67 Pacific MPs united on ending violence against women, https://rrrt.spc.int/media/stories/2012/08/pacific-mps-united-on-ending-violence-against-women.
68 For example, the nonprofit Folke Bernadotte Akademie runs online and in-person courses on conflict and mediation issues,
https://fba.se/en/how-we-work/courses/upcoming-courses/.
? D
o parliamentarians engage in regular local forums or public consultations? If so, have any such
forums or consultations been organised to discuss WPS issues?
? D
oes Parliament have a public outreach or communications unit that can help parliamentarians
engage in dialogue with their constituents on WPS issues?
? H
ave parliamentarians received any peacebuilding training, such as on conflict analysis, mediation,
dialogue or consensus-building?
? D
o parliamentarians work with groups or communities at risk of conflict, in order to build trust and
mitigate potential conflicts? Are parliamentarians aware of the civil society organisations that work on
WPS in their community? Do they meet with these organisations regularly?
C H A P T E R 9
ROLE OF
PARLIAMENTARY
GROUPS
It is common in parliaments around the world that MPs are members of political parties, with their parliamentary
activities guided by party priorities. Political parties can be an effective mechanism for aggregating the contributions
of individual MPs and using the strength of numbers to push for parliamentary action. Sometimes, however, party
politics constrain individual MPs, as party priorities surpass those of its individual members.
Cross-party parliamentary groups can be one key way for parliamentarians to work outside their parties, by grouping
together with other like-minded MPs to advance issues or activities that they choose to prioritise. In this context,
cross-party parliamentary groups can be a useful vehicle for driving the WPS agenda within the legislature.
Cross-party women’s caucuses
As the number of women MPs around the world has grown, so, too, have women’s caucuses proliferated. They are
now a common parliamentary mechanism for bringing together women MPs across party lines to work on issues
of shared importance.
In an institutional context where women were historically and significantly outnumbered, women’s caucuses started
as a way of enabling the small cohorts of women MPs to bloc together to more effectively lobby within parliament
on gender equality and women’s rights. Even in parliaments where women appear larger numbers, these caucuses
are still seen as an important mechanism to focus lawmakers’ attention on gender equality and women’s rights. In
some countries, these caucuses come together more informally, while in others, they have an official status within
the legislature.
Whatever form they take, women’s caucuses have proven effective in harnessing the power of women MPs across
multiple parties for the benefit of gender equality.69 Such caucuses are also often a useful contact point for women’s
rights NGOs to engage in parliamentary processes.
The WPS agenda is an agenda not only for women MPs, but for all MPs. Nonetheless, women’s caucuses often play
a key role in promoting gender-sensitive laws and policies, including in relation to WPS. In Italy, this role has been
institutionalised, with the WPS National Action Plan requiring that “the parliament’s Cross-Party Caucus for Women,
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality publish an annual progress report on the implementation of the WPS agenda,
in collaboration with civil society organisations and the Interdepartmental Committee for Human Rights.”70
69 Strengthening women’s political participation: An analysis of the impact of women’s parliamentary networks in Europe and Central Asia, (2016), UNDP: Istanbul, p. 10,
http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/undp-rbec-strengthening-womens-political-participation-final.pdf.
70 Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves (2018) The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parlia-
mentary Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p. 17.
A GROWING CHALLENGE TO WOMEN’S PEACE AND SECURIT Y:

MITIGATING THE GENDERED IMPAC TS OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM
Since 2000, when UNSCR 1325 was endorsed, violent extremism has become an increasing threat to the
safety and security of people, including women and girls, around the world. A gender analysis of violent
extremism shows that women may be involved as perpetrators (sometimes because of coercion from
male authority figures) and supporters (including as family members), as well as active stakeholders in
work on preventing violent extremism.71 The need to focus on the gendered impacts of violent extremism
was recognised in UNSCR 2242 (2015), as part of the broader WPS agenda, and in the UN Secretary
General’s 2015 Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which included a section on gender.72 In 2018,
the IPU also established a High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
(HLAG-CTVE).
In Pakistan, members of the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus have been active in promoting gender-
sensitive laws and policies. They have worked to ensure that efforts to combat violent extremism and
radicalisation were gender-sensitive.73 Civil society from the State Province of Balochistan formed an
alliance with the provincial women’s parliamentary caucus, which agreed to support the coalition’s
recommendations on preventing violent extremism and WPS in the Balochistan Provincial Assembly.74
Cross-party women, peace and security parliamentary groups
Around the world, there has been a growing trend for MPs to come together across parties through parliamentary
groups that are dedicated to particular issues. These cross-party groups enable dialogue outside the official
processes of parliament, and are common particularly in relation to human rights issues such as women’s peace
and security. Such groups promote consensus-building, and may even jointly propose laws or other reforms.
A women’s caucus is one of the most well-known forms of cross-party parliamentary group, but a group may also
form on an issue such as women’s peace and security. This can be particularly useful in recognition of the reality
that WPS is not a “women’s issue” but an issue that affects all of society and requires action from all MPs. Male MPs
have increasingly been engaged in cross-party gender equality advocacy via the HeforShe campaign promoted
by the United Nations.75 For example, in 2017, the Icelandic Parliament used the annual HeforShe activities to
organise a “barbershop conference” for all MPs on sexual violence and harassment, encouraging men to take part in
discussions on gender equality, and allowed them to “educate themselves on how both genders gain from gender
equality.” 76
71 (unpublished) Issues Brief: Prevention of Violent Extremism — A Gender Perspective, UNDP: New York.
72 UN (2015) Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism: Report of the Secretary-General, A/70/674, 24 December,
https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/70/674.
73 Panel Discussion: Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan: Why Women Must Have a Role, 2 April 2014, Washington DC,
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/component/event/detail/countering-violent-extremism-in-pakistan.
74 Sarah Chatellier (2012) Pakistani Women Moderating Extremism: A Coalition-Building Case Study, p.9, Institute for Inclusive Security: USA,
https://www.inclusivesecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Pakistani-Women-Moderating-Extremism-A-Coalition-Building-Case-Study.pdf.
75 HeforShe campaign, https://www.heforshe.org/en.
76 Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves (2018) The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parlia-
mentary Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva, p.11.
UK ALL-PART Y PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON WOMEN, PEACE AND

