The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
The Administration has made raising awareness and developing strategies to protect women from violence globally a foreign policy priority.
The Administration has made raising awareness and developing strategies to protect women from violence globally a foreign policy priority. Here's how:
2016 Updated U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally
Working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) is part and parcel of the U.S. Government’s commitment to advancing human rights and promoting gender equality. Since the release of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally (GBV Strategy) in 2012, we have made significant strides toward the Strategy’s goals. Three-year evaluations conducted by Departments and Agencies of the implementation of the Strategy found achievements and progress under each of the four strategy objectives, while also identifying challenges to full and sustainable implementation.
The recently-completed 2016 Update to the GBV Strategy, prepared by the State Department and USAID as contemplated by Executive Order 13623, is informed by the results of those evaluations and various consultations with U.S. departments and agencies, civil society organizations, the United Nations, and other donor agencies and multilateral institutions. The purpose of the update is to strengthen a government-wide approach that identifies, coordinates, integrates, and leverages current efforts and resources to address GBV more effectively, taking into account our experience over the past three years. It sets forth concrete actions to be implemented and monitored, in anticipation of another evaluation after the next three years. The U.S. government looks forward to partnering with stakeholders in governments and civil society around the world as we continue our efforts to prevent and respond to GBV globally.
You can find the 2016 Updated U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally here.
2016 Updated National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security
The 2016 Updated U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP) builds on our inaugural 2011 NAP, which has helped chart a course for the United States Government to accelerate, institutionalize, and better coordinate our ongoing efforts to advance women's participation and protection in preventing and resolving conflict. The updated NAP reflects the U.S. commitment to ensuring that in matters of peace, security and conflict resolution women’s voices are heard, women’s views are included, and women’s needs and interests are served.
The NAP remains rooted in concrete evidence that women’s participation as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence, and insecurity yields more durable outcomes for peace and security. This updated NAP is the result of a comprehensive review of policy, programming, challenges, and lessons learned since during the first three years of implementing our inaugural NAP, as well as ongoing consultation with civil society stakeholders. The updated NAP recommends a second comprehensive review following the next three years of implementation.
You can find the 2016 Updated National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security here.
Stephen Pomper is the Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Council.
