Foundations for Peace: Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security

May 15, 2024 - Defence Stories

What is C-NAP 3?

The Government of Canada has delivered its third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2023 to 2029): Foundations for Peace: Canada’s National Action Plan (C-NAP) on Women, Peace and Security. This new plan provides an opportunity for Canada to reflect upon and assess collective efforts to progress the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda is a commitment to advance gender equality based on the United Nations Security Council landmark resolution 1325 (2000), and related 9 resolutions. The WPS agenda recognizes that diverse women must be critical actors in all efforts to achieve equality, peace and security. These challenges are not confined to the borders of a single nation and thus must be dealt with collaboratively and holistically, using perspectives gained through the intersectional analysis approach of Gender Based Analysis (GBA) Plus.

C-NAP 3 brings together ten federal partners to work on six focus areas:

1. Building and sustaining peace
2. Security, justice and accountability
3. Crisis response
4. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
5. Leadership and capabilities
6. Inclusion

The Department and National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) C-NAP 3's implementation plan has committed to strengthening gender-responsive CAF operational planning and implementation. It sets out to increase knowledge and awareness on the impact of gender inequality and evolving issues (e.g. cybersecurity, countering violent extremism, and climate change) on peace and security.

What has the Defence Team accomplished in support of the WPS agenda?

As one of the original implementing partners in 2010, the DND/CAF have:

• Developed and advanced targeted and GBA Plus-informed recruitment initiatives (campaigns, events, and priority processing) for women in the CAF.
• Established the Chief Professional Conduct and Culture, a new center of expertise to unify, inform, and coordinate culture change efforts across DND/CAF.
• Expanded capacity to integrate gender perspectives using GBA Plus with an expansive network of GBA Plus Focal Points, Gender Advisors (GENADs) and Gender Focal Points (GFPs) throughout the organization.
• Advanced efforts to address and seek to prevent all forms of sexual misconduct within DND and CAF.
• Increased the meaningful participation of uniformed women through the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.

DND/CAF will continue to further their support for the WPS agenda through the implementation of C-NAP 3.

DND/CAF C-NAP 3 Learning Opportunities

The Directorate for Gender Equality and Intersectional Analysis (DGEIA) will be hosting a series of learning events that center around different thematic areas relevant to C-NAP 3. These events will have a limited number of attendees, so Defence Team members are encouraged to register by emailing +CPCC WPS Advising - CCPC Conseil FPS@CPCC Dir GEIA@Ottawa-Hull to attend.

The first event will be a virtual panel discussion on May 22nd from 12:00 to 13:30 EST and will focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. We hope you join in!