Women, Peace and Security: There’s An App For That

For anyone who has ever wanted to feel more connected to WPS, the (free!) Women, Peace and Security app from PeaceWomen is a fantastic resource. It offers something for everyone, at every level of personal and professional involvement with the movement. It simultaneously provides a great introduction and starting point for beginners, action items for those who feel they’re on the fringe and want to dive in deeper, and even some useful tools for experts who don’t want to miss a single thing. Here are some of our favorite features:

For The Rookies:

The aptly-named “Why Women, Peace and Security” section outlines the history of and reasons for UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, the legal framework UNSCR 1325 provides for implementation, and even contains a list of UN acronyms to help decode those sections that may, at first glance, appear to be gibberish. The app also contains a “WPS Resolutions and Statements” section, which combines relevant full-text resolutions and presidential statements in one convenient location. It’s everything a beginner could want to know, all at the tap of a button.

For the advanced:

For those who have a solid understanding of WPS basics but who want to learn even more, any of the “Implementation” sections (of which there are three - dedicated to the Security Council, Member States, and Civil Society) have you covered. The “Member States Implementation” section describes National Action Plans, and even lists them individually either by country or by region. Under “Security Council Implementation,” the app actually breaks out individual paragraphs from relevant UNSCRs and organizes them thematically – an unbelievable asset to anyone who needs information related exclusively to, for example, women’s participation. We’re willing to bet there are a few WPS-focused dissertation writers out there whose lives will be easier thanks to this easy, searchable portfolio.

For the Experts

If you feel like you already know most everything there is to know about the WPS agenda, this app will likely be most helpful as a quick and easy way to find specific information (such as a list of the percentages of country-specific resolutions that contain references to women and/or gender – divided by relevant country). The app also contains a live feed of monthly advocacy developments both within the UN and across civil society organizations. It can be used almost like an issue-specific, high-quality Twitter feed, so you never miss an update.

For everyone:

Under each of the “Implementation” sections, the app contains a “What Can You Do?” checklist, which is relevant whether you’re still in school, are working for your home government, or are the Secretary General of the UN. It’s a great reminder that we can all do something, regardless of who we are and what we do, to support the Women, Peace and Security movement and build a more secure future for everyone. 

The Women, Peace and Security app is available for download here.

If you’ve been following our website, you are likely to have noticed that the utility of social media has become a common thread across many of our blog posts, and in the work we do at various events. If you would like to know more, check out our blog on issues ranging from the weaponization of social media, to its demonstrated utility in coopting and radicalizing young populations around the world. When utilized correctly, outlets such as Facebook and Twitter can provide useful support to peacebuilders on the ground.