Gender and Security Toolkit

Abstract

This toolkit focuses both on advancing gender equality within security and justice institutions and how the security and justice sector can help to achieve gender equality and women, peace and security goals within society. Drawing on the past decade of policy innovation and best practices, the tools highlight what success looks like and how it can be achieved.

Each of the tools is a handy, practical resource that sets out effective ways to work toward gender equality, including through inclusive leadership, gender analysis, gender training, improving women’s participation, strengthening oversight, and collaboration with civil society. Each tool features concrete experiences from around the world—in national reform processes, in international missions, and in local projects.

The tools each explore why integrating a gender perspective is important, what it looks like to advance gender equality, and how this can be achieved. Reflecting the latest policy developments in gender and security, evidence collected over the last decade and innovative approaches, the tools:

• include a detailed focus on gender-based violence and achieving equal participation of women in security and justice institutions;
• integrate principles of inclusivity and intersectionality, including preventing discrimination against LGBTI persons; and
• present ways to engage with masculinities and gender bias to transform institutional cultures so that they promote human rights and gender equality.

Each of the policy briefs addresses a topical or emerging priority in international discourse concerning gender and security. They synthesise the evidence base and present a series of key recommendations.

Additional documents

Tools:

• Security sector governance, security sector reform and gender (PDF, 2.5MB)
• Policing and gender (PDF, 2.5MB)
• Defence and gender (PDF, 2.7MB)
• Justice and gender (PDF, 3MB)
• Places of deprivation of liberty and gender (PDF, 2.5MB)
• Border management and gender (PDF, 2.4MB)
• Parliamentary oversight of the security sector and gender (PDF, 2.4MB)
• Intelligence and gender (PDF, 2.3MB)
• Integrating gender in project design and monitoring for the security and justice sector (PDF, 3.2MB)

Policy briefs:

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the security sector and gender equality (PDF, 455KB)
• A security sector governance approach to women, peace and security (PDF, 570KB)
• Gender, preventing violent extremism and countering terrorism (PDF, 613KB)
• Gender and private security regulation (PDF, 587KB)