POLAND
Poland’s first and current WPS NAP covers the period 2028-2021. There does not appear to be an update on this.
Objectives of Poland’s 2018-2021 NAP:
The NAP comprises four pillars, each supported by specific activities to be undertaken:
1 Participation of women in conflict prevention and peacekeeping:
- Strengthen the position of women in uniformed services by increasing the presence of women in command and control structures, including in leadership positions.
- Increase the number of women heads of diplomatic missions and, in uniformed services – the number of women serving abroad;
- Increase the participation of women in terms of numbers and positions/ functions in operations and missions abroad;
- Support the participation of women in mediations;
- Implement the WPS agenda as a support element of the SSR by missions and operations abroad;
- Implement the WPS agenda as a support element of peace processes by missions and operations abroad..
2 Women, Peace and Security agenda in Polish humanitarian and development aid
- Implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals in relation to the WPS agenda;
- Protect and support the victims of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV);
- Prevent such violence.
3 Protection and support of the victims of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence
- Address the issue of impunity of perpetrators of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence;
- Prevent and combat the impunity of peacekeepers and other employees of the missions and operations abroad who committed acts of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA);
- Train people who are preparing to take part in peacekeeping missions or operations or who are interested in joining them on the protection and support of the victims of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence as part of pre-deployment training;
- Support victims of conflict-related sexual violence who apply for international protection in Poland.
4 Promotion and development of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Poland and through international cooperation
- Include information on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in reports on compliance with international conventions on human rights and equal treatment;
- Actively promote and forward the Women, Peace and Security agenda within international organizations;
- Involve Polish researchers and scientists, students, non-governmental organizations, think-tanks and media in activities aimed at implementing the National Action Plan;
- Incorporate the subject of Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security agenda to the training curriculum for persons preparing to join missions and operations abroad and for persons interested in such posts;
- Foster cooperation in the field of exchange of experiences relating to the implementation of Resolution 1325.
Commentary:
The NAP emphasises Poland's pivotal position within NATO, and looks at implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda at NATO level. The Plan Has a comprehensive structure, with clear objectives for each of its four primary pillars. However, no budget allocated for the Plan’s implementation.
The NAP includes a monitoring and evaluation plan, which details responsible institutions and indicators on progress. The main objectives of the evaluation of the NAP are:
- to provide information on the results of the National Action Plan;
- to assess effectiveness of the implementation of the National Action Plan;
- to increase the effectiveness of implementation of Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions throughout Polish institutions and non-governmental organizations;
- to support the decision-making process in the context of setting outcomes and actions for the next National Action Plan.
Civil society involvement in development of the NAP:
Civil society organizations were not extensively engaged in the formulation of the NAP. However, the Plan recognises women’s contribution within security forces, and refers to initiatives taken by women’s groups and other civil society organisations in the recent history of the country. The Plan also acknowledges the influence of international civil society advocacy with regard to delivery of humanitarian aid and development programmes.
UN Peacekeeping Statistics:
At September 2023 Poland contributed 203 personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, of which 18 were women. Most of Poland’s personnel were deployed to UNIFIL (UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon).
Women in peacekeeping:
The NAP emphasises an intention to increase the role and number of women within the security forces, and the fostering of their progression into leadership roles. It refers to the growth over the previous decade in recruitment of women to the armed forces and police: in 2017 women comprised 16% of the police force, 5.4% of the armed forces, and 25% of heads of diplomatic missions. There is clear intent in the NAP to improve on these figures.
References and sources:
Poland’s 2018-2021 WPS NAP: Poland-NAP-2018-2021.pdf (wpsnaps.org)
United Nations Peacekeeping (Sept 2023) https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/troop-and-police-contributors
Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (Sept 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country
