PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Conflict Resolution: Females (12 September 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how his Department implemented at the Newport NATO Summit its responsibility under the UK National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 to ensure that women are fully and meaningfully represented at any international peacebuilding event or summit hosted by the UK.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

NATO invited participants to the UK hosted NATO Summit following their own strict protocol arrangements for delegation composition and size.

As host, the UK was able to influence directly the events around the NATO programme. As confirmation of our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), hosted the first meeting of its kind at a NATO Summit with the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative on Women, Peace and Security and the Foreign Ministers of Croatia and Denmark. The meeting launched NATO’s new Policy and Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and announced the permanency of the Special Representative’s position who will lead NATO’s efforts to ensure that women’s participation in conflict resolution is seen and taken forward as an integral part of the peace and security agenda. The meeting also discussed how this work contributes to preventing conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence.

Furthermore, we enabled the Non-Government Organisation, the Atlantic Council to hold a ‘Future Leaders’ event in the margins of the NATO Summit. That was an opportunity for young professionals from all NATO member states and beyond to discuss implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), was the lead UK speaker at the Future Leaders’ event. He took the opportunity to underline the importance of the UK’s National Action Plan for implementation of UNSCR 1325. The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative on Women Peace and Security also spoke at the Future Leaders event.

We ensured the Summit Communiqué highlighted the importance of ensuring women's full and active participation in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts, as well as in post-conflict efforts and cooperation.

Answered by:
Sir David Lidington (Conservative)
13 October 2014