GUINEA BISSAU

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Guinea Bissau’s first and only NAP covers the period 2010-2011.  There does not appear to be an update in progress. 

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Objectives of the 2010-2011 NAP

The NAP has an overarching purpose, supported by four objectives which align with the four pillars of UN Resolution 1325.  Each of the four objectives are supported by actions to be implemented.

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Overarching purpose:  

Contribute to the establishment of a lasting peace in Guinea-Bissau, equal participation of women and men in the peace process, and taking into account the specific needs of women in negotiating and implementing peace agreements.

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Objectives:

1 Prevention 

- Integrate a gender perspective in all actions and conflict prevention strategies, and strengthen efforts to fight against all forms of conflict and violence against women.

2 Participation 

- Facilitate the recruitment and appointment of Guinea-Bissau women in decision-making posts in United Nations peace missions as well as their active participation in all peace processes.

3 Protection

- Ensure the strengthening and expansion of efforts for the safety, physical and mental health, welfare, economic security and the dignity of women and girls by the promotion and safeguarding of their fundamental human rights. 

4 Relief and Recovery

- Ensure the equal access of men and women to aid distribution mechanisms, support services and actions of humanitarian aid, and of national and international funding for relocation.

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Commentary:

This NAP is largely focused on recognising the ways that conflict affects women and their ability to access services. There are repeated references to the fact that there are no women in the highest positions across many of Guinea Bissau’s highest political institutions and the NAP sets out ways for rectifying this.  Under the participation pillar, Guinea Bissau emphasizes supporting women to deploy more women to UN peacekeeping missions, and to appoint these to higher positions.  However, to achieve this it will be necessary to address internal barriers to their inclusion in leadership positions within the Guinea-Bissau’s security institutions and government. 

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Civil society involvement in developing the NAP:

Civil society was involved in the drafting of Guinea Bissau’s NAP, and their influence is especially strong in the areas of the plan that focus on humanitarian aid and conflict response. The government recognises that civil society capacity is necessary for responding to conflict, and therefore efforts to ensure equal access to humanitarian and relocation funding require the active involvement of civil society in implementing the plan.  

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UN Peacekeeping Statistics: 

At Sept 2023 Guinea-Bissau was not contributing any UN peacekeeping personnel. 

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Women and peacekeeping:

The NAP is focused on women’s participation in UN and international peace-building initiatives, and therefore implementation of the NAP will require close coordination between the domestic and international spheres of gender equality.

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References and Sources:

Guinea Bissau National Action Plan: 

www.un.org/shestandsforpeace/sites/www.un.org.shestandsforpeace/files/guinea-bissau-nap_2010.pdf 

Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (Sept 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country