2021 Progress Report: Our Secure Future

Introduction

One Earth Future believes that women make the crucial difference in achieving more effective governance and, in turn, lasting peace. Research shows that when you empower women, you empower peace. However, 22 years after the historic adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325—the resolution that links gender equality and the maintenance of international peace and security and recognizes women’s participation as key to resolving conflict and securing peace—the Women, Peace and Security movement is still a deeply under-supported space. 

The purpose of One Earth Future’s Our Secure Future (OSF) program is to ensure the effective incorporation of gender perspectives into peace and security decision-making at both the international and national level, which leads to better security outcomes. The program aims to strengthen the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) movement by amplifying women’s voices, strengthening the global network of women peacebuilders, and promoting committed action by multiple stakeholders to turn policy into practice.

Innovation

Our Secure Future fills a critical and unique gap: even though there is broad agreement on the importance of WPS policy, there is substantial planning, education, and negotiation required to ensure effective implementation of this law and help Washington realize the immense benefits of the WPS lens. 

Our Secure Future’s main objective in 2021 was to continue support for the robust implementation of the US government’s WPS Act of 2017 through the promotion of gender perspectives and the strengthening of the WPS community of practice. OSF provided technical assistance for policy decision-makers, including supporting many countries through National Action Plan guidance; helped influence decision-makers through the Women, Peace and Security Caucus and by providing assistance on gender to offices of the US Department of Defense and US State Department; and shared OSF’s policy recommendations and expertise through a robust series of publications, media and speaking engagements, and focused consultations.

OSF has achieved concrete policy adoption and implementation on gender and security issues in both the executive and legislative branches of the US government. The program is regularly called upon to help define gender policy approaches throughout a number of US government agencies. OSF’s impact extends overseas as well; OSF directly supports women advocates in more than 20 countries through its work on WPS National Action Plans.

2021 in Numbers

Impact

• In 2021, the US State Department requested that the OSF team provide expert guidance on gender-sensitive indicators to use in conflict and stability operations. As a result, early-warning gender-sensitive indicators were incorporated into the State Department’s guidance on conflict zones, ensuring that efforts in the most volatile regions include the explicit consideration of women and gender. 
• OSF program experts were also sought out by the US State Department to convene civil society consultations on the Global Fragility Act and the Women, Peace and Security Act, a noteworthy demonstration of OSF’s strong reputation for expert leadership on WPS topics.
• OEF’s OSF team is a trusted source for WPS expertise and is able to leverage this to influence policymakers at the highest level. OSF was called on to brief President-elect Biden’s White House transition team on gender and WPS policy priorities.
• OSF Program Manager Erin Cooper was tapped to serve in the Department of Defense as the WPS policy specialist to all combatant commands, military Gender Advisors, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs. With Erin in this position, OSF gained increased influence over WPS policy and implementation at the DoD and with US combatant commands, notably with regard to Afghanistan resettlement.
• One Earth Future’s presence in Washington, DC, through its base at US Institute of Peace facilities, has increased the ability of policymakers to integrate gender into policy and legislative initiatives through the OSF team’s technical assistance. For example, OSF received a request from the office of Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) to provide suggested language on broadening the definition of Special Immigrant Visas during the Afghanistan withdrawal to help secure the rights of Afghan women and girls.

Testimonials

“Bottom line, the work you’re doing at Our Secure Future is frequently being utilized [in the U.S. government] by WPS practitioners and has undoubtedly shaped our approach and our evolving WPS narratives.” - US Government Official

“Our Secure Future continues to be a critical partner… and the resources you’ve developed are widely used, including by principals – directly informing our diplomatic and multilateral messaging. Given the fast-paced and ‘crisis reaction’ nature of our work, we rely on partners such as OSF for the latest research, lessons learned, and best practices.” - US Government Official

2021 Media