9 recommendations to advance Women, Peace and Security in the Eastern Partnership Region

Highlighted during a webinar hosted by the Swedish Network for the Eastern Partnership, the following nine recommendations outline strategic priorities to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda across the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region. 

They respond to evolving political dynamics, increasing pressure on civil society, and the continued underrepresentation of women in peacebuilding and leadership. These proposals emphasise the importance of protection, inclusive participation, and sustained support for women-led and feminist movements as cornerstones of democratic resilience and sustainable peace.

1. Protect civic space

Civil society in several Eastern Partnership countries no longer needs just support–it requires protection. The international community must speak out against repression, bring local voices into diplomatic and global platforms, respond through démarches when human rights defenders are targeted, and avoid “protective silence” that further isolates vulnerable actors. Embassies and donors must be held accountable when they fail to act. Women human rights defenders must be recognised and protected through diplomatic and public channels. Civic actors should be involved in decision-making from the start, not merely consulted afterwards. Silence isolates, visibility is protection.

2. Adopt and implement National Action Plans

Azerbaijan remains the only South Caucasus country without a national action plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognises the vital role of women in peace and security and calls for their full participation in conflict prevention, resolution, and post-conflict rebuilding. This is despite years of civil society drafting and advocacy. Regional symmetry, accountability, and meaningful implementation of National Action Plans are urgently needed. These must include clear mechanisms for monitoring, budgeting, and inclusive participation, be co-created with civil society, especially women’s rights organisations, and address emerging threats like climate change, digital repression, and displacement.

3. Sustain women’s movements through core funding

Peacebuilding is a long-term effort with long-term returns. To strengthen resilience and strategic influence, women’s rights organizations need flexible, core, and multi-year funding, not just project grants. They must be recognised as political actors, not only service providers, and be equipped with resources for both rapid response and long-term agenda-setting. Investing in feminist movements means investing in durable peace and democratic resilience.

4. Embed intersectionality and promote diverse leadership

Peacebuilding must reflect the lived realities of women across lines of age, ethnicity, religion, disability, displacement, class, and sexual orientation. Processes must intentionally avoid tokenism, expand beyond the same familiar faces, prioritise the inclusion of marginalised voices, and treat intersectional analysis as a core expertise, not a niche concern.

5. Shift the lens: from capacity to power

Labelling exclusion as a “capacity gap” misplaces responsibility on women. The real barrier is structural inequality and lack of access to power. Leadership and institutions must be held accountable for inclusion. Gender equality should be a leadership mandate, not a training objective. The issue isn’t women’s capacity—it’s their access to decision-making.

6. Broaden the definition of peacebuilding

Peacebuilding doesn’t just happen at the negotiation table—it happens in classrooms, communities, and grassroots organising. Feminist peacebuilding recognises these everyday actions as political. Support must prioritise intra-societal dialogue and bottom-up reconciliation, not just elite diplomacy.

7. Institutionalize gender in political frameworks

Gender must be structurally embedded, not dependent on individual advocates. This includes gender-disaggregated data, accountability mechanisms, mainstreaming in foreign policy, recovery and donor agendas, strategic leadership development for women, and mandated gender expertise in EU-EaP institutions. Women must be included not only in civil society roles, but also in formal peace negotiations.

8. Engage youth and counter backlash

Young people—especially young women—must be treated as political actors, not passive participants. They are essential voices in civic education, counter-disinformation, and social norm change. Support must include targeted programmes in conservative Russian-speaking communities, safe digital spaces, and strategic media engagement.

9. Strengthen the Eastern Partnership framework

The Eastern Partnership remains unique in embedding civil society as a core pillar of cooperation. With shifting donor landscapes, particularly USAID’s exit, it is essential that the EU and Sweden reinvest in EaP mechanisms. Civil society—especially women-led organizations—must remain central to shaping peacebuilding and policy, with gender equality and civic space upheld as strategic priorities.