Women, peace and security
International Development Committee
Closed
Inquiry
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 …
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12
Recommendations
11
Conclusions
1
Report
3
Oral sessions
3
Events
Activity timeline 5 events
10 Jun
2026
2026
23 Mar
2026
2026
16 Dec
2025
2025
Oral evidence
18 Nov
2025
2025
Oral evidence
14 Oct
2025
2025
Oral evidence
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
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Report - Peace under pressure: Protecting Women, Peace and … | HC 782 | 23 Mar 2026 | 23 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
5
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, reaffirming its commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, women's participation, and conflict prevention. It describes ongoing efforts to champion women's participation and leadership, citing the Foreign Secretary's renewed determination and a commemorative event in November 2025.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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6
Recommendation
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, stating it already champions and advocates for women's safe and meaningful participation in conflict prevention and peace processes. It reaffirms UK leadership on WPS and lists existing priorities, without committing to specific new actions for the NAP refresh.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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8
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, recognizing the essential role of FCDO's technical advisers and experts. It states it will make decisions on how best to utilise expertise, references the existing social development profession, and is developing a new Women and Equalities Community of Expertise.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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9
Recommendation
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, recognizing the important role of technical advisers and stating teams are strongly encouraged to maintain dedicated gender advisor expertise, but does not explicitly commit to maintaining specific levels of expertise or providing advisors to support external organizations like GAPS.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, asserting its unwavering commitment to the WPS agenda and explaining that FCDO restructuring is a redesign to improve coherence and focus, with priority work and frontline capability protected. They will review the governance structure as part of the 2026 NAP Refresh.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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20
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 …
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Government Response
The government partially agrees, acknowledging the importance of external scrutiny and stating it will consider sharing a draft of the refreshed WPS NAP with the Committee in advance of its 2026 publication.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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