Synergy of NATO’s Female Leaders in Security and Defence Initiative and UNDP SEESAC’s Gender Equality in the Military Project

During the recently held international conference under NATO Female Leaders in Security and Defence (FLSD) Project titled “Human Resources Diversity and Usability: Challenges and Best Practices” which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria on 25 – 27 March 2013, SEESAC and the FLSD Project Management discussed possible synergies and areas of cooperation.

The aim of the FLSD Conference was to present national experiences and discuss the White Paper on the role of female leaders in security and defence which was prepared by the FLSD Project Management together with NATO Allied Command Transformation (NATO ACT). The goal is to achieve better integration in human resources diversity in the process of capability building and fulfilling UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. 

At the conference, UNDP SEESAC’s flagship project, “Support for Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans" (Gender Equality in the Military)  was presented and recognized as an example of regional exchange of national best practices and lessons learned.  The project focuses on assisting the ongoing efforts by the Ministries of Defense (MoD) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to integrate gender equality into their policies, procedures and practices through regional cooperation.

The "Female Leaders in Security and Defence" Project provides innovative approaches and highlights the existing best practices and thus contributes to the processes of policy formulation, decision making and implementation at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels in the military and civilian domains. The project is implemented within the framework of the NATO’s Initiative for Smart Defence.