UNSCR 1325 in Europe - 20 Case Studies of Implementation

This collection of case studies on national implementation of UNSCR 1325 builds on the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office's 2010 publication entitled “21 Case Studies of Implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Europe”.

It is part of EPLO’s ongoing efforts to channel civil society analysis and provide evidence-based contributions to the debate on these issues.

The overall aim of the current collection is to provide a snapshot of civil society involvement in lobbying for, drafting, implementing, monitoring and reviewing national action plans (NAPs) for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions in Europe.

Europe continues to be the leading region for the number of NAPs adopted (currently 23).

This collection includes case studies from a variety of countries in Europe (20): EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom); EU candidate countries (Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Montenegro); EU potential candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo); Non-EU countries: Norway and Switzerland.

The paper discusses key findings and trends emerging from the 20 case studies and concludes that, while NAPs are generally viewed as useful tools for translating countries’ commitments into practice, their potential as policy instruments is underutilized. Their implementation continues to be

hampered by the lack of a number of basic elements, not least a dedicated budget.

However, on the basis of the evidence collected, it appears that those NAPs which are developed through inclusive processes in which CSOs are involved as advocates, drafters and implementers have a better chance of being implemented.

The paper further concludes that, little information is available on the impact of European countries’ NAPs in conflict-affected countries.