Launching of Contest “Learn about the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for the Period 2024-2030 in the Public Security Force”

Since 2000, the UN Security Council has consistently called on Member States to take decisive action to realize the full promise of the WPS agenda. Twenty-five years on, over half of UN Member States and territories (113) have adopted a WPS national action plan (NAP WPS) at least once, including Viet Nam, who adopted its first NAP WPS in January 2024. These plans and strategies outline key commitments on participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery for women and girls in times of war, crisis and conflicts, among others. 

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) plays a critical role in implementing Viet Nam’s first NAP WPS by integrating gender equality into public security policies, enhancing personnel systems to support female officers, and leading efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, including domestic violence through protection of civilians initiatives, building capacity and preparing women police for peacekeeping operations, and ensuring gender perspectives are embedded in training and leadership development, as well as engaging male and female police officers into building and sustaining peace in the community. 

To fulfill its mandate, MPS also develops and executes its own sector-specific NAP WPS as well as the implementation plan. Raising awareness and understanding of the WPS Agenda and NAP among female and male police officers is essential to empower them for actions, for better protection of civilians in time of crisis and conflict, in responsive leadership, strengthen their capacity to prevent violence, increasing their meaningful participation in peacebuilding, and in fostering a more inclusive and equitable security sector—thereby reinforcing Viet Nam’s commitments to gender equality and national and international peace and security.

As per the NAP Tasks and Solution 2.d is “Intensify information, propaganda, dissemination, and implementation of policies and laws on gender equality, including digital platforms, focusing on enhancing the participation of women in the fields of peace and security”, this contest is the first activity of the implementation of the NAP as it has the target to have 100% of communication activities on gender equality, promotion of women participation in WPS with the participation of male leaders, command level and officials. The contest is also a part of the communication activity of MPS about NAP WPS, and issues related to gender equality, UNPKOs and peace. 

As a part of the promotion of police officials as peace builders at home and in the community, the contest is also combined with a contest organized by MPS regarding the views of the female police officials’ offsprings seeing their mothers as peace builders at home and in the society.

Objective

The Women’s Union of the MPS plans to create a movement for broader and deeper understanding of WPS Agenda and the NAP through a contest to:

• Raise awareness and understanding about the WPS Agenda, the Viet Nam NAP WPS and gender equality across the security sector. 
• Affirm the roles and responsibilities of the police forces in promoting gender equality, protecting the rights of women and children, enhancing women’s participation in various fields of police work, especially in peacekeeping, security, and responding to non-traditional security challenges.
• Create an inspiring and beneficial platform for disseminating messages of peace, security, and gender equality throughout the police force,