NAP Development  

The NAP was developed with administrative branches and civil society through workshops, seminars and evaluation of the previous NAP (p. 33). The cross-administrative WPS monitoring group coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs played a key role in preparing the finalized version of the NAP, and the NAP states that the expertise of NGOs and civil society was tapped across a broad front (p.33) 

NAP Implementation  

The implementation of the NAP will be primarily coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Forces, the Ministry of the Interior and the Crisis Management Centre (CMC Finland), which operates in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of Environment. NGOs that have committed to implementing the NAP include Finn Church Aid, the Rule of Law Centre, the Finnish Refugee Council, the Finnish Red Cross, and the Family Federation of Finland.  

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation  

There is no specific information about the actors involved in the monitoring and evaluation of the NAP. The NAP states that a separate implementation plan and measures will be drawn up under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure efficient implementation (p.73). It also states that the “implementing parties” will participate in the preparation of this plan, establishing their areas of responsibility and updating it when necessary (p.73).  

WILPF 

WILPF Finland was founded in 1926 by Maikki Friberg, the long-time president of the Union of Women’s Affairs and the group is the oldest women’s peace organization in Finland. WILPF Finland is part of various initiatives at the national level, including against Finnish membership of NATO. The section also works to raise awareness about UNSCR 1325.  

The implementation period for Finland’s fourth NAP is 2023-2027. 

Finland’s fourth NAP identifies five overarching objectives:  

• Conflict prevention and peacebuilding 

• • Involving actions that promote gender equality including enabling women's economic and political empowerment, supporting women’s and girls’ education, and promoting their sexual and reproductive health and rights (p.27) 

• Peace processes and peace mediation 

• • Involving actions that promote women’s status and their involvement in peace mediation, dialogue and peace processes (p.27) 

• Security sector, crisis management and crisis preparedness 

• • Aims to reinforce the WPS agenda within the military and civilian crisis management. Looks at the defense sector and NATO membership as boosts to the implementation of the WPS agenda (p.27) 

• Safety of women and girls and realization of their rights in conflicts 

• • Aims to reduce violence against women and girls, women’s access to legal protection as well as legal responsibility. Also includes the protection of human rights defenders and women’s role in humanitarian assistance activities  

• Mainstreaming and advocacy 

• • To continue efforts to intensify the WPS agenda at normative level and raise awareness of it, in particular within international organizations - UN, OSCE, EU, AU and NATO 

Strategic outcomes are listed at the end of each objective’s ‘chapter’, which includes various results and sub-results to achieve the overall objectives. Examples include:  

• Objective 1: Meaningful participation of women in all their diversity is strengthened in conflict prevention  

• Women’s social, economic and political status improves 

• Finland dismantles discriminatory social norms and gender stereotypes as part of peacebuilding  
• Finland promotes equality and non-discrimination in peacebuilding at the national level  

• Gender perspective is integrated into arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation at national and international levels  

• Finland promotes and supports the meaningful participation of women in policy discussions and negotiations on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation  

• Objective 4: The safety and rights of women and girls are better safeguarded and their diverse needs are better met during crises  

• Gender perspective and the participation of women in all their diversity in humanitarian assistance work is promoted  

• In humanitarian fora, Finland emphasizes the special needs of women and girls in vulnerable situations (including women with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, older women) and promotes the accessibility of humanitarian assistance  

There are no specific indicators mentioned in the NAP. The NAP states that within the separate implementation plan, guidelines will be developed to support reporting, and indicators will be created to underpin the monitoring of the NAP (p.73).  

There is no specific section about monitoring and evaluation in the NAP. However, it states that the responsibility for monitoring rests with “responsible parties” in the central government and that civil society actors will bring important added value to the monitoring of the NAP (p.73). The NAP also adds that progress will be followed up by a national monitoring group led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that representatives of the parties responsible for implementing the NAP, including ministries and NGOs as well as the Finnish National Women, Peace and Security Network, will be invited to participate in the monitoring group.  

There is no specific budget mentioned in the NAP despite an evaluation report of Finland’s third NAP stating that the greatest challenges in implementation were associated with undersized personnel and budgetary resources (p.23).  

Finland’s NAP addresses disarmament with a specific outcome focused on incorporating gender perspectives into arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation (p.38).  

Actors

NAP Development

Just like the previous NAPs, the 1325 Network of civil society played an active role in the updating of the NAP by lobbying for their recommendations to be taken into consideration during the development of creation of the 2018-2021 NAP. 

The government actors involved in the development of the 2018-2021 NAP were the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Crisis Management Centre Finland, and the Finnish Defense Forces.

NAP Implementation

Civil society is also responsible for the implementation of the 2018-2021 NAP, including through submitting proposals and initiatives aimed at ensuring that the WPS Agenda is integrated into international and regional policies, strategies and activities.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations, Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity are responsible for the implementation of the 2018-2021 NAP.

