NAP Development

It is unclear whether civil society actors were involved in the development of Malta’s first NAP. 

The Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA) was the lead agency involved in the NAP’s development process. 

NAP Implementation 

Although civil society actors are not the lead implementers of the NAP, they will be involved in its implementation. CSO actors will join the various government agencies to implement the actions listed in the NAP. 

While the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA) will be the NAP coordinator and oversee its implementation, the other government agencies involved in this process are: the Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance (MJEG), the Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE), the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement (MHSE), the Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity (MFCS), the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) and the Ministry for Health. 

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation

Civil society actors will be part of the Oversight Committee, which is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the NAP.

The Minister for Foreign and European Affairs will appoint an Oversight Committee, responsible for the NAP’s monitoring and evaluation. This committee will include representatives from government ministries, civil society, academia and independent individuals with relevant experience and expertise.

Malta released its first National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for the period 2020-2024. Moreover, under each pillar, there is an implementation timeframe for the actions. 

Malta’s NAP is designed and structured around four pillars, namely: Promotion, Prevention, Participation and Partnership. Each of these pillars have several objectives listed, for instance, Pillar 1:Promotion of the WPS Agenda Domestically and Internationally, has the following objectives: 

• Raise awareness and sensitize local and foreign participants about the WPS agenda and Gender Equality
• Promote and support knowledge sharing on WPS
• Increase support for the WPS agenda internationally

Each of the four pillars of Malta’s NAP has various actions to be implemented. For instance, Pillar 2 Prevention of all Forms of Violence, including Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) has the following actions: 

• Organise events, campaigns and seminars on sexual and gender-based violence. 
• Implementation of the Istanbul Convention.
• Provide adequate support including treatment and counselling to victims of sexual violence.
• Organise training sessions for officials working with migrant asylum seekers living in the Initial Reception Centres and other personnel.
• Create awareness using the media.
• Advocate for the elimination of female genital mutilation within international fora.
• Continuous awareness-raising aimed at the general public.
• Increase training programmes for Immigration Police and civilian immigration officers.

Under each pillar of the NAP, there are various indicators to measure the progress made on the respective actions. For instance, Pillar 3 Increased Participation and Representation of Women at all Decision-Making Levels, including Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding has the following indicators: 

• Percentage of women elected to leadership positions. 
• Number of discussion forums organised and attended by women in MFEA. 
• Number of female and male candidates received and sponsored. Increased funding. 
• Number of women recruited annually. 
• A number of sessions.
• Annual monitoring.
• Increased funding to support girls’ empowerment. Number of events organised related to WPS and YPS.
• Number of projects launched.

The Minister for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA) will lead and chair the Oversight Committee which will include representatives from government ministries, civil society, academia and independent individuals with relevant experience and expertise. “The Committee will meet up to four times a year once the NAP is launched. These meetings will also include reporting on each of the four pillars by the different members of the Committee. An evaluation process of the first National Action Plan will commence at the end of 2023 and will end in June 2024, and preparations for the second National Action Plan, which will cover the period 2025-2029, will then start. The evaluation process will also include recommendations”.

The Committee’s responsibility includes: 

• “supervising the regular and systematic evaluation of progress on achieving the outlined objectives and actions across all pillars in the NAP”;
• “revising existing actions and targets in light of emerging issues and policy agendas on Women, Peace and Security, and in response to lessons learned coupled with challenges identified in the monitoring process”; 
• “using outreach and communication mechanisms to ensure regular dissemination of updates to the stakeholders and, in particular, make sure that the perspectives of women affected by conflict are incorporated into the ongoing work of the Committee”.

The NAP does not mention any earmarked budget for the NAP’s implementation and it is unclear how the various actors will finance the implementation of actions. 

The Promotion and Participation pillars of the NAP include actions related to disarmament in particular DDR. 

• Promotion Pillar: Advocate for the implementation of the WPS at the UN and the EU, especially in relation to DDR programmes, irregular migration, and trade in small arms. 
• Participation Pillar: Provide a platform for women to engage in dialogues on peace and conflict-related issues such as DDR, migration, arms control, etc., which will, in turn, influence policies.