GIWPS 2023 Index UK Launch at RBC Brewin Dolphin

On Wednesday, 24th of April I was pleased to join my friends from Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) to celebrate the publication of their 2023 Women, Peace and Security Index. The event was generously hosted by RBC Brewin Dolphin at their St James’s office.

The WPS Index is published by GIWPS and the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Index draws on recognized data sources to measure women’s inclusion, justice and security in 177 countries and uses 13 indicators to measure women’s status, ranging from education and employment to laws and organized violence. 

At the event, remarks by US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, myself and Elena Ortiz, the lead author of the WPS Index set the scene for a lively Q&A with an audience, which comprised leaders and equality champions from government and parliament, business, and civil society.

During the second part of the event, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and Ambassador Melanne Verveer discussed barriers to gender equality (including in the UK and the US, whose ranking this year went down from the 2021 index: from 9th to 26th for the UK and from 21st to 37th for the US), and the way conflicts specifically impact women and girls.

We learnt that all of the bottom 20 countries on this year’s Index have experienced armed conflict between 2021 and 2022. In most of these countries, more than half of women live in close proximity to conflict.

“The world is enveloped in a growing number of conflicts. At the same time there is a rise in authoritarianism targeted to pushing back women’s progress. The Index reminds us that there is a direct correlation between the wellbeing of women and the wellbeing of nations. Investments in advancing gender equality are also investments in peace, security, and prosperity,” said Ambassador Verveer.

The Index is an invaluable tool, and I encourage you to read it and examine the data it presents.

 “With its scores, rankings, and robust data, the WPS Index offers a valuable tool for people working on issues of women, peace, and security,” said Elena Ortiz.  “Policymakers can use it to pinpoint where resources are needed. Academics can use it to study trends within indicators and across regions. Journalists can use it to give context and perspective to their stories. And activists can use it to hold governments accountable for their promises on advancing the status of women.”

Click here to read The Women, Peace and Security 2023 Index online.