GOVERNMENT
Women, Peace, and Security is a national strategic imperative that reduces risk, blind spots and improves situational awareness so leaders can make informed decisions leading to better operational outcomes. It’s roots stem from a 2000 United Nations security resolution 1325 which states that women, children, and disenfranchised men are disproportionately affected by conflict and crisis. It highlights the vital roles women play in peace and security with an aim to incorporate a gender perspective into everything we do.
2020vet offers Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) expertise providing internationally trained and experienced military reservists/retiree Gender Advisors (GENADs) ready to deploy into any mission or agency requiring implementation of a gender lens ensuring the needs of the entire population are met. We take a holistic approach to our national security work understanding that solutions must be multifaceted requiring perspectives our Team brings. We engage with a broad, multidisciplinary range of stakeholders to explore innovative ideas and emerging issues building integrated solutions. We detect, analyze, and evaluate evolving and emerging national security threats across the physical and human domains implementing WPS as a strategic capability having first-hand experiences working conflict and crisis response missions at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Government agencies are well intended but do not have the resources or capabilities necessary to keep up with demand to operationalize WPS despite proven results to mission.
We are strategists, policy makers, public office holders, operators, advocates, educators, and trainers that speak government and private sector language bridging gaps. Weaving all the partners together and leveraging their capabilities, avoiding duplication, and providing holistic oversight is key to mission success. We ensure that the very people disproportionately affected by conflict and crisis are not ignored, heard, and participate in the process to improve their safety, security, and well-being. As the gender network grows, it is imperative to have the right people training the next generation of WPS experts in a way that resonates with them. We offer scenario-based approaches and real-world examples demonstrating how this capability will help them do their job, reduce liabilities, and ultimately get people excited about performing their mission in a slightly different light adding immense value to their organization.
What is a Gender Lens?
Avoiding Blindspots and Risk
Negative impacts are reduced by including women’s perspectives to counter threats that we face such as terrorism, cyber, near-peer adversaries, disaster recovery, climate crisis, human trafficking, refugees, stability operations, health concerns and war. Recovery and stability times decrease significantly, and peace lasts longer when women are part of the solution. Having women converse with women produces better outcomes due to cultural nuances and comfortability in discussing sensitive topics. Our closest allies understand this and have incorporated a ‘gender lens’ into all their policy, planning and operations from the strategic to the tactical levels. The U.S. is leading the way in terms of national WPS law and Congressional resourcing but failing to implement the capability within real-world missions because organizations simply don't have the mechanisms/structures or resources to deploy WPS experts in the numbers and for the timeframes/duration required.
Great power competition requires holistic solutions to existing problems. The most adaptable will win. We need better tools. WPS is one such capability ensuring we do not unintentionally ignore the needs of women and children. This is like operating with one eye closed, having half of the information needed to counter problems which ultimately leads to poor operational outcomes. If half the population is not included in the equation, we increase our risk and liabilities to mission which erodes public trust and degrades U.S partnerships by not attracting others to our values and norms. Multiple studies prove that this is not a theory, it is fact.
