Poland
Poland adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2018 for the period 2018-2021, and then updated this NAP to extend it until 2023. Analysis below reflects the 2018-2021 original version and will be updated soon.
The 2018-2021 NAP was developed by a number of ministries, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs; National Defence; and Interior and Administration, as well as the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, through a participatory process that included public consultations with non-governmental organizations. The NAP has four major objectives that focus on the need to increase women’s participation in peace processes, peacekeeping missions and operations; the need to strengthen women’s role in decision-making processes related to ensuring peace; and the need to protect and support women and children in conflict and in post-conflict settings. The implementation of activities set out in the document will be financed from the budgets of the relevant participating ministries and from the budgets of their subordinate units, academic centers, think-tanks and non‑governmental organizations.
Poland does not have a recent history of armed conflict, but is a contributor to overseas military operations and peacekeeping missions.
In 2020, Poland announced that the country will be withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty to prevent domestic violence and violence against women.
At the multilateral level, Poland most recently served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2018-2019.
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National Action Plan (2018-2023)
CEDAW
1980
Global Gender Gap Index 2020
40 out of 153
Arms Trade Treaty Ratified
2014
Military expenditure (2019)
$11.9 billion USD
Explore Poland's National Action Plan (2018-2021)
NAP Development
Civil society was consulted through the public consultation process in creating the NAP.
WILPF does not have a country section in Poland and therefore did not participate in the development of the NAP.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment were involved in creating the NAP.
NAP Implementation
Civil society is included as part of the implementation process in reference to the budget but there is not specific detail on how civil society will be involved in implementing the NAP.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment are responsible for implementing the NAP.
NAP Monitoring and Evaluation
Civil society were involved in the activities aimed at implementing the NAP. More specifically, they are involved in the main objectives of the monitoring and evaluation plan in terms of forming part of the efforts to increase the implementation of UNSCR 1325.
The implementing governmental institutions (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment) will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the NAP.
The implementation period for the Polish National Action Plan is four years (2018-2021).
The primary objectives of Poland’s NAP are focused on:
- Meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and peacekeeping;
- Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda through the Polish humanitarian and development aid;
- Protection and support of the victims of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence;
- Promotion and development of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Poland and in the framework of international cooperation.
Each area of work has different actions assigned. For example, the fourth objective (Promotion and development of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Poland and through international cooperation) which is under action 13 on “WPS agenda in reporting on the implementation of international conventions on human rights and equality” specifically includes the following actions:
Inclusion of the WPS agenda in the human rights Universal Periodic Review;
Inclusion of the WPS agenda in Polish periodic reports on the implementation of the CEDAW, including Recommendation no 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.
Each strategic objective has a number of listed indicators. For instance, the fourth objective (Promotion and development of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Poland and through international cooperation) includes action 13 on “WPS agenda in reporting on the implementation of international conventions on human rights and equality” includes the following indicators:
- References to the WPS agenda- related matters;
- References to the WPS agenda- related matters.
The monitoring and evaluation framework of the NAP will be carried out in two phases. There will be mid-term and annual evaluations. The institutions responsible for implementing the National Action Plan are responsible for its implementation, regular monitoring and annual evaluation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with coordinating the evaluation of the NAP and developing an updated NAP. The main objectives of the evaluation of the NAP include: providing information on the results of the implementation of the NAP; assessing effectiveness of the implementation of the NAP; increasing the effectiveness of implementation of Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on this subject by Polish institutions and nongovernmental organizations and supporting the decision-making process in the context of setting outcomes and actions of the next NAP.
The 2018-2021 NAP will be funded from the budgets of individual ministries, and from the budgets of their subordinate units, including academic centers, think-tanks and non‑governmental organizations.
Poland’s NAP mentions the role of disarmament in conflict prevention as a general reference to the prevention pillar of the WPS agenda. Besides this reference, disarmament is not mentioned in the NAP.