👥 Partners: UN Women, Beity Association, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), Internal Security Forces (ISF)

🎯 Objective: Strengthening the capacity of security forces to integrate international human rights frameworks and gender-sensitive approaches into national security policies and operations.

💡 *”Security forces are often seen as rigid institutions, resistant to change. But this training proved something different: when given the right tools, officers and personnel are not just willing, but eager to engage with human rights and gender-sensitive security.

What struck me most was how participants shifted their understanding—seeing human rights frameworks not as external pressures, but as essential guides for ethical, effective security operations.

This is what UNSCR 1325 and WPS are truly about—not just policy commitments, but changing the very DNA of how security is approached.”*

💡 Why Do Security Forces Need a Gender Perspective?

National security and women’s rights are often seen as separate issues. But in reality, security is not just about physical protection—it’s about ensuring justice, equality, and human dignity.

This training focused on bridging the gap between security and human rights frameworks, ensuring that officers and personnel:

• Understand the obligations of security forces under international law.
• Integrate gender-sensitive security strategies into their work.
• Apply UNSCR 1325 and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in daily operations.

In many institutions, gender and security are still viewed as parallel priorities, rather than interdependent ones. This training was about breaking that divide—ensuring that human rights protections are not just an external obligation, but an internalized security principle.

🔹 Key Themes & Approaches

Rather than delivering lectures, the training focused on practical, applied learning to ensure participants engaged deeply with the material.

✔ Understanding International Frameworks:

• The role of CEDAW, ICCPR, and other human rights treaties in shaping security policy.
• How UNSCR 1325 obligates security institutions to protect and promote women’s rights.
• The legal responsibilities of security forces when interacting with human rights defenders and vulnerable groups.

✔ Women, Peace, and Security in National Contexts:

• How gender-sensitive security prevents violence and enhances institutional effectiveness.
• The impact of exclusionary policies on national stability and human rights.
• Strategies for embedding WPS principles into military and law enforcement practices.

✔ Engagement with Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society:

• Bridging the divide between security forces and human rights activists.
• Understanding the rights of defenders and journalists in conflict and crisis settings.
• Developing protocols for constructive engagement rather than confrontation.

💡 One officer reflected:
“I used to see UNSCR 1325 as just another UN policy. This training showed me how it connects directly to our work—how security isn’t just about force, but about protecting communities in a way that upholds human dignity.”

📊 Turning Knowledge into Institutional Change

📌 Security personnel gained practical tools to integrate WPS principles into operational procedures.
📌 Participants developed strategies to engage with civil society and human rights defenders more effectively.
📌 The training strengthened institutional alignment with international human rights frameworks.

This was not about awareness—it was about realigning security with rights-based governance.

📩 Interested in integrating human rights into national security training? Let’s collaborate.

📩 Let’s Work Together on Gender & Security Reform

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