SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone has updated its original 2010 NAP to SiLNAP II which runs from 2018 to 2023.
Objectives/Aims of SiLNAP II:
The second Sierra Leone National Action Plan, called SiLNAP II is based on six pillars, each of which have an outcome objective. The pillars and outcome objectives are as follows:
1. Pillar: Prevention of conflict in communities and addressing the root causes of conflicts at all levels.
Outcome objective: Contribute to achieving reduced conflict in Communities and addressing their root causes at all levels.
2. Pillar: Protection and support of women, girls and SGBV survivors and other vulnerable persons:
Outcome objective: To protect women, girls and other vulnerable persons from SGBV, and promote human dignity and equality.
3. Pillar: Prosecute and punish perpetrators of SGBV effectively, and safeguard women’s, adolescents and girls’ rights at all times as well as rehabilitate perpetrators.
Outcome objective: Contribute to increased conviction of perpetrators and promotion of women’s, young adults’ and girls’ rights.
4. Pillar: Participation and representation of women in leadership at all levels of decision-making in peacebuilding and development processes.
Outcome objective: Contribute to increased women’s meaningful participation and representation in decision-making in all sectors, and at all levels.
5. Pillar: Promote peace culture and empower communities to generate and sustain their own well-being, environmental security and early response to health emergencies.
Outcome objective: Contribute to sustainable peace and community resilience to environmental and health emergencies.
6. Pillar: Promote effective coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting of the National Action Plan.
Outcome objective: Capacity and systems for effective and efficient implementation, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting strengthened.
Commentary:
Sierra Leone’s history of conflict has deeply informed its involvement in the WPS Agenda. The NAP identifies the post-conflict Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a key point at which the country began to grapple with the gendered impact of conflict, and subsequent efforts have been made to better integrate a gender-sensitive approach to conflict prevention. This NAP is built off of a fact-finding mission carried out throughout the country gathering data on the successes and failures of existing efforts to realize women’s rights and gender-mainstreaming, so the process was relatively data driven. Additionally, this NAP is detailed in outlining the funding mechanisms and necessary budget for achieving each of the implementation pillars. The NAP is integrated into broader peace-building initiatives, and as such has a large focus on addressing and responding to gender-based violence and including a gender-sensitive approach to transitional judicial mechanisms, including victim and perpetrator reintegration.
Civil Society’s involvement in development of SiLNAP II:
This NAP has a section dedicated to identifying where civil society has been involved in the consultation and implementation process, as well as identifying key international and domestic civil society organizations that have played a role. Civil society was also involved in the setting of the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework as well as its implementation.
UN Peacekeeping Statistics:
In 2021 Sierra Leone contributed 61 UN peacekeeping personnel. At May 2023 Sierra Leone contributed a total of 45 personnel.
Women’s Role in Peacekeeping:
Of the 61 personnel contributed in 2021, the majority were women (28 men, 33 women). At May 2023 of the total 45, these proportions had been reversed to 27 men and 18 women.Of that 45, there were 12 Mission Experts comprising 5 men and 7 women; 2 individual police, both of whom were women; the remaining 31 personnel were staff officers, of which only 9 were women (22 men).
References:
Sierra-Leone-2019-2023.pdf (wpsnaps.org)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_UN_peacekeepers_contributed (June 2021)
United Nations Peacekeeping. (May 2023): Troop and police contributors | United Nations Peacekeeping
Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (May 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country
