Introduction

The Fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2025-2029) marks the continuation of Italy’s commitment to UNSCR 1325 (2000), coordinated by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Human Rights (CIDU) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The Plan reflects twenty-five years of policy evolution aimed at protecting and empowering women and girls in situations of conflict, post-conflict, contribution to a durable and sustainable peace.        

In a world marked by global instability, the Plan recognizes that women, girls, and children continue to bear the heaviest consequences of war, displacement, and humanitarian crises. The Plan opens with two contributions. In the first Letter, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, affirms that the Plan places women “at the center of inclusive and lasting responses” of global challenges, including climate change, food insecurity and forced migration. 
The second Letter, by the President of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Human Rights, Giovanni Iannuzzi, underscores that in a time marked by armed violence and global polarization, the WPS Agenda must be carried out through the three UN pillars, which are peace and security, development, and human rights. He highlights the essential role of cooperation among institutions, civil society, and international partners to ensure coordinated and effective implementation of the Fifth Plan at both national and global levels.

Legal Framework 

The Fifth National Action Plan is grounded in UNSCR 1325 (2000) and its subsequent Resolutions, which together define the normative framework of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda.

The Plan also incorporates related UN frameworks, including the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda and Resolutions on civilian protection, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping operations.

At the international level, the Plan reflects Italy’s commitments under CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Istanbul Convention, and the 2030 Agenda (SDGs 5 and 16), reflecting an integrated approach that links peace and security, humanitarian aid, and sustainable development.

Regionally, it supports the EU Strategic Approach to WPS (2018), EU Gender Action Plan III (2021-2025), EU Council Conclusions on WPS (2022), as well as NATO’s WPS Policy (2024) and the Council of Europe’s Reykjavík Principles (2023). 

Furthermore, national strategies on gender equality, the prevention of male violence, trafficking, and business and human rights ensure coherence between Italy’s international obligations and domestic policies.

Italy’s commitment      

The Fifth National Action Plan builds on the achievements of the four previous National Action Plans (NAPs). While the First and Second Plans focused primarily on military participation, and the Third and Fourth Plans introduced a multi-stakeholder, integrated, human-rights-based approach, the Fifth Plan consolidates these achievements through a comprehensive framework, building on the participatory and monitoring practices which were examined in the In-depth study - The Third National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (2016–2020). 

The Fifth NAP emphasizes the centrality of women’s leadership in responses to complex crises, recognizing that armed conflict, climate change, food insecurity, and migration disproportionately affect women, girls, and children. 

Coordinated by MAECI and the CIDU, the Fifth Plan was developed through extensive consultations with public administrations, UN agencies, civil society, academic institutions, and trade unions, reflecting principles of dialogue, transparency, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Civil society remains a key partner in implementation. The Plan reinforces Italy’s multilateral engagement, advancing the triple nexus approach and promoting women’s leadership in DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) processes. It strengthens cooperation within the UN, NATO, EU, and OSCE, and builds on Italy’s 2024 G7 Presidency, which promoted gender equality through the WPS and Humanitarian Action Compact. 
Ultimately, the Final Objectives of this Plan are to reduce the impact of conflicts on women and girls by promoting their full, effective, meaningful, and safe participation, in leadership and decision-making processes, while strengthening institutions and education on the WPS Agenda and related issues. 
Overall, the Fifth NAP represents a strategic and systemic step, linking national policies with international commitments to advance gender equality and achieve a transformative peacebuilding.

The Fifth Plan and its operative characteristics 

The Fifth National Action Plan (2025–2029) was developed through a holistic and participatory approach, coordinated by MAECI and CIDU with the involvement of public administrations, universities, trade unions, UN agencies, and civil society organizations. Specifically, the process included a public consultation (June–July 2024), a national seminar at Sapienza University of Rome, and collaboration within the Open-Ended Working Group 1325 (OEWG), therefore confirming the participatory model recognized as a best practice in the Third NAP. 
The Plan is structured around four thematic objectives, among which, the first three align with the pillars of the International WPS Agenda:

1. Strengthen women’s participation in peace processes and in decision-making at all levels, fostering synergies with civil society. It promotes the full, equal, and meaningful involvement of women and girls in peace, security, and development. It supports their role in mediation and international policy areas such as disarmament, climate change, and digital security (1.1), post-conflict reconstruction and transitional justice (1.2), and leadership and training for prevention and peacebuilding (1.3). The Plan encourages structured dialogue with women’s and Women Associations (1.4), strengthens the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network (MWMN) and the Italian Network for International Mediation (RIMI) (1.5), facilitate the cooperation and sustain local and women Associations, and human rights defenders in combating violence (including online violence) and fostering peace (1.6). Finally, it promotes the safe and meaningful participation of women and girls in peacebuilding through development and humanitarian programs, which is consistent with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (1.7).
2. Promote a gender perspective in peace operations and enhance women’s presence in the Armed and Police Forces. It strengthens the gender-responsive implementation of UNSCR 1325 and related Resolutions in development cooperation and in the Armed Forces, including NATO and EU initiatives, and post-conflict capacity-building and training (2.1). Policies and planning in peace operations prioritize the empowerment of women, safe participation, and protection from gender-based violence (2.2). The Plan includes the training of Gender Advisors and Focal Points, including through national/international military education programs (2.3), and promotes women’s meaningful participation in deployment and peace missions, particularly within NATO, EU, and OSCE operations (2.4). It reinforces the organizational structures supporting gender policies in the military (2.5), enhances women’s representation in Armed and Police Forces through targeted measures and stereotype reduction (2.6), and strengthens the Interforce Gender Perspective Council to ensure equal opportunities and prevent gender-based violence (2.7). Finally, it fosters joint MAECI-Ministry of Defense initiatives to protect children in conflict zones (2.8).
3. Strengthen the promotion of gender equality, empowerment, and protection of women and girls, particularly in conflict and post-conflict settings. It focuses on preventing and responding to all forms of discrimination and violence, enhancing the capacity of police, security forces, and judicial institutions, and addressing online and gender-based violence, including against refugees and asylum seekers (3.1-3.2). The Plan strengthens AICS’s foreign offices to integrate gender perspectives, conduct training, and monitor impacts on women and girls (3.3), while supporting international diplomatic and political processes to ensure accountability for sexual and other forms of violence (3.4). It reinforces national social protection systems for women and minors, including survivors of trafficking (3.5), promotes cooperation with local and women’s Associations and human rights defenders (3.6), and encourages male engagement in advancing gender equality and preventing gender-based violence (3.7).
4. Consolidate communication, training, and advocacy to raise awareness and coordinate Italy’s action in relevant international fora. It promotes strategic communication campaigns with civil society, academia, and the private sector, including through social media, conferences, and local initiatives (4.1), and strengthens education on Women, Peace, and Security, gender equality, and women’s human rights in university curricula (4.2). The Plan develops sector-specific gender-sensitive communication strategies and encourages private sector engagement (4.3). It ensures WPS issues are integrated into UN peacekeeping mandates and peacebuilding funding (4.4) and strengthens multilateral dialogue with partners such as the UN, NATO, EU, OSCE, and Council of Europe (4.5). It expands training on WPS, international humanitarian and human rights law, gender equality, and protection from sexual and online violence for civilian, military, and police personnel (4.6), continues funding WPS projects for local NGOs (4.7), and reinforces training support for Italian CSOs, engaging academia and sector stakeholders (4.8).

Each of the thematic objectives includes measurable actions and specific stakeholders, therefore ensuring quantitative and qualitative monitoring through SMART indicators. This focus on measurable outcomes is a direct consequence of the previous critiques regarding the lack of effective monitoring mechanisms. A comprehensive list of indicators related to women participation is included in Annex 1.

Monitoring and assessment 

The monitoring and evaluation framework of the Fifth National Action Plan ensures transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout its five-year duration. 

Annually, the CIDU will issue a progress report, prepared in close collaboration with civil society organizations and other key stakeholders. Moreover, to ensure coordination among the different actors involved, the OEWG will reunite at least 3 times per year, with the objective to provide recommendations to CIDU. The progress made will be tracked through the aforementioned indicators. Findings and recommendations derived from this analysis will be submitted regularly to the political Authority and Parliament, ensuring alignment with national priorities. The NAP will also be shared across Italy’s diplomatic and consular network, therefore reinforcing consistency between domestic and international implementation. 

Furthermore, on an annual basis, the OEWG will update the objectives and indicators considering the lessons learned, emerging challenges, and new policy directions in the WPS framework. This process supports the Plan to adapt to evolving realities.

Conclusion         

The Fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2025-2029) reaffirms Italy’s commitment to integrating gender perspectives across peace, security, and development policies. 

While the Plan introduces stronger monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, its real impact will depend on sustained political will, effective coordination across institutions, and the meaningful engagement of civil society. 
Its ultimate success will depend on the continuous collaboration of all stakeholders and the capacity to adapt strategies to emerging challenges, ensuring that the principles of Women, Peace and Security translate into tangible improvements in the lives of women and communities affected by conflict. The Plan stands as both a national strategy and a diplomatic commitment, underscoring Italy’s position that peace cannot be sustainable without the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women.