Bolivia Unveils its First-Ever Women, Peace and Security Action Plan

Bolivia Unveils its First-Ever Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan

December 2025

Shaped by 13 State institutions and over 250 voices from police, military, indigenous leaders and civil society, the new National Action Plan charts a transformative path to equality, institutional reform, and women’s leadership in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

“Many of us face a double shift: military service (work) and caring for our families. But this plan is a hope. It will help us make equality a practice, not just a discourse,” Major Pamela Villarreal, Head of the Gender Unit of the Bolivian Police.

Across barracks, communities, and public institutions, Bolivian women share a common conviction: peace can only be built when women participate fully and equally. This belief sits at the heart of Bolivia’s first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS), a landmark achievement shaped by military and police personnel, youth, activists, and Indigenous and community women leaders. Their collective message is clear: transforming institutions and protecting the rights of women and girls is essential for building lasting coexistence in the country. No transformation is possible without women.

The Plan was drafted with the participation of 13 State institutions and through consultations with more than 250 people, including civil servants, civil society organizations, and social movements. As Bolivia’s first NAP-WPS, it seeks to dismantle structural inequalities and guarantee the full, safe participation of women in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and decision-making by 2030.

Its priorities include promoting a culture of peace through education, ensuring women’s equitable participation in prevention and resolution efforts, and improving protection during crises - whether conflict-related or climate-driven. It also emphasizes post-conflict recovery, access to intercultural justice, and symbolic reparations.

The process began in November 2024 and concluded in October 2025 with a public presentation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The NAP covers a five-year period and is expected to begin implementation in 2026. It is the result of joint work led by the Plurinational State of Bolivia, supported by civil society and UN Bolivia through UN Women, under the 麻豆APP initiative for the consolidation of a culture of peace, with financial backing from the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund.

Women’s Leadership for Peace

^{Major Pamela Villarreal}

For Major Pamela Villarreal, the development of the NAP-WPS marks a milestone for women serving in Bolivia’s police and security institutions. When she speaks of “a hope to make equality a practice, not just a discourse,” she captures the sentiment of women who, for the first time, see a national instrument that reflects their daily realities and places them at the center.

Bolivian women have long carried responsibilities that sustain social life—mediating community disputes, accompanying victims, caring for families, and protecting their neighborhoods. The new Action Plan recognizes these contributions not as informal support but as essential peace work. It further anchors women as active agents of change, especially in institutions traditionally dominated by men.

Breaking Barriers in the Bolivian Police

Major Villarreal represents a generation pushing for institutional change from within.

“Since 2021, with the creation of the Gender Unit and the support of UN Women, we have begun to approach gender equality differently. Participating in the development of the NAP was a learning experience and a commitment to women police officers and Bolivian women,” she notes.

She is candid about the challenges women face: discrimination, workplace and sexual harassment, and the demands of unpaid care work. Although women now make up roughly 10 percent of the police force, discrimination persists and leadership gaps remain wide—only one woman has ever attained the rank of General Commander.

She said, “many of us face a double shift: service (work) and caring for our families. But this plan is a hope. It will help us make equality a practice, not just a discourse.”
Her vision is for an institution where equality becomes part of the police mission itself: “We want it to be implemented, to be shared, and for all police officers in the country to know that equality is also part of our service mission.”

Women in the Armed Forces

^{Colonel Franz Flores Avilés, Head of the Human Rights Division of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces}

Colonel Franz Flores Avilés, Head of the Human Rights Division of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, describes the NAP-WPS process as both challenging and transformative.

“It has been an evolution in our knowledge. For the first time, we planned together with other state institutions, analyzing how women behave and operate in different areas of public administration and decision-making spaces.”

He highlights the unique contributions of women soldiers, whose roles often encompass both family life and institutional service. The Armed Forces have since begun developing their own gender plan to uphold their commitment to equality and contribute to a more peaceful society.

The Voice of Civil Society: Weaving Alliances for Peace

^{Mónica Bayá, Technical Secretary of the Human Rights Community.}

For civil society actors, the NAP-WPS represents a breakthrough in visibility and recognition.

“Participating in the development of the first NAP was an opportunity to highlight the differentiated impact that conflicts have on women’s lives,” explains Mónica Bayá, Technical Secretary of the Human Rights Community.

She recalls how women journalists have faced gender-based attacks and how Indigenous and rural women sustained major social movements while being excluded from negotiations. The consultations brought these realities into the national conversation.

For Bayá, the NAP-WPS is more than a policy—it is a precedent: “an instrument that compels the State to listen, respond, and act.”

A Profound Transformation
?

The NAP-WPS gathers the voices of women who have lived inequality and turned their experiences into proposals for change. It reflects the contributions of women across sectors—military, police, community leadership, civil society—and recognizes their right to speak, lead, and transform power relations.

By creating mechanisms to report violence, challenge hierarchies, and propose new ways of serving communities, the NAP represents a structural shift. It restores dignity, autonomy, and leadership to women who have long carried the weight of peacebuilding without formal acknowledgment.

A National Commitment to Equality

^{Nidya Pesántez, UN Women Resident Representative in Bolivia.}

The UN Women Resident Representative in Bolivia, Nidya Pesántez, summarizes the importance of the Plan: “This instrument developed by the Plurinational State is the foundation for advancing toward sustainable societies. No society can progress if it lives in conflict or inequality. Without care for life, it is impossible to build just and sustainable societies.” She continues: “For there to be peace, there must be equality of conditions and opportunities. It is essential to include women in conversations, discussions, and negotiations, to break the patriarchy. Bolivia is taking a key step: rebuilding coexistence based on unity and equality.”

With its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, Bolivia has made a historic commitment: peace built on equality, with women’s leadership at the center of national transformation.

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Bolivia Unveils its First-Ever Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan

Shaped by 13 State institutions and over 250 voices from police, military, indigenous leaders and civil society, the new National Action Plan charts a transformative path to equality, institutional reform, and women’s leadership in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.