Development Policy Committee report: Finland must promote gender equality in NATO

There is a real opportunity to exert influence on gender equality matters now that NATO is actively working to incorporate its Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into NATO’s core tasks. This is one of the key observations presented in a discussion paper commissioned by the Development Policy Committee. The paper, titled Nato, naiset, rauha ja turvallisuus: kuinka Suomi voi edistää sukupuolten tasa-arvoa Naton ytimessä? (NATO, Women, Peace and Security: How can Finland promote gender equality at the heart of NATO?), was published on Wednesday 28 May.

Following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO has shifted its focus from crisis prevention and management to strengthening its deterrence and defence. However, NATO is also discussing ways to promote the WPS agenda as part of all NATO’s tasks.

According to NATO, the weakening security environment has gendered impacts on women and girls. On the other hand, women have important roles in national defence and in the building of societal resilience.

Gender equality is also increasingly targeted through disinformation campaigns that seek to question the unity and resilience of societies, according to the discussion paper.

Finnish expertise has a lot to offer to NATO

While Finland’s security policy focus has shifted towards strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence, no corresponding change has yet taken place in Finland’s contribution to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Finland has a lot to offer to gender equality work in NATO. We can make use of our WPS expertise as well as our wider political capital which we have accumulated, for example, through our efforts to promote the UN 1325 agenda.

The Development Policy Committee’s discussion paper underlines the need for Finland to identify challenges and opportunities both within NATO and with regard to our own possibilities to exert influence. As a NATO Ally, Finland is in a better position and has a stronger obligation than before to impact the implementation of NATO’s WPS agenda. This was identified in the Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy, issued in summer 2024, that called for Finland to adopt a more ambitious approach to NATO’s Women, Peace and Security agenda and to NATO’s efforts to promote human security.

Finland must take an active role in NATO’s WPS efforts

The discussion paper recommends that Finland take a more active role in the planning and implementation of NATO’s WPS agenda, especially with regard to deterrence and defence. It is essential that Finland identify key areas of its influence in NATO, such as hybrid threats and technology.

The paper stresses that the national coordination of Finland’s efforts to exert influence on NATO’s WPS agenda must be based on collaboration between different actors. Key experts from the central government to civil society organisations should be involved in the preparation and assessment of Finland’s policies.

The Development Policy Committee commissioned the discussion paper from Minna Lyytikäinen, Doctoral Student at the University of Helsinki; Juha Pyykönen, Security Analyst from Security Analysis Oy; and Iro Särkkä, Doctor of Social Sciences.

Inquiries:

• Marikki Karhu, Secretary General of the Development Policy Committee, tel. +358 50 525 8649, marikki.karhu@gov.fi