Malta adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2020 for the period 2020-2024. The NAP was developed by the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA). The NAP does not indicate civil society involvement in the NAP development process. Malta’s NAP builds on the country’s development and gender policies and is structured around four pillars, aligned with a modified version of the key pillars of UNSCR 1325: promotion, prevention, participation and partnership. Each of these pillars have various objectives, actions, indicators, along with implementation periods and responsible actors. The NAP also outlines a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan and states that the identified actions will be implemented in partnership with various government ministries and civil society.
Malta does not have a recent history of armed conflict, but participates in Operation Atalanta, a European Union military operation to prevent piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean. Additionally, Malta joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme in 1995, suspended participation in 1996, but reactivated its PfP membership in 2008. In March 2019, Malta signed the instrument of accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW). In 2020, Malta appointed its first Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, Cecilia Attard Pirotta, who will lead on all matters concerning Women, Peace and Security.