Cotonou, December 2, 2025 – In a significant gathering that brought together civil society organizations, government institutions, and international partners, Mme Dossi Gloria AGUEH, Africa Director of the Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD), contributed her expertise to a critical evaluation of Benin’s National Action Plan (NAP) 1325. The event, held at the National Women’s Institute headquarters in Cotonou, marked an important milestone in the country’s commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
The second edition of the National Forum of Youth and Women’s Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Benin took place from December 2 to 4, 2025, representing a pivotal moment for stakeholders committed to advancing the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security (WYPS) agenda in the country. This three-day forum was organized under the compelling theme: “From Resolution 1325 to 2250: Toward Inclusive Peace Led by Women and Youth in Benin.”
The central thematic focus of the forum emphasized the need to “Strengthen the ownership of Resolutions 1325 and 2250 through a feminist, intergenerational, and decentralized dynamic in service of sustainable peace.” This ambitious objective reflects a growing recognition that lasting peace cannot be achieved without the meaningful participation of both women and youth in peace-building processes, and that these efforts must be rooted in local contexts and driven by those most affected by conflict and insecurity.
The forum was organized by the Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace and Security (GTFJPS), a section of civil society networks in Benin, in partnership with several key national and international actors. The collaborative effort brought together the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Women’s Institute (INF), and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance, demonstrating a multi-stakeholder commitment to advancing the peace and security agenda in Benin.
To understand the significance of this forum and Mme AGUEH’s participation, it is essential to grasp the broader context of Benin’s engagement with UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Adopted in October 2000, Resolution 1325 was groundbreaking in its explicit recognition of the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls, and the critical importance of women’s participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction.
Benin, like many countries in West Africa, has recognized the importance of translating this international commitment into concrete national action. The country developed its first National Action Plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325 covering the period from 2017 to 2021. This pioneering effort represented Benin’s commitment to ensuring that women play a central role in peace and security matters at all levels of decision-making.
However, as with many first-generation NAPs across Africa and globally, implementation has faced numerous challenges. Resource constraints, limited awareness among key stakeholders, insufficient coordination mechanisms, and the need for stronger monitoring and evaluation frameworks have all been identified as obstacles to effective implementation. Additionally, the integration of youth perspectives—as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2250 adopted in 2015—has remained an ongoing challenge requiring renewed attention and innovative approaches.
Mme Dossi Gloria AGUEH was specifically invited by the National Women’s Institute to serve as a panelist and expert for Session 1 of the forum, held on December 2, 2025. The session’s theme, “NAP 1325 in Benin: Assessment, Challenges, and Perspectives for a Second NAP,” was designed to critically examine the country’s experience with its first National Action Plan and to chart a course for a more robust and effective second-generation plan.
The objectives of this crucial session were multifaceted and ambitious. Participants were tasked with conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of Resolution 1325 in Benin, analyzing the results achieved over the period covered by the first NAP, identifying the obstacles and challenges encountered during implementation, and collaboratively developing recommendations for a second-generation National Action Plan. This new plan would need to be better aligned with the priorities of women and youth while being more responsive to local peace dynamics and grassroots realities.
The session employed an innovative and participatory methodology that combined several approaches to ensure inclusive and meaningful dialogue. Field testimonies from women and youth who have been directly involved in peace and security initiatives provided grounded, real-world perspectives on what has worked and what has not. These were complemented by interactive exchanges among panelists, participants, and stakeholders, allowing for a dynamic conversation that could surface diverse viewpoints and experiences. The session also featured the symbolic presentation of an advocacy letter, representing the collective voice of civil society organizations in calling for concrete actions and commitments from government and international partners.
The panel discussion was structured around several critical questions that framed the evaluation and forward-looking agenda. These questions reflected both the need for honest assessment and the aspiration for transformative change in how Benin approaches the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
First and foremost, participants grappled with the question: What factual assessment can be made of the implementation of NAP 1325 (2017-2021) in Benin? This required panelists and participants to examine concrete achievements, acknowledge limitations, and extract valuable lessons that could inform the development of a second-generation plan. The discussion sought to move beyond general impressions to evidence-based analysis of what the first NAP had accomplished, where it had fallen short, and why certain initiatives succeeded while others struggled.
A second critical question addressed the current state of the process for developing the second NAP. Given that several years had passed since the conclusion of the first plan, there was urgent interest in understanding where the government and civil society stood in terms of initiating, planning, and implementing a successor framework. This question also opened space for discussing the level of inclusivity in the planning process—whether women’s and youth organizations were being meaningfully consulted, and whether the voices of women and young people from diverse backgrounds and regions were being heard and integrated into the new plan’s design.