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation

Representatives of civil society organisations participate in the monitoring and evaluation work of the follow-up group. 

The overall monitoring and evaluation of the 2018-2021 NAP will be systematically monitored by the national follow-up group, which is led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Within the national follow-up group, there are members of different ministries, agencies, civil society organisations and the research community.

Timeframe 

The third NAP is to be implemented in a period of four years 2018-2021 (four years). 

Objectives

The main goals of the 2018-2021 NAP are:

1. Women play a more meaningful role and there is more emphasis on mainstreaming the gender perspective in mediation, peace processes and transition processes. 

2. Women play a more meaningful role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

 3. Mainstreaming of the gender perspective is more integrated into the security sector and crisis management.

 4.  Women and girls receive better protection, their rights are better safeguarded and their needs are better met during crises.

5. Finland promotes the objectives 1-4 in the policies, strategies and work of international and regional organisations and by encouraging the development of National Action Plans.

Actions/Activities

Finland’s 2018-2021 NAP has various activities assigned to achieve its objectives. For example, for the first objective “women play a more meaningful role and there is greater emphasis on mainstreaming of the gender perspective in mediation, peace and processes and transition processes” has the following external actions outlined:

• Actively develop meditation as part of conflict prevention in conflict-affected countries and in international forums;
• Provide political and economic support along with expertise for civil society actors in conflict and conflict-prone regions;
• Create practices strengthening and facilitating the participation of women by identifying obstacles to their participation;
• Ensure the collection of good practices in the field to be used in mediation.

Indicators

The 2018-2021 NAP includes fewer indicators than the previous NAPs. For example, regarding Objective 1 on “women play a more meaningful role and there is greater emphasis on mainstreaming of the gender perspective in mediation, peace processes and transition processes” the following indicators have been proposed for Outcomes 1.1 and 1.2 along with the bodies responsible for its effectiveness:

• Outcome 1.1 - Challenges/objectives to women’s meaningful participation and gender mainstreaming in mediation, peace processes and transition processes have been identified:
  • Finland strengthens the link between practical work in the field and research-based conflict analysis on women’s participation in mediation, peace processes and transition process. The responsible bodies are: the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finn Church Aid (FCA), The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM) and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI);
  • Finland promotes high-level experience sharing, collection of lessons learned and mentoring. The responsible parties are: Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FCA, FELM and CMI;
  • Finland raises awareness at international regional forums of women’s participation in mediation, peace and transition processes in all levels. The bodies responsible are: Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FCA, FELM and CMI.
• Outcome 1.2 -Recommendations have been implemented to increase women’s meaningful participation and gender mainstreaming in mediation, peace and transition processes
  • Finland promotes the inclusion of the gender perspective in mediation, peace and transition processes. The responsible bodies are: Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FCA, FELM and CMI;
  • Finland supports women’s participation before and during peace, dialogue and transition processes, formal or informal. Bodies responsible are: Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FCA, FELM and CMI;
  • Finland provides public authorities and other relevant actors with training on the inclusion of the gender perspective at various stages of peace processes. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for this indicator;
  • Lastly, women are increasingly present at the post-agreement implementation and monitoring phases in which Finland is involved. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FCA, FELM and CMI are also responsible. 

Monitoring and Evaluation

Similar to the previous NAPs, the national follow-up group will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the 2018-2021 NAP. Detailed mid-term and final evaluation reports will be prepared by the follow-up group and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Unlike the previous NAPs, technical working groups will be created to address the different themes presented in the 2018-2021 NAP to ensure and facilitate cooperation, communication and reporting between the entities responsible for overall implementation. Based on these reports, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will prepare an annual report to the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament with updates on the implementation of the NAP.

Budget

Similar to the previous NAPs, the 2018-2021 NAP does not provide any allocated budget or an estimated budget. It does however mention that the central government must provide monetary support for civil society organisations’ 1325 work. There is no mention on the budget in reference to its general implementation. 

Disarmament 

Unlike the previous NAPs, the third updated NAP creates a strong connection between women, disarmament and non-proliferation. Weapons are addressed as a risk to women’s security.  More specifically, in its second objective on “women play a more meaningful role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding”, outcome 2.3 includes information on disarmament. Outcome 2.3 states: 

• The gender perspective has been incorporated into arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation at national and international levels.
  • Finland supports the implementation of Article 7 (4) of the Arms Trade Treaty, on preventing gender-based violence, by all State Parties. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be responsible for this outcome;
  • Finland includes the gender perspective in arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation at national and international levels. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be responsible for this outcome;
  • Finland promotes and supports the meaningful participation of women and women’s organisations in policy discussions and negotiations on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be responsible for this outcome.