Is the UK still leading the Women, Peace and Security agenda? MPs hear evidence
On Tuesday 18 November, MPs will hear evidence on whether the UK is still leading efforts to promote the role of women in peacebuilding through the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Twenty-five years on from the WPS Agenda first being adopted by the United Nations Security Council, the International Development Committee is considering how successfully the UK has implemented WPS principles in its development spending and programmes.
The Committee has heard evidence that progress on the agenda is currently being undermined by simultaneous crises and threats to global norms.
In Tuesday’s session, MPs will hear from the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, as well as experts in the role of gender in conflict and security.
Meeting details
MPs are likely to ask witnesses whether the UK is still demonstrating a leadership role on the WPS Agenda, in light of actors such as the United States retreating. They may ask how attitudes to the Agenda have changed since it was first adopted, and how this has affected the ability of women and girls to effectively participate in decision-making.
MPs are likely to ask what barriers face the UK in achieving the objectives set out in the WPS National Action Plan, covering 2023-2027.
They may also examine how the Department for International Development’s merger with the FCDO has had on the UK’s ability to secure progress on WPS, as well as the impact cuts to ODA or proposed reductions to FCDO staff might have.