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Women, Peace and Security Bill [HL]

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A bill to Support women in UK-sponsored and supported conflict prevention, peace processes, mediation and diplomatic delegations; to ensure systematic gender consideration and responsiveness in UK foreign and defence policy; and for connected purposes.

Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Duty to have regard to national action plan on women, peace and security

(1) In this Act, the “national action plan” means the action plan that has been for the time being adopted by the United Kingdom for meeting commitments under Resolution 1325 adopted by the Security Council of the United Nations on 31 October 2000 and which relates to the following resolutions of the Security Council on women, peace and security—
(a) resolution 1820 adopted on 19 June 2008;
(b) resolution 1888 adopted on 30 September 2009;
(c) resolution 1889 adopted on 5 October 2009;
(d) resolution 1960 adopted on 16 December 2010;
(e) resolution 2106 adopted on 24 June 2013;
(f) resolution 2122 adopted on 18 October 2013;
(g) resolution 2242 adopted on 13 October 2015;
(h) resolution 2467 adopted on 23 April 2019;
(i) resolution 2493 adopted on 29 October 2019;
(j) any future related resolutions.
(2) The Secretary of State must annually lay a report before Parliament on progress made in relation to the national action plan (the “NAP annual report”), which must refer to the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.
(3) The Secretary of State must have regard to the national action plan, the NAP annual report, and resolutions mentioned in subsection (1), when formulating or implementing the policy of the Government of the United Kingdom in relation to foreign affairs, defence or related matters.
(4) The Secretary of State must in particular have regard to the need for—
(a) commitment to systematic gender consideration and responsiveness in all foreign policy, including diplomacy, development, security, humanitarian aid and international presence,
(b) the inclusion of an appropriate number of women in the formulation and implementation of such policy so as to ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women and all individuals impacted by gendered violence in decision-making,
(c) commitment to gender equality and the guarantee of women's human rights, and to protecting the defenders of such rights in line with the obligations in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
(d) justice and reparation for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including criminal accountability for perpetrators of such violence,
(e) systematic recognition and participation of sufficient women in delegations to support peace processes that are supported by the United Kingdom including processes led by the United Nations, including women from minority ethnic groups, women with disabilities and women who may be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity,
(f) gender and inclusion mediation experts to be included in diplomatic missions relating to peace processes,
(g) appropriate pre-deployment training for all staff on peace-keeping missions including on human rights, women’s rights and gender-based rights,
(h) commitment to support local women’s peacebuilding organisations through funding, and
(i) responding to the needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in a survivor-centred manner.
(5) Where the United Kingdom is participating in a multi-national organisation, including the United Nations, the Secretary of State must seek to ensure that that organisation has regard to the matters set out in subsection (4).

2 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
(2) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.
(3) This Act may be cited as the Women, Peace and Security Act 2024.