The Norwegian Embassy in Stockholm initiated a debate on Women, Peace and Security on November 26 in light of the new security situation in the Nordic region. Sweden’s and Finland’s entry into NATO means the Nordic region has become an integrated area for joint military operations. This new strategic reality and the geopolitical tensions in Europe overall has resulted in the Nordic countries strengthening their defense cooperation. A turn toward traditional military Nordic security require us to actively consider gender equality and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to ensure that the Nordic defense and societal preparedness includes a fact-based and common approach to these dimensions of our security in the region.
But what does addressing WPS and gender equality practically mean in the context of Nordic security and defense in a NATO setting? Moreover, can we just adapt models previously used in international operations to national defense? Or can we simply scale up models used for national gender equality in general to better adapt to a new security reality? Olsson’s research at PRIO over the last five years indicates that the answers to the latter two questions are no, this new security situation require active and aware choices. That said, addressing these questions and translating WPS into concrete issues to handle in national security and preparedness are quite complex and require expert dialogue as well as political decisions. PRIO was therefore happy to contribute to the Embassy’s important event.
Research Director Louise Olsson contributed in a panel together with Vice Admiral Louise Dedichen, former Norwegian Military Representative to NATO. Jointly, the panel discussions highlighted important comparisons and lessons from Norway and Sweden on the use of National Action Plans, the possibilities to contribute to central NATO processes, and how we ensure broad engagement of women in discussions on national security and preparedness in the Nordic countries. Other important panel contributions included Signe Gilen, Norway’s Special Envoy on WPS, Charlotte Isaksson, Senior Gender Adviser at the Swedish Defense Staff, and Ingrid Vik, UTSYN-Centre for security and resilience in Norway.
To learn more about Olsson’s research, see an interview by Forskning.no, her latest policy brief The Nordics in NATO: Women, Peace and Security and Regional Defense, and a summary of the NATO Deep Dive seminar on WPS in the High North. The summary includes an application of Olsson’s Matrix in support of gender integration now displayed at NATO’s pages on WPS.
