The Central African Republic (CAR) adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2014 for the period 2014-2016 and its second for the period 2019-2022.
The second WPS NAP of the Central African Republic is based on a number of documents and policies relating to WPS and gender; these included the report of the implementation of the first WPS NAP, analysis of national and international legal instruments for the protection of women against gender-based violence, the study of the organizational structure and functioning modalities of the National Observatory on Equality between men and women, the proposals of some civil society and the network of parliamentarian women of Central African Republic, the diagnosis of the discrimination against women in CAR, and the study on the magnitude and forms of gender-based violence during crisis. Furthermore, the government of CAR collected data from key stakeholders who could participate in the implementation of the second action plan, including political-administrative authorities, pertinent services, leaders of the CSOs, Communitary Assistance Organizations (OACs) and feminist organizations.
There are different challenges the government in CAR identified, including: The existence of discriminatory laws; Insufficient periodic reports on the implementation of international legal instruments; The persistence of insecurity in the country; Weak allocation of financial resources for the implementation of the NAP on UNSCR 1325; Lack of a grounded approach for gender-sensitive budgeting at the national and sectoral level; Lack of a national database of gender-based violence; Lack of a gender-sensitive Sectoral Strategy in the Defense and Security Forces; Insufficient synergy between the key stakeholders for the implementation of the NAP.
The 2019-2022 CAR NAP has strategic axes that structure the document: Reinforcement of conflict prevention measures in order to avoid the emergence of violent conflicts and consolidation of peace; Full and meaningful participation and strong leadership of women in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security; Strengthening protection to promote and protect human rights, specifically those of women, in times of peace, in times of conflict, and at all stages of conflict resolution; Recovery and transitional justice so that the specific needs of women and girls are guaranteed in all reconstruction processes in conflict or post-conflict situations, with particular attention to the most vulnerable (displaced and/or refugee women and girls, survivors of gender-based violence, women and girls with disabilities); Strengthening protection and security in the face of new human security threats.
The Central African Republic reported on its WPS implementation in its national reporting for Beijing+25 and in preparation for CSW64 (2020).
The Central African Republic gained independence from France in 1960, after decades of colonial rule. The most recent armed conflict in the history of the CAR is its ongoing civil war, which started in 2012. The conflict has displaced thousands of people and left millions in need of humanitarian aid. In 2014, the UN Security Council established the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to ensure peace and stability in the country. Nevertheless, there have been several allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers in the CAR.