Institutionalizing Women, Peace and Security

This brief assesses the United States government’s progress on advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda through the work of Women, Peace and Security Advisors, Gender Advisors, and additional positions that have this as a component of their work. It is designed as a starting point for discussion to help policymakers: improve their understanding of these roles; strengthen their knowledge on why this agenda can help achieve more durable peace around the world; and provide recommendations on how to create a more robust infrastructure to better support these critical roles.

Key Takeaways

• There has been a notable increase in WPS integration and institutionalization across U.S. agencies.
• A lack of human and financial resources continue to be a major challenge for gender advisors.
• Both civil society and gender advisors support ongoing collaboration on WPS.
• An increase in funding and a mandate for WPS gender training would further advance institutionalization.