One Year On: Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council

The document examines how Norway, as a small state, navigated a challenging geopolitical environment to maintain the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in the UN Security Council. It highlights Norway's use of coalition-building, its presidency, and civil society engagement to secure WPS language in mandates and increase the number of women briefing the Council, despite resistance from permanent members like Russia and China.

• Norway's first year in the UN Security Council was characterized by a difficult geopolitical climate that hindered the introduction of new or progressive Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda items.
• Resistance from the Russian Federation and China forced Norway to shift its strategy from introducing new WPS language to defending existing language and ensuring its practical implementation.
• Norway successfully integrated WPS language into specific mandate renewals and resolutions, including those for the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and a resolution on the Central African Republic (S/RES/2605(2021)).
• Norway utilized its January 2022 Security Council Presidency to prioritize the WPS agenda, notably through a signature event titled 'Protecting Participation: Addressing violence targeting women in peace and security processes'.
• Norway significantly increased the representation of women among Security Council briefers, nearly achieving a 50:50 gender balance during its presidency with 17 women and 18 men invited to brief.
• To overcome structural constraints as a small state, Norway employed diverse diplomatic methods, including coalition-building and signing a Statement of Shared Commitments with Albania, Brazil, Niger, and the United Arab Emirates.

APA

Tryggestad, T. L., & Stai, N. K. (2022). One Year On: Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/695281e1-812b-49fe-a85a-f487e9d1de41/Stai and Tryggestad - One Year On Norway and the Women Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council GPS Policy Brief 4-2022.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Tryggestad, Torunn L., and Nora Kristine Stai. One Year On: Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/695281e1-812b-49fe-a85a-f487e9d1de41/Stai and Tryggestad - One Year On Norway and the Women Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council GPS Policy Brief 4-2022.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tryggestad |first1=Torunn L. |last2=Stai |first2=Nora Kristine |title=One Year On: Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=April 2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/695281e1-812b-49fe-a85a-f487e9d1de41/Stai and Tryggestad - One Year On Norway and the Women Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council GPS Policy Brief 4-2022.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tryggestad2022one, author = {Tryggestad, Torunn L. and Stai, Nora Kristine}, title = {{One Year On: Norway and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/695281e1-812b-49fe-a85a-f487e9d1de41/Stai and Tryggestad - One Year On Norway and the Women Peace and Security Agenda in the UN Security Council GPS Policy Brief 4-2022.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }