UN Women supports security sector to deliver on Women, Peace and Security agenda

UN Women and the Ministry of Defence of Georgia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation to promote the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the security sector.

The MoU was signed by the First Deputy Minister, Lela Chikovani, and the UN Women Country Representative in Georgia, Erika Kvapilova, on 1 December 2016. “Gender equality remains a significant issue on the reform agenda for the Ministry of Defence,” remarked Ms. Chikovani at the official MoU signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence. “We appreciate the technical assistance provided by UN Women in this area and pledge to strengthen our efforts to create equal opportunities for men and women in line with internationally established standards.”

Ms. Kvapilova complimented the ministry on its efforts in promoting gender equality and stressed the importance of national ownership over the Women, Peace and Security agenda increasingly demonstrated by the Government of Georgia in recent years. “The Ministry of Defence is a strong and committed partner in implementing UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security in Georgia. UN Women stands ready to further assist the ministry to advance results achieved so far in mainstreaming gender in their policies and operations.”

Forging a new level of partnership between UN Women and the Ministry of Defence, the MoU envisages deepening cooperation towards the implementation of the 2016-2017 National Action Plan of Georgia on the Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security. In particular, UN Women will provide technical support for the institutionalization of accountability mechanisms for gender equality within the ministry, as well as assist in advancing internal capacities to mainstream gender in the defence sector.