Standing Firm: SEESAC’s Updated Gender Strategy for a Safer Future
In a significant move towards further strengthening gender-responsive approach to programming, SEESAC has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating gender perspectives in SALW control by releasing its updated Gender Strategy. This renewed strategic commitment aligns with global milestones - the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action.
Since its early initiatives, SEESAC has consistently prioritised the incorporation of gender perspectives in security sector reforms across South East and East Europe, supporting the development of gender-responsive policies through long-standing cooperation with the ministries of interior and defence in the Western Balkans.
SEESAC has also pioneered research on the gendered impacts of firearms misuse, led the codification of gender-related standards as early as 2007 with the Regional Micro-Disarmament Standard and Guidelines 06.30 - SALW and Gender Issues, and adopted its first Strategy for Gender Issues in SALW Control and Arms Violence Prevention.
In line with the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025 and the regional document “Contextualizing the UNDP Global Gender Equality Strategy to the Europe and Central Asia Region 2024-2025,” SEESAC’s updated Gender Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to address the gendered aspects of SALW misuse. As a dynamic document with annual updates, it ensures continued relevance and alignment with the broader UN gender agenda.
The updated SEESAC Strategy sets forth five key strategic goals for 2023-2030, including:
- Enhancing the capacities of security sector institutions to integrate gender perspectives into their policies and practices.
- Fostering gender-balanced representation and participation.
- Generating top-notch research and facilitating regional knowledge exchange on gender perspectives in security.
- Fostering engagement with civil society actors.
- Maintaining and expanding in-house knowledge of gender-related aspects in the context of SALW control and emerging security threats.
Additionally, the strategy introduces a forward-looking goal focused on partnering to foster innovative approaches to human security.
Serving as a guiding framework for all SEESAC personnel, the strategy ensures that gender perspectives are integrated into new programmes and helps assess the impacts of actions through a gender lens. It is also crucial for onboarding new team members and familiarising them with gender and security issues.
With clear strategic goals through 2030, SEESAC’s updated strategy underscores its dedication to a security sector where gender considerations are an integral part of policy and practice, thus ensuring that SEESAC remains at the forefront of gender and security integration in the context of SALW control.