NATO WPS Team

NATO’s work on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is supported by women and men, civilian and military, throughout NATO’s structures.

Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security

At NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Secretary General’s Special Representative (SGSR) for Women, Peace and Security serves as the high-level focal point for all of NATO’s work on the WPS agenda. The designated role of the SGSR was created in 2012 and made permanent in 2014. It is a part of the Office of the Secretary General. As of 2021, NATO has had three Special Representatives for WPS: Mari Skåre (2012–2013), Marriët Schuurman (2014–2017), Clare Hutchinson (2018–Present).

The WPS team supports the implementation of NATO’s WPS Policy and Action Plan, working with civilian and military staff within the NATO enterprise. There are networks of Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points throughout the NATO family. The WPS team also works with allies and partners as well as other international organisations to advance the WPS agenda.

They also cooperate with NATO’s Civil Society Advisory Panel (CSAP) made up of civil society representatives of NATO states and partners. These civil society organisations work directly on issues related to women, peace and security and as have unique and first-hand perspectives. These different perspectives help NATO better understand the changing environment and emerging challenges, as well as opportunities in the field.

NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives

The NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives is a part of the NATO military structures. It promotes the integration of gender as a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of both women and men an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and military operations.

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