Czech Republic

The Czech Republic adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2017 for the period 2017-2020. The NAP was developed through a participatory process that involved the Government Council for Gender Equality, which consisted of representatives from the government, academia and civil society, and several ministries, including the Ministries of Defense; Foreign Affairs; and Interior. The NAP has seven overarching goals that address balanced representation of women and men in decision-making positions; reconciliation between work and private life; education and training; international cooperation for the promotion of the WPS Agenda; dignity and integrity of women; current challenges for the implementation of the WPS Agenda; and institutional support for gender equality. Each objective has corresponding actions, indicators, and coordinating entities. Nevertheless, the NAP does not include an allocated budget.

The Czech Republic reported on the implementation of its NAP, as well as WPS commitments, in its national reporting for Beijing+25 and in preparation for CSW64 (2020). Specifically, the country provided the following updates, among others:

The Action Plan on the Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on Women, Peace, and Security for 2017 – 202034 was adopted under the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 12 of 9 January 2017. The Resolution 1325 Action Plan 2017 – 2020 is closely linked with the Government Strategy and is considered to be its implementation document. To oversee the implementation of Resolution 1325 Action Plan 2017 – 2020, the Working Group on the WPS Agenda was established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (p. 22).
The Resolution 1325 Action Plan 2017 – 2020 is not the only document on the WPS agenda that was adopted in the Czech Republic during the monitored period. In 2016, the Command of the Minister of Defence on Promoting Gender Equality within the Ministry of Defence (hereinafter also the “Command of the Minister of Defence”)35 was adopted. The Command of the Minister of Defence sets various orders to bodies of the Ministry of Defence with the purpose to advance gender equality. The orders include reviewing internal procedures and regulations to ensure that they are in compliance with gender equality, holding training on gender equality for the Ministry of Defence personnel, and collecting sex-segregated data (p. 23).

The Czech Republic became an independent state in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The country does not have a recent history of armed conflict, but contributes to overseas military operations and peacekeeping missions. The Czech Republic is also a contributor to humanitarian aid, including as a partner of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to mitigate and provide accountability for gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. In 2019, the Czech Republic was among the top 25 arms exporters in the world.

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National Action Plan (2017-2020)

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Czech Republic-2020 Commitments

Czech Republic-2015 Commitments

CEDAW

1993

Global Gender Gap Index 2020

78 out of 153

Arms Trade Treaty Ratified

2014

Military expenditure (2019)

$3 billion USD

Explore the Czech Republic's National Action Plan

NAP Development

Civil society organisations were present in the process of NAP development through their participation in the Government Council for Gender Equality.

This NAP has been developed through a participatory process that involved the Government Council for Gender Equality, that consists of representatives from the government, academia and civil society, as well as several ministries, including the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior.

NAP Implementation

Civil society organisations will be present in the process of NAP implementation through their participation in the Government Council for Gender Equality.

Domestically, relevant ministries are the leading actors in the implementation of the Czech NAP in relevant categories, as described in the NAP. Internationally, the implementation of the NAP is undertaken by educational facilities, such as Charles University in Prague, as well as inter- and non-governmental organisations, including Caritas and CARE.

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation

Civil society organisations will be present in the process of monitoring and evaluation through their participation in the Government Council for Gender Equality.

The NAP monitoring and evaluation will take place within the framework of the Government Council for Gender Equality with support of other relevant advisory bodies based on annual reports from relevant ministries and organisations.

The implementation period for the Czech Republic National Plan of Action is three years, 2017-2020.

The NAP is divided into seven areas based on the structure of UNSC WPS resolutions, as well as the best practices derived from the implementation efforts of other UN Member States. Specifically, the following areas are included:

Balanced representation of women and men in decision-making positions;
Reconciliation between work and private life;
Education and training;
International cooperation for the promotion of the WPS Agenda;
Dignity and integrity of women;
Current challenges for the implementation of the WPS Agenda;
Institutional support for gender equality.

Each area of work has different actions assigned. For example, Area 1 ( Balanced representation of women and men in decision-making positions) includes the following actions:

Strive to increase the representation of women in military and civilian missions, international organisations, including decision-making positions;
Strive for a balanced representation of women and men in leadership positions in diplomatic missions;
Support increased representation of women in the military and police forces;
Promote the entry of girls and women in the military and police secondary schools, colleges and universities.

Each strategic objective has a number of listed indicators. For example, the first objective of Area 1, “Strive to increase the representation of women in military and civilian missions, international organisations, including decision-making positions”, includes several indicators:

Number of women actively involved in decision-making;
Measures available to respond to the lack of women’s participation;
A legal framework that reflects the principles of balanced representation and the specific needs of women participating in foreign civilian and military missions;
Awareness Activities.

The NAP implementation will be evaluated by the Government Council for Gender Equality and other relevant advisory bodies annually through the analysis of a summary report submitted by relevant actors. As part of the report preparation process, ministries are expected to provide proposals on how to improve/update further steps of the NAP implementation process. This is done with a view to ensure that relevant bodies will be able to respond to ongoing challenges and problems arisen in connection with the implementation of the WPS Agenda.

There is no specific section allocated to the issue of NAP financing. However, throughout the NAP, there are several references to financial resources and their allocation. For example, the Ministry of Interior is expected to support its research and other initiatives through by applying to grants and with support of the EU-led Funds.