National Action Plan 1325:
Montenegro is currently in the phase of implementing the second action plan 1325 on women, peace and security for the period 2019-2022.1 According to the plan, there are three strategic goals for the implementation of Resolution 1325: increasing women’s participation in decision-making and peace processes; protection of women and girls in conflict zones, and integrating the gender perspective and gender education into peacekeeping
operations. In 2017, NATO membership prompted Montenegro to adopt its first plan, which remained in effect until 2018.2 As a NATO member state, Montenegro has adjusted its normative framework in line with NATO policies and guidelines on women, peace and security, such as the NATO Directive 40-1 on integrating UNSC Resolution 1325.3 The Government of Montenegro is the most transparent in the region, and has so far published three reports on the implementation of NAP 1325.
Participation of women in the MoDs and the Armed Forces:
Montenegro is the country with the highest share of women among the civil servants and employees in the MoD. Two thirds of the civil servants employed in the MoD are women (65.33%). Representation of women among professional military personnel has increased by 60%, from 6.2% in 20194 to 10.35% in 2022. When it comes to the share of women among officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and soldiers, their number in the ranks of officers and professional soldiers is relatively high – 16.49% of the officers and 13.78% of the soldiers.
The representation of women among non- commissioned officers (NCOs) is 5.1%. In the past three years, a share of women has been recorded in all the categories.
Representation of women in command and leadership positions:
Montenegro can serve as an example of good practice, as one of the three countries in the region that have appointed women to the position of defence minister. According to the available data from 2022, the share of women in leadership positions in the MoD, including military personnel, is 46.78%. There are 26 women in command positions in the Armed Forced of Montenegro.
Participation of women in peacekeeping operations:
Currently, 11.76% of women are engaged in peacekeeping operations outside of Montenegro. This constitutes a significat increase, as three years ago only two percent of women were engaged in NATO operations.5 However, it
should be borne in mind that the presented share of women in military missions is based only on a one-year situation overview, and that annual fluctuations can be significant. In 2020, the share of women in the position of defence advisor in the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to NATO was 67%.6
- Government of Montenegro, Report on the implementation of activities from the Programme of Implementation of the
Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security
(2019-2022) for the second period, https://www.gov.me/dokumenta/7f4ecc0a-e96e-49fe-8090-7b44d45ecdd5 - Government of Montenegro, Report on the implementation of the Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security in Montenegro (2017-2018), https://www.gov.me/dokumenta/e73cb264-31d3-488a-849a-d3d00766c664
- United Nations in Serbia, The Position of Women in the Armed Forces in the Western Balkans, UNDP SEESAC, 23
December 2021, p. 19, https://serbia.un.org/en/166414-position-women-armed-forces-western-balkans - UNDP SEESAC, 2021, p. 24
- 2019 NATO Summary of the National Reports, p. 397, https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2021/9/
pdf/NCGP_Full_Report_2019.pdf - Government of Montenegro, Report on the implementation of activities from the Programme of Implementation of the
Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security
(2019-2022) for the second period
- Government of Montenegro, Report on the implementation of activities from the Programme of Implementation of the