By Monique Cuillerier, coordinator, WPSN-C
In early 2024, the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) conducted a project, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), to provide guidance and advice on how GAC staff, at Canadian missions abroad and at headquarters in Ottawa, could better interact and engage with women/2SLGBTQI+ rights defenders and peacebuilders.
In the aftermath of the recent federal election and the appointment of a new minister of foreign affairs, now is a good time to revisit the report and recommendations resulting from that project.
The project gathered insights and recommendations through a combination of online surveys, discussions with WPSN-C members, interviews with women human rights defenders (WHRDs) both in Canada and based elsewhere, and a documentation review.
These insights and recommendations exist within a specific context. Canada is often seen (and represents itself) as a leader on WPS issues. While it is true that Canada has initiated WPS policy initiatives and increased investments in programming, civil society continues to raise questions and critiques regarding the Government of Canada (GoC)’s actual implementation of the WPS agenda.
Compounded with this, the WPS agenda, encompassing as it does many different issues and perspectives, includes a range of civil society voices. Currently, activists are raising important questions regarding the relevance of the WPS agenda in multilateral fora and by governments. The spirit of the WPS agenda (including the emphases on conflict prevention and inclusive peacebuilding) appears to be lacking as we consider the death toll and violence in Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
As well, while a growing body of evidence points to the crucial work done by women’s rights organizations, women-led organizations, and organizations of women human rights defenders in conflict settings through programmes, service delivery, policy and advocacy work, yet these groups are still often excluded from formal policy making and decision-making spaces.
Given this situation, the report, Women, Peace and Security: Strengthening Engagement Between the Government of Canada and Civil Society Representatives, details positive examples of engagement as well as challenges that remain.
Eight recommendations are offered from the diverse inputs gathered by the project. (These are explored in greater depth within the report.)
- Ground all interactions in respect and support for the safety of WHRDs.
- Take consultations seriously.
- Increase funding and improve the ‘quality’ of the funding (more flexibility, reduce red tape, longer-term, etc.).
- Design and implement a strategy to support and engage WHRDs now in Canada.
- Strengthen the implementation of the Voices at Risk guidelines.
- Invest in increased capacity of GAC staff to respectfully and responsibly engage with WHRDs.
- In consultations with Indigenous women’s organizations in Canada, develop a strategy to support their ongoing inputs into Canada’s WPS work..
- Strengthen policy coherence, ensuring attention to WPS generally and WHRDs more specifically across all of Canada’s international engagements.
The report also generated a draft tool of simplified “do’s & don’ts” for GAC officials to consider when interacting with WHRDs specifically and civil society more generally.
The intent of the report is to strengthen GoC engagement with civil society, especially activists who invest so much in building peace, protecting rights, promoting equality, and holding the GoC accountable for its WPS commitments. Strong engagement is always important, but in this moment it is even more crucial.
As this new government takes shape, we are at a critical moment, nationally and globally. The discussions that were had in early 2024 already included strong undercurrents pointing to the need to reinvigorate and innovate around the WPS agenda – on consultation mechanisms specifically and on the overall agenda more generally. As current crises and global challenges continue, a strong WPS movement, one that includes the active engagement of the federal government, is needed more than ever.
The views in this blog are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent those of the WPSN-C or its membership.
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