Women, peace and security

International Development Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 7 Mar 2025 Parliament page
The International Development Committee is launching a new inquiry into how the UK Government is involving the needs and voices of women in its development efforts. The cross-party committee of MPs will explore the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, adopted by the United Nations, considering how this agenda is … Read more
7 Recommendations
16 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Events
Activity timeline 7 events
23 Mar
2026
Report published
16 Dec
2025
Oral evidence
16 Dec
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
18 Nov
2025
Oral evidence
18 Nov
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
14 Oct
2025
Oral evidence
14 Oct
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
16 Dec 2025
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Women, Peace and Security
Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP · Ministry of Defence Chris Elmore MP · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Emily Maltman · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Stuart Mills · Ministry of Defence
18 Nov 2025
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Women, Peace and Security
Eva Tabbasam · Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) Professor Toni Haastrup · The University of Manchester Reem Alsalem · United Nations
14 Oct 2025
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Women, Peace and Security
Fawzia Koofi · Afghan Parliament Fiona Kilpatrick-Cooper · The HALO Trust Hanin Ahmed · Emergency Response Rooms, Sudan Stephanie Siddall · Women for Women International The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Title HC No. Published Items Response
10th Report - Peace under pressure: Protecting Women, Peace and … HC 782 23 Mar 2026 23 Overdue
Recommendations & Conclusions
23 results
1 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The future of the Women, Peace and Security agenda hangs in the balance.
The future of the Women, Peace and Security agenda hangs in the balance. The agenda is more critical than ever against the backdrop of rising conflicts, a global anti–gender movement and a reported backsliding on the rights of women and … Read more
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2 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
Gender equality should not become a footnote in UK diplomacy.
Gender equality should not become a footnote in UK diplomacy. The UK must use its clout on the international stage to strengthen the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. This means using the tools it has at its … Read more
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3 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government should explain why it did not convene a single dedicated session on Women,...
The Government should explain why it did not convene a single dedicated session on Women, Peace and Security during its time as President of the United Nations Security Council in February 2026. The Government should set out in its response … Read more
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4 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The future of Women, Peace and Security hangs in the balance and must be addressed...
The future of Women, Peace and Security hangs in the balance and must be addressed in its entirety rather than solely through country specific work. The UK should convene a dedicated session on Women, Peace and Security the next time … Read more
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5 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government’s commitment to implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, through its objectives in...
The Government’s commitment to implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, through its objectives in the National Action Plan, appears to be waning. The limited attention given to prevention throughout the National Action Plan, despite the benefits for peace, is … Read more
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6 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government need not re–shape its approach to Women, Peace and Security beyond the existing...
The Government need not re–shape its approach to Women, Peace and Security beyond the existing four pillars and five strategic objectives. Considering the increasing number of global conflicts and the integral role women play in peace, the National Action Plan … Read more
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7 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The UK should take a more active role in peace processes and make certain that...
The UK should take a more active role in peace processes and make certain that women can meaningfully participate. This includes working with organisations and non–governmental organisations to embed accountability for breaches of Women, Peace and Security efforts. The Government … Read more
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8 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s development and gender experts play an essential part in...
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s development and gender experts play an essential part in delivering the participation and prevention objectives in the National Action Plan. The Government cannot expect to deliver on these commitments without this expertise. Considering the … Read more
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9 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office must not lose its development or gender expertise.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office must not lose its development or gender expertise. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office should commit to maintain development experts working on Women, Peace and Security with connections to local organisations and communities around … Read more
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10 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
There is a lack of transparency surrounding the UK’s Women, Peace and Security spending, including...
There is a lack of transparency surrounding the UK’s Women, Peace and Security spending, including how much Official Development Assistance is directed towards Women’s Rights Organisations, making it difficult for civil society organisations and other actors to track and assess … Read more
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11 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
As part of its National Action Plan refresh, the Government should set out how Women,...
As part of its National Action Plan refresh, the Government should set out how Women, Peace and Security objectives will be fully resourced and prioritised in the context of Official Development Assistance cuts, and how associated funding will be strategically … Read more
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12 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has assured us it remains committed to the Women,...
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has assured us it remains committed to the Women, Peace and Security agenda despite staffing cuts. However, it has had difficulty in upholding its commitments in the National Action Plan with current resourcing. It … Read more
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13 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government has not learned lessons from the first round of aid cuts and continues...
The Government has not learned lessons from the first round of aid cuts and continues to enact policy changes that are devastating to the realities and futures of women, girls and marginalised groups. New sentence here: We welcome the Government’s … Read more
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14 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The commitments in the current National Action Plan lack dedicated funding, meaning that commitments are...
The commitments in the current National Action Plan lack dedicated funding, meaning that commitments are not resourced and their implementation is largely dependent on political will. (Conclusion, Paragraph 69)
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15 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
To guarantee the sustainability of Women, Peace and Security, a stable, ringfenced budget focused on...
To guarantee the sustainability of Women, Peace and Security, a stable, ringfenced budget focused on flexible multi–year funding would protect against global socio–political changes and pressures. It would also allow 35 Women’s Rights Organisations and other partners to strategically plan … Read more
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16 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
In response to this report, the Department should provide details to the Committee on existing...
In response to this report, the Department should provide details to the Committee on existing mechanisms for coordinating meaningfully between Government Departments, or how it intends to establish systematic coordination. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should report findings back … Read more
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17 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The lack of an operational Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework is not a technical issue...
The lack of an operational Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework is not a technical issue but a practical barrier to accountability, oversight, and outcome–focused programming. Current reporting risks being activity– driven rather than impact–driven, undermining efforts to improve the lives … Read more
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18 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
As part of the Spring 2026 refresh of the National Action Plan, the Government must...
As part of the Spring 2026 refresh of the National Action Plan, the Government must establish and publish a cross–government monitoring framework for Women, Peace and Security, including a clear and consistently applied set of Women, Peace and Security–specific indicators … Read more
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19 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government must establish a biennial engagement mechanism with parliamentarians, civil society, and academic experts...
The Government must establish a biennial engagement mechanism with parliamentarians, civil society, and academic experts to review and refine National Action Plan indicators and reporting. Existing data on women’s participation, lived experience, and programme impact must be 36 incorporated into … Read more
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20 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
Given the Government’s stated commitment to meaningful engagement, we consider it to be disappointing that...
Given the Government’s stated commitment to meaningful engagement, we consider it to be disappointing that a copy of the National Action Plan has not been shared with us in advance of publication. Earlier sharing would have strengthened transparency and supported … Read more
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21 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government has not allowed for sufficient external oversight and feedback on its Women, Peace...
The Government has not allowed for sufficient external oversight and feedback on its Women, Peace and Security commitments. The shift from annual to biennial reporting has reduced opportunities for meaningful scrutiny. This weakens transparency and limits the ability of Parliament … Read more
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22 Conclusion
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
Backing the Women, Peace and Security Private Member’s Bill would have been a significant demonstration...
Backing the Women, Peace and Security Private Member’s Bill would have been a significant demonstration of the Government’s commitments to the agenda. However, the Government has indicated that it does not yet support it. We are concerned about the future … Read more
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23 Recommendation
10th Report - Peace under pressure…
The Government must reinstate annual reporting to Parliament on Women, Peace and Security implementation following...
The Government must reinstate annual reporting to Parliament on Women, Peace and Security implementation following the 2026 National Action Plan refresh and commit to reporting which integrates progress on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, as set out in the Women, … Read more
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