Evidence shows that women’s participation in peace and security processes is linked to a greater likelihood of successful outcomes, and international frameworks have sprung up accordingly. What is less understood is the role of national initiatives. National Action Plans (NAPs) to implement UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security have tripled since 2010, but what impact do these plans have?

The authors investigated NAPs in the context of four different countries with conflict-affected and post-conflict settings (Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, Serbia, and Sierra Leone) to answer the questions:

1. How are NAPs developed and implemented in diverse conflict-affected contexts?
2. How do local civil society groups and government and security institutions interact with each other to create and implement a NAP?
3. What impacts have NAPs had on women’s participation in peace and security processes?
4. Have NAPs affected collaboration between the state and civil society, and if so, in what ways?

This report outlines those finding compiled through field and desk research and more than 200 in-country interviews. The authors also present six recommendations for strengthening the impact of NAPs, and describe key components of a high-impact NAP.