September 21, 2021.
‘Women’s participation is key to sustainable peace’ is a conclusion drawn from a global study on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), conducted in 2015,1 15 years after its adoption. The active participation of women at all levels is crucial to the operational effectiveness, success and sustainability of peace processes and peacebuilding efforts.
This briefing paper introduces readers to the theoretical and practical overlaps of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda with the field of small arms and light weapons (SALW) controls. As will be discussed, these two frameworks – SALW controls and the WPS agenda – are increasingly seen as interlinked. There is a growing awareness that SALW-related violence is highly gendered and that a gender perspective is needed for effective SALW control.
There is also increased recognition that implementing the WPS agenda must include action around SALW. The inclusion of SALW control issues in the WPS agenda represents an opportunity for renewed momentum in both of these areas.