Next year marks 25 years since the adoption of landmark United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). A persistent question in preparing for this event is how Security Council members that support WPS can make sure their efforts lead to changes on the ground. This article presents a structure that supports the exchange of lessons learned and allows for building on existing progress and approaches undertaken by Security Council members in collaboration with civil society and UN actors.
Since 2015, WPS supporters have focused on the critical task of strengthening the processes and language that enable the implementation of Council resolutions. But the process of translating WPS language into tangible outcomes is far from clear, providing an opportunity for member states to do more than promote that action is possible. They can push for the next step: ensuring that the difficult work of implementing WPS results in concrete and positive impact in the lives of women in conflict-affected areas. This may be difficult with a Council that is deeply entrenched in geopolitical power struggles. Yet, our research shows that by building on established WPS language and processes, standardized expectations of actions on the ground could be developed through coordination among elected member states in the Council. These standards can be informed by deep conversations with national and grassroots stakeholders and the UN system. A standardized approach to accountability can also hold implementing actors accountable for the delivery of more explicit expected outcomes.
