Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

History shows that the meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security processes leads to more successful peace agreements, promotes stability, and strengthens U.S. national security. Through the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act of 2017 and ongoing support for UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the United States continues to advance the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women, in all their diversity, across diplomatic and foreign policy engagements. This means supporting women’s meaningful participation; advancing the protection of women and girls; scaling internal capacities to implement our WPS Strategy; and expanding partnerships with like-minded organizations and governments.

Alongside the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State is releasing the second Report on the Implementation of the 2019 U.S. Strategy on WPS along with its 2020 Implementation Plan. This report indicates significant progress against the Department’s WPS goals as compared to last year’s inaugural report. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, the Department invested approximately $110 million in WPS assistance programming, improving our ability to apply WPS principles and strategies across Department efforts. We have increased internal capacity through training and have seen a dramatic 25 percent increase in FY 2021 in the number of Department-led trainings for personnel that incorporate WPS principles. The Department also increased by 22 percent in FY 2021 the number of programs focused on improving women and girls’ capacity to counter terrorism and violent extremism and prevent, manage, and resolve conflict. These critical efforts reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to the centrality of WPS work within our broader mission.

The United States remains fully committed to maintaining its longstanding role as a champion for gender equality and encouraging the meaningful inclusion, protection, and development of women and girls under the WPS strategy. I am committed to ensuring that the Department will continue to hold itself accountable for the ongoing implementation of WPS goals through annual reporting. We know that the promotion of WPS principles across all the Departments’ efforts strengthens both democracy and human rights globally and contributes to conflict prevention and stability.