On April 23-24, the United States Department of Defense hosted the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) Ad-Hoc Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) ahead of the XVI CDMA to be held in Mendoza, Argentina in October 2024. Delegations from defense and security ministries from twenty-four (24) partners from across the Western Hemisphere gathered in Washington, DC to discuss and share perspectives on developing and implementing WPS National Action Plans, expanding the meaningful participation of women in the armed forces and defense sector, and implementing WPS in mission areas including humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HA/DR), maritime operations, and peacekeeping operations (PKO).
Representatives developed a Joint Statement that includes recommendations to ministers for consideration in the Declaration of Mendoza. Recommendations include: Continuing to hold the Ad-Hoc WPS Working Group; acknowledging the importance of WPS National Action Plans in implementing WPS policies and strategies; encouraging the developing, updating, and funding of WPS National Action Plans; and the sharing of best practices and lessons learned through this forum and regional Gender Advisory Networks.
Delegations from defense and security ministries included: Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, the United States of America, and Uruguay.
