The Center for Security Studies and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security hosted this lunch talk on the practical implementation of the recently passed Women, Peace & Security Act, featuring Michelle Barsa, Suzanne Mainor, and Elizabeth Lape.
In October 2017, Congress passed a bipartisan Women, Peace & Security Act. The Act requires that the Trump Administration develop a comprehensive strategy to fulfill its policy objectives, including increasing the participation of women in conflict prevention, peace processes, relief and recovery, and the security sector. The WPS Act follows the US National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, adopted by the Obama Administration in 2011. What do these legal mandates mean for practitioners in the defense, diplomacy and development sectors? How does women, peace and security improve operational effectiveness? Michelle Barsa, Suzanne Mainor, and Elizabeth Lape discussed what it means to implement “women, peace and security” in practice, drawing their work throughout the security field.