Additional questions explored how the new NAP could better integrate the priorities and perspectives of women and youth, particularly those working at the grassroots level where peace and security challenges are most acutely felt. This line of inquiry recognized that top-down approaches to peace and security often fail to address the specific needs and contributions of local communities, and that a truly effective NAP must be built on a foundation of local knowledge, experience, and leadership.
The session was designed not merely as a forum for discussion but as a space for generating concrete outputs that could drive policy and practice. Two primary deliverables were anticipated from the session’s deliberations.
First, participants would collectively develop an advocacy letter—a formal document articulating civil society’s priorities, concerns, and recommendations regarding the implementation of Resolution 1325 and the development of the second NAP. This letter would serve as a tool for engaging with government officials, international partners, and other key stakeholders, ensuring that the voices and insights of civil society organizations remained central to policy discussions and decision-making processes.
Second, the session aimed to produce a comprehensive set of collective recommendations for the second NAP. These recommendations would be grounded in the lived experiences of women and youth activists, informed by evidence from the implementation of the first plan, and shaped by international best practices adapted to the Benin context. The recommendations would address key areas such as institutional mechanisms, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, coordination structures, and strategies for ensuring meaningful participation of women and youth at all levels of peace and security governance.
The invitation extended to Mme Dossi Gloria AGUEH to serve as a panelist reflected recognition of her significant expertise and leadership on Women, Peace, and Security issues across the African continent. As Africa Director of the Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD), Mme AGUEH brings a wealth of experience working with women’s organizations, advocating for gender-responsive policies, and supporting the implementation of international frameworks at national and local levels.
Her regional perspective offered participants valuable insights into how other African countries have approached the implementation of Resolution 1325, what strategies have proven effective, and what pitfalls might be avoided. This comparative dimension enriched the discussion by situating Benin’s experience within a broader continental context, allowing participants to learn from successes and challenges encountered by neighboring countries and to identify opportunities for cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Mme AGUEH’s participation also underscored the importance of regional networks and solidarity among women leaders working on peace and security issues. The challenges faced by women in Benin—limited access to decision-making spaces, resource constraints, gender-based violence, and exclusion from formal peace processes—are shared across many African contexts. By bringing together local expertise with regional knowledge and experience, the forum created a powerful space for mutual learning and collective strategizing.
The focus on developing a second-generation NAP 1325 for Benin reflects a broader global trend and growing recognition that first-generation plans, while groundbreaking, often fell short of their transformative potential. Across the world, countries that pioneered the development of NAPs have learned important lessons about what works and what doesn’t in translating international commitments into national action.
First-generation NAPs frequently suffered from several common challenges. Many were developed with limited consultation of women’s civil society organizations and even more limited engagement with diverse groups of women, including those from rural areas, minority communities, and youth. Implementation was often hampered by insufficient budget allocation, with NAPs treated as add-ons rather than integrated into mainstream national security and development planning. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms were weak or nonexistent, making it difficult to track progress, identify problems, and make necessary adjustments. Coordination among different government ministries and between government and civil society was often inadequate, resulting in fragmented and duplicative efforts.
Second-generation NAPs offer an opportunity to address these shortcomings by incorporating lessons learned, strengthening institutional mechanisms, ensuring adequate resources, and building more robust monitoring and accountability frameworks. They also provide a chance to more fully integrate the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda as articulated in Resolution 2250, recognizing that sustainable peace requires the active engagement of both women and youth.
For Benin specifically, the development of a second-generation NAP comes at a critical moment. The document references that “Benin is currently going through a period…” (the context section was truncated), suggesting that the country faces particular peace and security challenges that make the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security agenda especially relevant and urgent. Whether these challenges relate to regional security threats, internal social tensions, or other factors, they underscore the need for inclusive approaches to peace that harness the contributions of all segments of society.
A key emphasis of the forum’s central theme was the importance of decentralization in implementing Resolutions 1325 and 2250. This focus reflects a growing understanding that peace and security cannot be effectively addressed solely through national-level policies and institutions. Rather, sustainable peace requires robust local mechanisms, community-level engagement, and the empowerment of women and youth at the grassroots.
Decentralization of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda means ensuring that local government structures have the capacity, resources, and mandate to implement NAP priorities in their jurisdictions. It means creating spaces for local women’s and youth organizations to participate in security and peace processes. It means recognizing that women and young people in different regions of Benin may face distinct challenges and have different priorities based on their specific contexts.
