Madrid, 2 March 2026.- The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, presented on Monday the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2025-2030, a central instrument of Spanish foreign policy and one of the fundamental components of Feminist Foreign Policy. The Plan is the result of coordinated work between thirteen ministries and a process of ongoing dialogue with feminist organisations, networks of women mediators, female human rights defenders and international actors.
The minister began his speech by referring to the escalation of violence in the Middle East following the attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, which ‘threatens to destabilise a region that is already experiencing a particularly delicate moment’. He argued that Spain has always rejected the Iranian regime's violation of human rights, but that the response cannot be to add violence and war to injustice.
During the presentation of the Plan, Albares stressed that ‘peace and security can only be sustainable when women participate fully in decision-making and when their rights are integrated into all phases of conflict prevention, management and resolution’. The minister emphasised that ‘without the inclusion of women there can be no peace’ and that equality and gender perspective are essential elements of any effective international security architecture.
Response to the deterioration of rights
The launch of the Plan takes place in an international context marked by a historic increase in the number of armed conflicts, the deterioration of humanitarian space and significant setbacks in the rights of women and girls. Sexual violence in conflicts, forced displacement, loss of access to education and health, and the exclusion of women from peace processes remain urgent challenges in many settings.
The minister stressed that these crises are not unrelated to global security and stability, emphasising that ‘the erosion of equality and the violation of women's rights have a negative impact on the strength of democratic institutions’. The new Plan responds to this context with a roadmap that combines prevention, protection, participation and humanitarian action with a gender focus.
Five priority lines of action
The Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security is structured around five lines of action.
Firstly, it reinforces crisis and conflict prevention by promoting preventive diplomacy and equal participation in decision-making.
Secondly, it promotes the full and safe participation of women in peace processes, mediation and disarmament.
The third line prioritises the protection of the human rights of women and girls, with a firm policy of zero tolerance for sexual violence.
Fourthly, the Plan guarantees the integration of the gender perspective into humanitarian action, including access to sexual and reproductive health.
Finally, the Plan consolidates the institutionalisation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda throughout the Administration, ensuring consistency and continuity in its implementation.
A plan with a global vision
The new Plan is part of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda promoted by the United Nations Security Council since the adoption of resolution 1325 26 years ago. This regulatory framework has been reinforced by subsequent resolutions and by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which celebrates its 31st anniversary this year. This agenda assigns clear responsibilities to States and the international community to ensure the full and safe participation of women and protect their rights in contexts of violence and fragility, as the Minister recalled in his speech.
Spain was one of the first countries to adopt a National Action Plan in 2007 and has since actively contributed to consolidating this agenda in the multilateral system. Our country maintains an ongoing commitment to UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP and to supporting essential sexual and reproductive health and sexual violence prevention programmes.
On 2 and 3 June, Spain will host the Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy, a meeting aimed at strengthening commitments, gaining international allies and advancing the promotion of women's and girls' rights around the world.
To access the text of the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, click on this link.
For images of the event, click here.
—NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION—