Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 with regard to its reaffirmation of the important role of women in (a) the prevention and resolution of conflicts, (b) peace negotiations, peace-building and peacekeeping and (c) humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction.

Her Majesty's Government is committed to putting women and girls at the centre of our efforts to prevent and resolve conflict and to promote peace and stability. The UK meets the UN target of doubling the number of women deployed to UN peacekeeping missions. Women now comprise around 7% of our deployed troops. The FCO works closely with the MOD to advance this agenda. For example we supported the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger, in launching the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Chiefs of Defence Network at the Defence Ministerial on 15 November in Vancouver. DFID's forthcoming Strategic Vision for Gender Equality will ensure that gender equality is integrated in DFID's work across the board, including its work on post-conflict reconstruction and humanitarian response. Her Majesty's Government's annual report on WPS, to be laid in parliament on 14 December, describes the steps we have taken in more detail. The UK's fourth National Action Plan on WPS (2018- 2022) which provides the framework for the UK's ongoing efforts on WPS, will be launched in January 2018.