Written Evidence Submission to the International Development Committee Inquiry on Women, Peace and Security
Submitted 17th April 2025
This submission draws on a Social Justice Hackathon held in Belfast on 1 April 2025, building on a report for the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) on the impact of Brexit on women. The event brought together experts in Women, Peace and Security (WPS) from academia, civil society, and advocacy to examine current challenges and opportunities in Northern Ireland.
The 2023 UK WPS National Action Plan (NAP) marks a positive step by including Northern Ireland for the first time, acknowledging the need for domestic implementation. However, this must now lead to concrete action and measurable outcomes.
Women’s and community organisations in Northern Ireland remain underfunded, an issue worsened by Brexit and the loss of EU support, undermining their ability to contribute to peacebuilding, equality, and resilience.
Greater engagement between government and civil society is essential. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) should play a central role in delivering and coordinating WPS efforts, supported by regular consultation with women’s organisations.
A growing emphasis on defence spending over societal resilience risks sidelining the WPS agenda. In a unique setting like Northern Ireland, civil society is crucial to maintaining peace and security and contributing to peacebuilding.
To make WPS efforts sustainable, political commitments must be backed by clear plans and adequate funding. The recent UK-Ireland Summit pledge to share lessons from Northern Ireland should be followed by a transparent and well-resourced implementation strategy.
Introduction
This evidence is informed by a Social Justice Hackathon held in Belfast on 1 April 2025 building on a report commissioned by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) on the impact of Brexit on Women in Northern Ireland. The event, conducted under the Chatham House Rule, centred on current challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Northern Ireland. The contributors named below have collaborated on this response, which builds upon the insights and discussions from that event. Each contributor brings relevant expertise in WPS and related themes, developed through academic research and/or advocacy work in this field.
It has been positive to see a number of funding sources relevant to the WPS principles within ODA funded programming. However, globally gender equality is included as an explicit priority or indicator in only a fraction of all ODA programming, which means that impact is difficult to evidence, and women’s rights organisations worldwide find it difficult to access ODA funding beyond small and often fragmented sub programmes. It would be important to include specific reference to WPS principles within the criteria for ODA funded programming overall, to ensure that the principles are reflected in mainstream ODA funding and enable a relevant and proportionate focus on women across all programming.
While the UK Government continues to allocate financial resources to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, primarily through the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) and Official Development Assistance (ODA), these investments are predominantly directed at international programmes. There remains a significant gap in how these resources are distributed within the UK, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland.
As this submission discusses in detail, greater financial support must be directed towards Northern Ireland to reflect its unique position within the UK of having expertise in peacebuilding. Despite being included in the 2023 National Action Plan for the first time, specifically in relation to the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls, this recognition has not yet been matched by appropriate resourcing. The third sector and women’s organisations in Northern Ireland—key actors in sustaining peace and advancing gender equality—face chronic underfunding and financial instability. This is a result of both long-term underinvestment and the loss of EU structural funds following Brexit, which have not been adequately replaced by UK Government funding streams. In addition to the reallocation of funding away from women’s organisations, there has been a concerning shift towards community development organisations that have historically upheld problematic structures of social control.
Without targeted investment, these organisations struggle to maintain core operations, let alone participate meaningfully in WPS-related initiatives or policymaking. Many work from one year to the next without secure funding, and some have already been forced to close. This erosion of capacity directly undermines the delivery of the WPS agenda in Northern Ireland and poses a serious risk to the long-term sustainability of peace and gender equality efforts in the region. In addition, to undermining the ability of the UK to deliver on its ambition outlined in the National Action Plan to share peacebuilding lessons from Northern Ireland globally.
A more equitable distribution of WPS-related funding is urgently needed. This includes:
In short, if the UK is to deliver on its WPS commitments both at home and abroad, it must ensure that financial resources are not only sufficient in scale but also fairly and strategically distributed. Northern Ireland should be treated not as a symbolic inclusion, but as a priority area where peacebuilding and gender equality remain active.
The inclusion of Northern Ireland in the 2023 National Action Plan is a welcome and important development, marking a positive shift towards recognising the relevance of the WPS agenda within the UK’s domestic context, as well as internationally. However, this inclusion must now be built upon in future iterations.
The WPS agenda, when considered in the domestic context, must be understood as addressing broader structural policy challenges — most notably violence against women and girls (VAWG). The UK's National Action Plan recognises the importance of the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland; however, recognition alone is not sufficient. There is a pressing need for this framework to be fully resourced and effectively implemented. Greater emphasis must be placed on the domestic dimensions of WPS, ensuring that policies are not only symbolic but also responsive to the lived experiences of women and girls in Northern Ireland. This includes understanding VAWG as a systemic issue requiring coordinated, cross-sectoral action spanning health, education, housing, social services, and criminal justice.
To meaningfully support women’s security in Northern Ireland, it is essential that this recognition leads to concrete action—particularly through sustained funding and support for the third sector and women’s organisations. These groups play a vital role in advancing gender equality, promoting community cohesion, providing support services and working to end violence against women and girls and contributing to peacebuilding, yet they remain under-resourced and under-supported.
Additionally, there is a pressing need to ensure that the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is fully briefed and appropriately engaged on the WPS agenda. Effective implementation of the National Action Plan within Northern Ireland requires cross-departmental coordination and active involvement from the NIO to ensure alignment with local needs and contexts.
The UK Government should ensure that the promotion of peacebuilding abroad is matched by a commitment to resourcing and embedding the principles of the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls within the policies and operations of the Northern Ireland Executive. Meaningful domestic implementation must accompany international advocacy.
Future iterations of the National Action Plan should include clearer strategies, dedicated resources, and robust accountability mechanisms for delivering on WPS commitments in Northern Ireland. Without this, there is a risk that the commitments made will remain symbolic rather than substantive.
More can and should be done to ensure the inclusion of women’s voices from Northern Ireland in decision-making processes related to peace and security. In particular, the voices and work of women peacebuilders—and more broadly, the third sector and women’s organisations that advocate for women’s rights—are not sufficiently supported or integrated into the UK’s WPS agenda.
A significant barrier to meaningful participation is the ongoing decline in funding for these organisations. This is due in part to the loss of EU funding following Brexit, and the UK Government’s decision not to fully replace these funds. As a result, many organisations in Northern Ireland are now operating with extreme financial precarity, often working from year to year without secure or sustainable funding. Some have already been forced to close.
There has also been a notable reduction in funding specifically for women’s civil society organisations—not only from the state, but also from philanthropic funders who previously prioritised gender equality. For example, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust no longer includes women’s issues as a dedicated funding theme. This threatens the survival of organisations that play a vital role in supporting the peace process and advocating for women’s rights.
In addition to financial challenges, the third and women’s sector in Northern Ireland faces increasing political and societal pushback. There is a growing sense of mistrust that the Northern Ireland Executive will act in support of the sector’s work. Moreover, some organisations face negative portrayal or dismissal in the media and by political actors, which undermines their legitimacy and discourages broader engagement.
Together, these challenges pose a serious threat to the inclusion of women’s voices in peacebuilding and policymaking. There is a real danger that the loss of funding, political support, and institutional trust will lead to the erosion of hard-won progress in gender equality and peace. Key individuals and organisations with specialist knowledge of the WPS agenda have already been lost, and without intervention, further losses may be irreversible. While this impact has not yet been fully mapped, it is widely felt and urgently requires attention.
More could be done to strengthen accountability by engaging directly with women’s rights organisations in Northern Ireland, to better understand their current needs and priorities in relation to the WPS agenda. This engagement should include regular, structured dialogue, ideally facilitated through the Northern Ireland Office, to ensure that the voices of women and civil society are meaningfully included in the monitoring and implementation of WPS commitments.
In order for this engagement to be effective, appropriate resourcing is essential. Many women’s organisations lack the capacity to carry out member consultations or participate fully in policy processes due to limited funding and staff capacity. Supporting these organisations to conduct outreach and contribute to WPS monitoring would help ensure that government commitments are translated into substantive, locally informed outcomes.
A wider trend among NATO allies and globally which is reflected in the UK is the shift in emphasis toward national security, understood primarily through increased defence spending, at the expense of investment in societal resilience. This narrow focus risks sidelining the broader aims of the WPS agenda, which are grounded in inclusive peacebuilding, gender equality, and support for civil society.
What this approach fails to acknowledge is the growing recognition, including by NATO, that national security is not achieved through military means alone. Societal resilience is now widely accepted as a core component of national security. It involves strengthening the ability of individuals and communities to withstand and recover from shocks, including disinformation, economic insecurity, and political instability, key features of modern hybrid threats.
A functioning, well-resourced civil society is essential to societal resilience. The voluntary and community sector (VCS), including women’s organisations, plays a critical role in supporting vulnerable populations, filling service gaps, and fostering community cohesion. In Northern Ireland, this capacity is being seriously eroded. The combined effects of shrinking funding (both from government and former EU sources), political instability, and increasing pressure on the third sector have undermined the resilience of local communities.
The situation in Northern Ireland should be seen as a case study of how weakening civil society undermines both national and human security. Organisations that have historically worked to reduce conflict, support reconciliation and peacebuilding, and promote gender equality are now at risk of closure. This not only endangers the progress made under the WPS agenda but also reduces the UK’s ability to demonstrate leadership internationally.
To improve adherence to the WPS agenda and strengthen the UK’s role globally, it is essential that national security policy be reframed to include investment in societal resilience. This requires recognising and supporting the vital work of civil society actors, particularly women-led and grassroots organisations, in conflict-affected regions such as Northern Ireland. Integrating the WPS agenda into broader security strategies will ensure a more inclusive, sustainable, and credible UK approach at both domestic and international levels.
References
McAreavey, R., Wright, K.A.M. and Donaldson, R. (2025) ‘Social Justice in Post‐Conflict Societies: Lessons From Northern Ireland’, The British Journal of Sociology.
Turner, C. and Swaine, A. (2023a) ‘ALIGNING PARTICIPATION AND PROTECTION IN THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA’, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 72(2), pp. 477–508.
Turner, C. and Swaine, A. (2023b) ‘Law, Language and the Power of “Invisible Threats” of Violence Against Women’, Journal of Law and Society.
Turner C & A Swaine (2021) At the Nexus of Participation and Protection: Protection Related Barriers to Women’s Participation in Northern Ireland. New York: International Peace Institute. https://www.ipinst.org/2021/06/protection-related-barriers-to-womens-participation-in-northern-ireland-paper
WPS Helpdesk (2022) ‘Domestic Application of Women Peace and Security in the UK.’ https://wpshelpdesk.org/articles/domestic-application-of-women-peace-and-security-in-the-uk/
Wright, K.A.M., McAreavey, R. and Donaldson, R. (2024) The Impact of Brexit on Women in Northern Ireland. Available at: https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Delivering%20Equality/DMU/Brexit-Impact-on-Women(Feb2024).pdf.
Wright, K.A.M., McAreavey, R. and Donaldson, R. (2024) ‘The Impact of Brexit on Women, Peace and Security in Northern Ireland: Spotlight on Violence Against Women’, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 62(5), pp. 1408–1416.
Wright, K.A.M., Haastrup, T and Guerrina R. (2023) Domestication+: The Fifth U.K. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, New Lines Institute.
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