Slovenia adopted its most recent National Action Plan (NAP) in 2018 for the period 2018-2020. The NAP was developed by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on the findings of the implementation review of the first NAP. The NAP is grounded in various national and international frameworks that pertain to gender mainstreaming in peace and security. The NAP approaches the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda both domestically and internationally, while indicating that Slovenia’s capacity to integrate a gender perspective to peace and security in the international arena will bolster the country’s implementation of the WPS Agenda at the national level. The NAP also stresses the importance of a domestic focus to the action plan in order to address emergent issues of the increasing number of migrants and violent extremism. The NAP identifies five overarching goals: integration of gender in peace and security policy; women’s increased involvement in the peace and security sector arena; protection of women and girls from and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); education and training pertaining to WPS; and prosecution of perpetrators of SGBV. While the NAP has a monitoring and implementation framework, it does not include an allocated budget.
Slovenia’s second NAP is preceded by one other NAP, adopted in 2010 and implemented for the period 2010-2015. The NAP identifies gender mainstreaming in conflict prevention and resolution, including through strengthening women’s role in preventing conflict and post-conflict reconstruction; increasing the number of women in peacekeeping missions; and protection of women and girls from and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. While similar in areas of focus, the second NAP expands these objectives. Whereas the first NAP does not focus on disarmament, for instance, the second NAP mentions promoting gender mainstreaming in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) efforts. Additionally, the second NAP provides an overview of accomplishments in implementing the first NAP, both domestically and internationally, including through quantifiable measures. Nevertheless, the NAP does not specifically identify lessons learned in terms of challenges encountered during the first NAP’s implementation. Furthermore, while financing WPS actions is addressed within the second NAP, neither action plan has an allocated budget.
Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 after a brief conflict (also referred to as the “Ten-Day War”) between Yugoslav and Slovenian forces. The country has not had a history of conflict since then. Slovenia is a contributor to overseas military missions and peacekeeping operations. Additionally, a previous member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace Program, Slovenia became a full member of NATO in 2004.
At the national level, in 2015, Slovenia’s Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities adopted a set of Guidelines for Gender Mainstreaming in the Work of Ministries. In 2016, Slovenia established the Advocate of the Principle of Equality, which is an independent body charged with gender equality.