UN Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network
The UN Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network works to strengthen the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda created by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325. The Focal Points Network regularly brings together WPS leaders around the world to share experiences, knowledge, and best practices to improve the coordination and implementation of WPS funding, policies, and programs.
The U.S. and Romania are the 2023 co-chairs of the Network, which convened in Washington, DC in June 2023. To welcome the Focal Point delegations, Our Secure Future invited a group of bipartisan Congressional leaders on Women, Peace and Security to share their remarks on the importance of the WPS agenda and the ways in which gender has influenced their work. Watch their remarks below.
Highlighting the WPS Caucus
The United States Women, Peace and Security Congressional Caucus seeks to ensure that the WPS goals stated in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 and in the Women, Peace and Security Act (Public Law No: 115-68) are actively considered national security and foreign policy priorities for the United States in our bilateral and multilateral relations, discussions, and agreements.
The WPS Caucus provides an opportunity for civil society, the Executive Branch, and Congress to work together to push this critical agenda forward. Specifically, the WPS Caucus provides a congressional platform to:
- raise awareness on issues related to WPS priorities,
- educate the public and Members of Congress on WPS policy initiatives,
- exercise Congressional oversight of implementation of the WPS National Strategy, and
- explore WPS issues related to specific conflicts around the world.
Congressional Video Remarks for the Focal Points Network
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), Co-Chair of the Women, Peace and Security Congressional Caucus
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA)
Our Secure Future Hosts Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network Events at the U.S. Capitol
Our Secure Future hosted two events for the 5th Capital-Level Meeting of the WPS Focal Points Network in Washington, D.C. from June 5th to June 9th, 2023. On June 5th, a reception was held in the House Members’ Dining Room in the U.S. Capitol to kick off the 5th Capital-Level Meeting. The event was attended by WPS Congressional Caucus Co-Chair Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL), Representative Kathy Manning (D-NC), WPS Focal Points Network members, parliamentarians, and senior Congressional staff. Speakers included Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL) and the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Geeta Rao Gupta. On June 9th, OSF and the U.S. State Department Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues brought together WPS leaders for a luncheon and discussion centered around advancing the WPS agenda. The event was attended by over 100 people, including WPS Focal Points Network delegates from over 40 countries, civil society leaders, UN Women representatives, and Congressional staff.
