Facility 1325 – Women, Peace, Security

The goals of Facility 1325 are to transform local dynamics; strengthen dialogue and social cohesion; and contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive peace rooted in local realities of the territories, in line with the principles of feminist diplomacy. To do so, it places equality, protection, and participation by women at the heart of its action. It is being implemented in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Public actors in the project’s target countries can request technical assistance missions to receive support in implementing their actions or in boosting their skills on the subjects of Women, Peace, Security. The Facility 1325 missions are adapted to needs and priorities identified by the partners. These missions are carried out by qualified gender experts from the national, regional, and international levels to provide both context-specific and high-level support.

Facility 1325 also provides support to feminist civil society organisations selected through calls for projects, by building their capacities and supporting their initiatives for the protection of women and girls and their participation in peace processes. By supporting these key actors in the field, the project is helping to transform local dynamics and promote a more inclusive and sustainable peace.

The project is implemented using a localised approach and through peer-to-peer exchanges to amplify its impact and ensure sustainable results. It is based on two action priorities:

1. technical assistance for public institutions;
2. support for civil society organisations (CSOs).

As part of Facility 1325, a pool of experts specialised in gender and conflict resolution has been deployed to support public institutions in implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This mechanism has been designed to be flexible and agile. It includes support for the development and implementation of national strategies related to the WPS agenda as well as capacity-building and institutional coordination to boost it. The objective is to guarantee a response adapted to local and institutional challenges.

Facility 1325 supports institutions in developing, updating, and revising national action plans and national strategies related to the WPS agenda. It also contributes to carrying out analysis and feasibility studies to support the implementation of the agenda’s actions as well as to ensuring rigorous monitoring and capitalisation of the project outcomes.

To give WPS issues lasting importance, the project activities include training sessions targeting institutional actors as well as the creation of consultation frameworks. These actions strengthen technical skills and promote effective coordination among the institutions responsible for national WPS action plans.

A territorial approach has been adopted in order to maximise the effects and enable adjustments to be made before scaling up the activities geographically or thematically.

Facility 1325 supports feminist civil society organisations (CSOs) by consolidating their skills in financial, administrative, and technical management. Thanks to appropriate training and methodological tools, CSOs are better equipped to optimise their grant management, structure their actions, and bolster their operational autonomy.

The project helps identify and financially support feminist or women’s rights CSOs engaged in implementing the WPS agenda. They receive grants to support their initiatives in the field. A monitoring and evaluation framework has been established to ensure the transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of the actions financed, thus ensuring lasting impact on the ground with the communities.

Facility 1325 also fosters structuring for feminist CSO networks and boosts their coordination capacities. It helps guide these organisations when they participate in dialogue frameworks with institutions, by providing them with tools and training in advocacy and conflict-resolution mechanisms.

The objective is to expand their influence and contribution to the WPS agenda at the national level by highlighting their key role and know-how in transforming local dynamics.