EU WPS Approach.pdf

1. Prioritize support to women-led civil society organizations: The EU should prioritize support to women-led civil society organizations in its external action, as they are critical drivers of progress in gender equality and peacebuilding.
2. Take a gender transformative approach: The EU should take a gender transformative approach, examining, questioning, and challenging gender norms and imbalances of power that disadvantage women and girls.
3. Invest in preventing conflict: The EU should invest more in preventing conflict, rather than focusing on military and deterrence.
4. Support women-led and intersectional civil society: The EU should support women-led and intersectional civil society to achieve sustainable peace.
5. Incorporate special needs and perspectives of women and LGBTQI+ persons: Any response to conflict and crisis should incorporate the special needs and perspectives of women and LGBTQI+ persons.
6. Create effective ways to pressure repressive governments: The EU should create effective ways to pressure repressive, undemocratic governments that violate women's and girls' rights.
7. Follow up on good policies with concrete action plans: The EU should follow up on its good policies with concrete action plans for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).

Prioritizing the WPS Agenda:

1. Prioritize WPS in urgent conflicts: The EU should prioritize WPS in urgent conflicts, ensuring that the agenda is not pushed down during crises.
2. Integrate WPS into all political and security dialogues: The EU should integrate WPS into all political and security dialogues, ensuring that women's political perspectives are valued.
3. Lead by example and examine internal structures: The EU should lead by example, examining its internal structures and implementation of policies to ensure successful engagement.
4. Invest in identifying leadership within local security actors: The EU should invest in identifying leadership within local security actors who can act as agents of change in their institutions.
5. Create a system of gender advisors: The European Commission should create a system of gender advisors to connect gender focal points and advise them.
6. Establish an internal accountability mechanism: The EU should establish an internal accountability mechanism to ensure proper follow-up of gender transformative leadership programs.
7. Strengthen gender expertise in military CSDP: The EU should strengthen gender expertise in military CSDP, investing more in training and human resources.