Argentina adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2015 for the period 2015-2018. The NAP was developed by the Ministry of External Relations and Culture in coordination with a number of ministries, including Ministries of Security; Justice and Human Rights; Interior and Transportation; Work, Labor and Social Security; Education; Health; Economy and Public Finances; and Defense. The NAP indicates civil society involvement in the NAP development process, but does not specify further details on which civil society actors were consulted. The NAP approaches the implementation of the WPS agenda both domestically and internationally. It aims to increase women’s participation in politics and include a gender perspective in all matters related to peace and security in the national, regional and international level. While the NAP has a monitoring and evaluation framework, it does not include an allocated budget.
Argentina does not have a recent history of armed conflict, but the country was under a military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983, also labeled the “Dirty War.”
In Argentina, women have a long history of peace activism, particularly during the military rule, when Argentine mothers and grandmothers, known as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, brought attention to the crimes of the military regime and demanded the safe return of all the people who were disappeared by the state security forces.
In recent years, Argentine feminists have been calling for an end to femicide and sexual and gender-based violence in the country, including the country’s severe restrictions on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Most recently, feminist activists were pivotal in the legalization of abortion in Argentina in 2020.
At the multilateral level, Argentina most recently served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2013-2014.