This decentralized approach also connects to the forum’s emphasis on feminist principles. A feminist approach to peace and security recognizes that peace is not simply the absence of armed conflict but the presence of justice, equality, and conditions that allow all people to live with dignity and security. It challenges traditional security frameworks that have often excluded women and prioritized military solutions over prevention and peacebuilding. It insists on the meaningful participation of women not as tokens but as leaders and decision-makers at all levels.
Another crucial aspect of the forum’s framework was its emphasis on intergenerational dialogue and collaboration. By bringing together Resolutions 1325 and 2250, the forum recognized that women’s and youth agendas are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, not separate or competing priorities.
Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security, adopted in 2015, acknowledges the important role young people play as agents of change in peace processes and calls for their meaningful participation in decision-making. Young women sit at the intersection of both agendas, facing particular challenges and bringing unique perspectives that must be centered in policy development and implementation.
An intergenerational approach means creating spaces where experienced women leaders like Mme AGUEH can share knowledge and mentor younger activists, while also ensuring that young people have genuine voice and influence in shaping strategies and priorities. It means recognizing that different generations bring different strengths, experiences, and perspectives that, when combined, can produce more creative and effective solutions.
As Mme AGUEH and her fellow panelists engaged with participants throughout the day-long session, they were contributing to a process that extends far beyond the forum itself. The discussions, recommendations, and advocacy letters emerging from this event will hopefully inform ongoing government processes to develop a second-generation NAP that is more inclusive, better resourced, more effectively monitored, and more responsive to local realities than its predecessor.
For such a NAP to succeed, several elements will be essential. First, the development process itself must be genuinely participatory, involving not only government ministries but also diverse civil society organizations, women’s and youth groups, community leaders, and international partners. The voices heard in forums like this one must be reflected in the final document’s priorities and strategies.
Second, the new NAP must be accompanied by realistic budget allocations and clear funding mechanisms. Too often, action plans remain on paper because they lack the financial resources necessary for implementation. Benin’s second NAP must include specific budget lines, identify funding sources, and establish mechanisms for tracking expenditure and ensuring accountability.
Third, robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks must be built into the NAP from the outset. These should include both quantitative and qualitative indicators that can track progress, identify challenges, and provide evidence for adjustments and improvements. Regular reporting mechanisms should ensure transparency and create opportunities for ongoing civil society engagement and oversight.
Fourth, strong coordination mechanisms must link national-level institutions with regional and local structures, and connect different government ministries whose work intersects with the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Similarly, coordination between government and civil society must be institutionalized through formal consultation mechanisms and collaborative implementation arrangements.
Finally, the NAP must be connected to broader national development frameworks and security strategies, rather than treated as a standalone initiative. When Women, Peace, and Security priorities are integrated into national development plans, security sector reform processes, and other key policy frameworks, they are more likely to receive sustained attention and resources.
The participation of Mme Dossi Gloria AGUEH in the first session of the second edition of Benin’s National Forum of Youth and Women’s CSOs represents more than a single expert’s contribution to a policy discussion. It symbolizes the power of regional solidarity, the importance of learning from comparative experiences, and the critical role that women leaders play in advancing the peace and security agenda across Africa.
The forum itself, bringing together civil society organizations, government institutions, and international partners around a shared commitment to inclusive peace, demonstrates Benin’s ongoing dedication to implementing the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security agenda. The focus on developing a robust second-generation NAP reflects maturity and realism—an acknowledgment that initial efforts, while important, need to be strengthened and improved based on evidence and experience.
As Benin moves forward in developing and implementing its second NAP 1325, the insights, recommendations, and advocacy emerging from events like this forum will be crucial. The collective wisdom of women and youth activists working at the grassroots, combined with the expertise of regional leaders like Mme AGUEH and the commitment of government and international partners, offers hope that Benin can indeed achieve the vision articulated in the forum’s theme: an inclusive peace led by women and youth, grounded in feminist principles, strengthened by intergenerational collaboration, and sustained through decentralized action at all levels of society.
The journey from Resolution 1325 to Resolution 2250, and from first-generation to second-generation National Action Plans, is ultimately a journey toward a more just, secure, and peaceful society for all people in Benin. It is a journey that requires sustained commitment, adequate resources, political will, and above all, the meaningful participation of those who have too often been excluded from peace and security decision-making: women and young people. The December 2025 forum in Cotonou marks an important step along that path.
