With changes in the geopolitical situation, NATO’s shift from international operations to deterrence and defence raises new questions and a need for innovation in Women, Peace and Security and the integration of gender perspectives. PRIO researchers Louise Olsson and Marianne Dahl, together with FFI researcher Torbjørn Hanson, have contributed research-based insights on how the serious, concrete issues at stake can be addressed. On May 20, Louise Olsson contributed to the NCGP Annual Conference “Every Inch, Every Person: Advancing Gender Perspectives in Collective Defence,” held at NATO HQ in Brussels. Olsson presented in a panel that discussed gender-related threats, indicators, and warnings. Olsson highlighted that selecting the right indicators and understanding how to interpret data trends are key to accurately assessing threats in the new information environment. At a time when access to gender-disaggregated indicators is rapidly increasing, and when technological solutions for analysis are becoming more advanced, we need a clearer understanding of what different indicators represent. Unguided, compounded combinations or oversimplified interpretations risk leading to incorrect conclusions, including regarding the role of masculinity norms in disinformation. On June 12, Olsson organized an expert consultation for the NCGP Executive Committee and the NATO IMS Office of the Gender Advisor at their Plenary program held in Norway and co-organized by Lt. Col. Linn Therece Johansen and Capt. Nikolai Vibe in the Norwegian Armed Forces. The NCGP Plenary program included a reception hosted by the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
At the expert consultation, Marianne Dahl, Acting Deputy Director and Senior Researcher at PRIO, presented ongoing research on willingness to defend in Norway, a project funded by the Ministry of Defence. She discussed the spectrum of engagement, from military to civilian dimensions of total defence, and how best to understand gender gaps in attitudes across these categories. Torbjørn Hanson, Principal Researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), presented data-driven research on the impact of sexual and gender-based harassment on effectiveness, including reduced cohesion. This included considerations of which interventions targeting diversity awareness and social norms could be useful in addressing the risks to effectiveness.
Finally, Olsson presented research from her project on gender equality and total defence. She identified concrete gender issues in whole-of-society approaches, underlining the importance of translating WPS and gender into new and practical areas of action. This included the core importance of gender in relation to mobilization, strategic communication, protection of civilians, and disinformation.