SECURIT Y (APPG-WPS) 77
Registered in 2006, the APPG-WPS brings together more than 40 MPs from the UK Parliament to discuss
WPS issues and action. The APPG-WPS has a permanent secretariat, which is hosted by Gender Action for
Peace and Security (GAPS),78 a network of 17 NGOs working on WPS issues.
With the support of GAPS, the APPG-WPS works to raise the profile of WPS issues within Parliament,
strengthen the existing network of MPs and link them to NGOs, advocate for government action on WPS
and share information from other jurisdictions. The APPG-WPS hosts the UK government’s annual Report
to Parliament on Women, Peace and Security, which provides an opportunity for MPs to discuss the UK’s
approach to WPS. The APPG-WPS also holds events on international WPS issues in Somalia, Yemen, Egypt,
Libya, Syria, Iraq and Northern Ireland.

WPS AND PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS
? Urge all MPs, regardless of sex, to discuss, debate and address WPS issues.
? A
cross section of MPs may come together to form a Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace and Security,
which can be used to promote the WPS agenda within and outside parliament, including by organising
seminars on WPS topics, working with CSOs to develop policy briefs or using the group’s influence to
engage with the media on WPS issues.
? W
omen MPs may use a Cross-Party Women’s Caucus to come together as a like-minded group to
promote women’s rights, including the WPS agenda.
? D
oes the parliament have a women’s caucus? If so, does it have a clear action plan and necessary
resources to implement its priorities? Do these priorities include activities to advance the WPS agenda?
? Do MPs have the power to establish cross-party parliamentary groups? If so, are there Members who
would be interested in setting up a WPS Parliamentary Group? Is there any NGO or other body that
could support such a group?
77 This summary is taken from the webpage on the APPG-WPS hosted by Global Action for Peace and Security: http://gaps-uk.org/about/appg/.
78 For more information see http://gaps-uk.org/about/.
C H A P T E R 1 0
SUPPORT FROM
PARLIAMENTARY STAFF
Feedback from parliamentarians around the world demonstrates that the support of capable, well-informed staff
are crucial in enabling them to discharge their mandates effectively. MPs often have a heavy workload, and the
assistance of staff is invaluable in managing their roles and responsibilities.
In many countries, a professional staff is employed to service Ministers in relation to their parliamentary business,
individual MPs and committees. These staff usually have a strong understanding of the rules of the parliament, as
well as good research and analytical skills. However, many parliaments report that they have insufficient staff to
assist with their research, reporting and even review of legislation.
With regard to the WPS agenda, it is important to ensure that MPs have proper staff support to undertake their
reviews of laws, programmes and policies. Staff themselves may benefit from capacity-building seminars on gender
equality, the WPS agenda, the WPS NAP if one exists, peacebuilding and gender responsive budgeting.
SUMMARY OF AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF
? P
arliamentary staff can be identified within the parliamentary secretariat for capacity development in
relation to WPS issues, to ensure that in-house expertise is available to MPs in relation to the WPS agenda.
? P
arliamentary staff can engage with MPs and civil society to help facilitate the development of
partnerships.
? P
arliamentary staff can stay alert for national, regional and international opportunities for MPs to engage
in WPS events and activities.
? D
o committees responsible for overseeing implementation of the WPS agenda have sufficient staff
to discharge their duties effectively?
? Is there sufficient specialist staff who can provide MPs with gender analysis as needed, including in
relation to WPS issues?
? Is there sufficient specialist staff who can provide MPs with gender responsive budget analysis?
USEFUL RESOURCES
UN Security Council Resolutions

? UNSCR 1325(2000) on Women, Peace and Security, http://undocs.org/en/S/RES/1325%282000%29.
? UNSCR 1820 (2008) on Conflict Related Sexual Violence, http://undocs.org/en/S/RES/1820%282008%29.
? UNSCR 1888 (2009), http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/1888.
? UNSCR 1889 (2009), http://undocs.org/en/S/RES/1889%282009%29.
? UNSCR 2106 (2013), http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/2106.
? UNSCR 2122 (2013), http://undocs.org/en/S/RES/2122%282013%29.
? UNSCR 2272 (2016), http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/2272.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

