Select Committee · International Development Committee

Women, peace and security

Status: Closed Opened: 7 Mar 2025 Closed: 10 Jun 2026 12 recommendations 11 conclusions 1 report

The International Development Committee is launching a new inquiry into how the UK Government is involving the needs and voices of women in its development efforts. The cross-party committee of MPs will explore the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, adopted by the United Nations, considering how this agenda is being incorporated into UK aid … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
10th Report - Peace under pressure: Protecting Women, Peace… HC 782 23 Mar 2026 23 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
17 Conclusion 10th Report - Peace under pressure: Pro… Deferred

The lack of an operational Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework is not a technical issue...

The lack of an operational Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework is not a technical issue but a practical barrier to accountability, oversight, and outcome–focused programming. Current reporting risks being activity– driven rather than impact–driven, undermining efforts to improve the lives of women and girls in conflict–affected contexts. Despite commitments in … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's concerns about the lack of an operational Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework, and states it is reviewing the current mechanism as part of the 2026 WPS NAP refresh to ensure it is robust, measurable, and can capture impact.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
18 Recommendation 10th Report - Peace under pressure: Pro… Deferred

As part of the Spring 2026 refresh of the National Action Plan, the Government must...

As part of the Spring 2026 refresh of the National Action Plan, the Government must establish and publish a cross–government monitoring framework for Women, Peace and Security, including a clear and consistently applied set of Women, Peace and Security–specific indicators capable of assessing both outputs and impact. (Recommendation, Paragraph 86) Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation in principle but states that it is reviewing the current monitoring and evaluation mechanism as part of the 2026 WPS NAP refresh to ensure it is robust, measurable, and can capture impact.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
21 Conclusion 10th Report - Peace under pressure: Pro… Deferred

The Government has not allowed for sufficient external oversight and feedback on its Women, Peace...

The Government has not allowed for sufficient external oversight and feedback on its Women, Peace and Security commitments. The shift from annual to biennial reporting has reduced opportunities for meaningful scrutiny. This weakens transparency and limits the ability of Parliament and civil society to assess whether commitments are delivering measurable … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government 'Partially Agrees' with the assessment, committing to a robust governance structure for the refreshed WPS NAP and stating it will consider introducing annual reporting to Parliament, with specifics to be published as part of the 2026 WPS NAP Refresh.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
22 Conclusion 10th Report - Peace under pressure: Pro… Deferred

Backing the Women, Peace and Security Private Member’s Bill would have been a significant demonstration...

Backing the Women, Peace and Security Private Member’s Bill would have been a significant demonstration of the Government’s commitments to the agenda. However, the Government has indicated that it does not yet support it. We are concerned about the future of Women, Peace and Security and the extent of the … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government 'Partially Agrees' with the underlying concern, stating it is committed to a robust WPS NAP governance structure and will consider introducing annual reporting to Parliament as part of the 2026 WPS NAP Refresh, where specific details will be published.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
16 Dec 2025 Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP · Ministry of Defence, Chris Elmore MP · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Emily Maltman · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Stuart Mills · Ministry of Defence View ↗
18 Nov 2025 Eva Tabbasam · Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), Professor Toni Haastrup · The University of Manchester, Reem Alsalem · United Nations View ↗
14 Oct 2025 Fawzia Koofi · Afghan Parliament, Fiona Kilpatrick-Cooper · The HALO Trust, Hanin Ahmed · Emergency Response Rooms, Sudan, Stephanie Siddall · Women for Women International, The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon View ↗

Who gave evidence

12 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP · Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister … Ministry of Defence 1
Chris Elmore MP · Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Multil… Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 1
Emily Maltman · Head of Gender and Children in Conflict Department Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 1
Eva Tabbasam · Director Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) 1
Fawzia Koofi · Former Deputy Speaker Afghan Parliament 1
Fiona Kilpatrick-Cooper · Director of Weapons and Ammunition Management The HALO Trust 1
Hanin Ahmed · Sudanese Activist and Emergency Response Room Lea… Emergency Response Rooms, Sudan 1
Professor Toni Haastrup · Professor The University of Manchester 1
Reem Alsalem · Special rapporteur on violence against women and … United Nations 1
Stephanie Siddall · Director of Global Policy and Advocacy Women for Women International 1
Stuart Mills · Head of Global Issues, Security Policy and Operat… Ministry of Defence 1
The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon 1