Jamaica to launch National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security

Jamaica is set to develop a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), aimed at strengthening women’s roles in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and security governance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, announced on Monday.

“Before the end of this month, a consultative inter-Ministerial meeting on Jamaica’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan will be convened at the Foreign [Affairs and Foreign Trade] Ministry,” Senator Johnson Smith said during the opening of the three-day Regional WPS Symposium at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. The event is hosted by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in collaboration with the Canadian Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation (DMTC).

The Minister explained that the plan will bring together ministries, departments, and agencies with mandates under the WPS agenda, alongside civil society groups, to institutionalise gender-responsive approaches to security governance. Efforts will focus on protecting women and girls from gender-based violence, cybercrime, and human trafficking, while promoting women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding and decision-making in security matters.

“In keeping with a whole-of-society approach, we will also begin engaging with key partners and stakeholders across the private sector, civil society, and academia,” she added.

Senator Johnson Smith said the framework will align global commitments with national priorities, translating international principles into actions tailored to Jamaica’s security and development needs. “Our support for the WPS agenda is etched in the firm belief that women must be recognised for their invaluable role at all levels and, accordingly, be provided with opportunities to participate in both restoring broken communities and sustaining international peace and security,” she said.

She highlighted Jamaica’s current achievements in promoting women in leadership, citing key public offices led by women, including the Chief of Defence Staff, Public Defender, Director of Public Prosecutions, Auditor General, and President of the Court of Appeal. At the political level, women hold prominent roles within the Ministry of National Security and Peace and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, including two recently appointed female Ministers of State.

The Minister also underscored the importance of Jamaica’s National Policy for Gender Equality (2011) and the National Strategic Action Plan to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence (2017-2027) as instruments for applying a gender lens to conflict resolution and societal stability. Legislative measures such as the Sexual Harassment Protection and Prevention Act and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act further reinforce the country’s commitment to the WPS agenda.

Emphasising that dismantling gangs and neutralising dons directly protects women and girls, Senator Johnson Smith said these measures will form a critical element of Jamaica’s WPS strategy, noting the specific threats gangs pose to mothers and daughters both economically and sexually.

The Regional WPS Symposium, running March 2-4, provides a platform for regional military, governmental, and civil society stakeholders to discuss gender, peace, and security, and to inform Jamaica’s forthcoming National Action Plan.