In 2018, NATO Heads of State and Government endorsed the revised WPS policy that introduced the principles of integration, inclusiveness and integrity.

NATO’s first policy on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was developed by Allies and partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in 2007.NATO is also committed to supporting UNSCR 1820, which focuses on conflict-related sexual violence.

The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security serves as the high-level focal point for NATO’s work in this domain.NATO’s Civil Society Advisory Panel provides a platform for women’s civil society organisations to engage with NATO to shape policy and practice.Gender equality is an important focus of NATO’s cooperation with other international organisations – particularly the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the African Union (AU) – as well as civil society.NATO is integrating gender perspectives across its three core tasks (deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security) and throughout its political and military structures.

Women and armed conflict