The Netherlands launched a third National Action Plan in 2016 for the period 2016-2019. The third NAP was developed as a cooperation between government and over 50 Dutch civil society organisations and knowledge institutions with the goal to: ‘help break down harmful gender norms, enhance protection, and give men and women equal leverage in conflict prevention, resolution, peacebuilding, relief and recovery’. The Netherlands launched their first NAP in 2007, and a second NAP in 2011 for the period 2012-2015.
The Netherlands does not have a recent history of conflict, but they play an important role in international peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. There is a largely international focus to the Dutch NAP. The Netherlands continues to take an active approach to address United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 issues within the relevant organisations, such as the UN, the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The NAP mentions disarmament in general by stating that ‘many approaches to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration reaffirm gender stereotypes and confirm the perception of women as victims, potentially undermining the empowering leadership roles that women can play and reducing the space for men to reconsider the gender norms that prescribe certain behaviour’. However, there are not specific indicators listed in the NAP.