EDAW General Recommendation No. 30 (2015),
? C
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/GComments/CEDAW.C.CG.30.pdf.
ecision 45/VII National parliaments and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
? D
Discrimination against Women. Statement by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women on its relationship with parliamentarians, http://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/
FilesHandler.ashx?enc=dtYoAzPhJ4NMy4Lu1TOebKyFD%2FJ4TiLtzcpQl5kRkVEDK6Uh2Eoozw
YNCYV3ou6izawaMVX%2FfHO%2BXqR%2F0ACa9Q%2FQhbxFbFaf0C0PgEc5fgjgJbWRInabove2qXX8tgxO.
Guidelines & reports

? Sarah Ferbach & Audrey Reeves (2018) The role of parliaments in NATO member countries in advancing the
Women, Peace and Security agenda: A Survey by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2018), DCAF: Geneva,
https://www.nato-pa.int/download-file?filename=sites/default/files/2018-11/NATO%20PA%202018%20report_
DCAF_Final.pdf.
? UN Women (2015) Guidebook on CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30 and the UN Security
Council Resolutions on women, peace and security, https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/
publications/2015/8/guidebook-cedawgeneralrecommendation30-womenpeacesecurity.
? UN Women (2012) Sourcebook on Women, Peace and Security, http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/
publications/2012/10/un-women-sourcebook-on-women-peace-and-security.
? UNDP, ICAN, Invisible Women: Gendered Dimensions of Return, Rehabilitation and Reintegration from Violent
Extremism, https://www.icanpeacework.org/2019/01/11/invisible-women/.
? UNDP, Assessing Progress Made, and the Future of Development Approaches to Preventing Violent Extremism,
https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/democratic-governance/oslo_governance_
centre/development-approaches-to-preventing-violent-extremism.html.
? UNDP, Toolkit: Improving the impact of preventing violent extremism programming, https://www.undp.org/
content/undp/en/home/librarypage/democratic-governance/oslo_governance_centre/improving-the-
impact-of-preventing-violent-extremism-programming.html.
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A G L O B A L H A N D B O O K

United Nations Development Programme

Copyright © UNDP 2019. All rights reserved.

Design & Production: Phoenix Design Aid A/S, Denmark

1. “WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY” AGENDA: OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................ 4

2. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH

3. PARLIAMENTS AND THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA.................................................................................19

4. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH NATIONAL

5. MAKING LAWS TO IMPLEMENT THE WPS AGENDA........................................................................................................................25

6. BUDGETING FOR WPS IMPLEMENTATION.............................................................................................................................................30

7. OVERSIGHT OF WPS IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................................................................................................35

9. ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS..........................................................................................................................................................47

10. HARNESSING PARLIAMENTARY STAFF....................................................................................................................................................50

• Share examples of good practice from other parliaments and projects.

2 For more detailed guidance on UNSCR 1325, refer to:

THE WOMEN, PEACE

UNSCR 1325 and four pillars of WPS

Women’s equal participation and gender equality in peace and security

Relevance to all country contexts

5 UNSCR 1325, http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/1325.

FIGURE 2 UN SECURIT Y COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS RELATED TO WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y

Implementation challenges and opportunities for parliamentary action

These approaches will be discussed in more detail in the following chapters.

LEGISLATING UN RESOLUTIONS ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURIT Y

AC TION POINTS FOR MPS AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: RAISING AWARENESS

QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT

Alignment with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals

FIGURE 3 SUSTAINABLE DE VELOPMENT GOALS

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

GOAL 8 commits countries to promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic

PARLIAMENTARY EFFORTS TO PROMOTE SDGS IMPLEMENTATION

AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: INTEGRATING WPS IN

QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT

Alignment with international human rights frameworks and processes

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

19 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),

THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY FOREIGN AFFAIRS / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

UN Universal Periodic Review process

PARLIAMENTARY ENGAGEMENT IN THE UPR PROCESS

AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF:

QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT

PARLIAMENTS AND THE

WPS and core functions of parliament

Table 1 summarises some of the entry points for parliaments

 Employment laws, property and inheritance laws, or potential canidates

ALIGNING THE WOMEN,

WPS National Action Plans

25 Member States of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, http://peacewomen.org/member-states.

ENGAGING PARLIAMENTARIANS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF

AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: ENGAGING IN THE

QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT

National or sectoral strategies or development plans

INTEGRATING WOMEN’S PEACE AND SECURIT Y NEEDS INTO

AC TION POINTS FOR MPs AND PARLIAMENTARY STAFF: INTEGRATING WPS IN

QUESTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT

MAKING LAWS TO IMPLEMENT

Identifying law reform priorities

PARLIAMENTARY RULES REQUIRING A GENDER REVIEW OF PROPOSED LAWS

Common WPS law reform issues

2. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH

4. ALIGNING THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA WITH NATIONAL

• Share examples of good practice from other parliaments and projects.

 Employment laws, property and inheritance laws, or potential canidates