The United States is a steadfast supporter of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. Long before the passage of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in 2000 and the enactment and implementation of the first comprehensive law on WPS in 2017, the United States government (USG) has been implementing the WPS agenda through diplomacy, development, defense, and international cooperation, through its specific missions and its relevant Departments and Agencies.

The WPS Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-68) (WPS Act) required the President to submit to Congress the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS Strategy), which launched in 2019. The Strategy called for the Departments of Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS), and State, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to submit agency-specific Implementation Plans to measure and report on progress. The following public report to Congress evaluates the USG’s progress in advancing the WPS Strategy’s four Lines of Effort (LOEs): 1) Participation; 2) Protection; 3) Internal Capabilities; and 4) Partnerships. As each of the four departments and agencies have unique and tailored missions, the data and timeframes presented in their reports differ.

The reports highlight accomplishments, gaps, opportunities, and next steps that Departments and Agencies identified through various data collection and analysis processes and highlight lessons learned to inform future efforts.