If Women, Peace and Security Agenda Is to Be More Than Words, Congress Must Stay Engaged

Sep 4, 2019 | Sahana Dharmapuri and Hans Hogrefe
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On paper, proponents of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in the U.S. have a lot to celebrate. Twenty years after the international community recognized the critically important role women play in the prevention, mitigation and reconstruction of violent conflicts by passing Security Council Resolution 1325, President Trump signed the Women, Peace and Security Act into law in October 2017. Requiring the departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security and USAID to develop a meaningful strategy to promote women’s participation and agency in conflict regions, a long-delayed strategy was indeed promulgated in June of this year.

 With the U.S. WPS agenda still in its infancy, the very lawmakers who ensured the passage of the Women, Peace and Security Act must however remain vigilant. Passing the law was a tremendous achievement.