Military operations in today’s world require a diversity of qualifications and resources to ensure that peace and security are achieved and maintained. The complementary skills of both male and female personnel are essential for the operational effectiveness of NATO operations, especially in light of the increasing complexity of civil-military interaction, public relations and information sharing. The integration of a gender perspective into all aspects of NATO operations has contributed to increased operational effectiveness.
NGCP role and responsibilities
The NGCP promotes gender mainstreaming as a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and military operations.
The Committee’s responsibilities are:
- to provide advice to the MC on gender issues, including the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1325 and related resolutions;
- to support the mainstreaming and integration of a gender perspective into NATO’s military operations;
- as the NATO focal point, to collect, analyze and disseminate relevant information related to gender from NATO member states and partner countries;
- to share and facilitate the exchange of information on gender related policies and gender mainstreaming within NATO HQ and among the NATO Command Structure (NCS), NATO member states and partner countries;
- to liaise with international organizations and entities concerned with the integration of a gender perspective into military operations and gender related issues.
Working mechanism
The NCGP is governed by an Executive Committee. It consists of a Chairperson, a Chair Elect, and two Deputy Chairpersons, and is supported by the NATO Office on Gender Perspectives (NOGP).
The NCGP meets once a year as a minimum or as required by the Chairperson. The duration of the meeting is determined by the agenda, with a maximum length of five working days. The conclusions of the meeting result in recommendations to the MC.
Each NATO member state having a representative in the MC is entitled to designate one delegate to the NCGP. Delegates should be active serving officers of senior rank or civilian equivalent. They should be familiar with relevant UNSCRs, especially with UNSCRs 1325 and 1820 and with national policies or actions taken to implement these resolutions. They should also be familiar with the latest national developments in gender programmes, methods, approaches and tools for gender mainstreaming. Partners from the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative as well as partners across the globe are invited to contribute to the activities of NCGP.
The NOGP is the permanent focal point for collecting, providing and sharing information regarding national programmes, policies and procedures on gender related issues, including the implementation of UNSCRs 1325 and related resolutions.
History of NCGP
Since 1961, female Senior Women Officers in NATO have organized conferences on an ad hoc basis to discuss the status, organization, conditions of employment and career possibilities for women in the armed forces of the Alliance. On 19 July 1976, the MC officially recognized the Committee on Women in the NATO Forces (CWINF).
In 1998 a permanent office, the Office on Women in the NATO Forces was established in the International Military Staff at NATO Headquartersto provide information on gender and diversity issues and support the work of CWINF.
In May 2009, the CWINF’s mandate was extended to support the integration of a gender perspective into NATO’s military operations, specifically to support the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820 as well as related resolutions. The Committee was renamed NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives.
