The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 unequivocally underscored the seriousness of the growing geopolitical tensions. In extension, these developments have also brought with it the need to consider the international norm on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender integration in a range of new contexts, including for NATO. These considerations constituted the frame for a seminar for Commanding Officers, Chiefs of Staff and branch heads from 10 nations on November 1-3.
The seminar, chaired by the Commandant of Swedish Armed Forces International Center (SWEDINT), Colonel Gustaf Dufberg, was organized by the Nordic Center for Gender in Military Operations’ (NCGM).
The seminar aimed to "increase Commanding Officers’ knowledge of how a gender perspective can be integrated into the daily work at operational and tactical level in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and with the NATO Bi Strategic Command Directive 40-1”.
PRIO Research Director Louise Olsson contributed knowledge on the framework and with research perspectives on WPS and gender integration. Olsson’s contribution was based on a concept and framework developed and presented in cooperation with Major Linda Johansson, Officer in Command at the Capability and Cooperation Department at the NCGM. It builds Johansson’s experiences from the field and on Olsson’s work with analyzing and training on WPS, leadership, and military responsibilities since 2008. This includes a study of what WPS means in thecontext of the defense of Sweden, conducted in collaboration with Uppsala University in 2019-2021.
