France launched their second revised National Action Plan (NAP) in 2015 for the period inclusive of 2015-2018. The updated NAP takes into account the numerous initiatives created toward the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The updated NAP contains an additional pillar, “fighting impunity” and expanded their pillar ” Developing political and diplomatic action” to “Promoting the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda regionally and internationally”. The 2010 French NAP specifies France’s action towards fulfilling the goals of UNSCR 1325. It calls for inter-ministerial and inter-institutional coordination to fulfill these goals, and includes the plan for fulfilling general European goals concerning women, peace, and security. The French NAP has four objectives, targeting the protection of women, the participation of women in conflict and post-conflict situations, raising awareness of women’s rights, and the development of political and diplomatic action. The French action plan also encourages other French-speaking countries in particular to develop gender policies.
France is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and possesses nuclear weapons. France is and has recently been involved in multiple military interventions, including the military intervention against ISIS/Daesh, conflict in the Central African Republic, and the insurgency in the Maghreb. Prior to that it also engaged in the Northern Mali conflict. France is also a contributor to international humanitarian aid, assistance, peacekeeping operations and diplomatic efforts through regional and international bodies. The French NAP has been interpreted in a largely international way, seeking to mainstream the implementation of Women, Peace, and Security Agenda across these activities.
In its reporting for Beijing+25/CSW64, France indicated that it is developing its third NAP and that it will focus on raising awareness of the WPS agenda and its mainstreaming in national and international action on the rights of women in conflict (pg. 56)