The U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security

The U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security (U.S. CSWG) is a non-partisan network of 50+ civil society organizations with expertise on the impacts of conflict on women and their participation in peacebuilding. Established in 2010, the working group is an engaged coalition that supports the effective implementation of the U.S. Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act of 2017.

The U.S. CSWG brings together diverse civil society organizations and practitioners who engage constructively with governments, multilateral institutions, and peer networks to strengthen awareness, implementation, and transparency related to the WPS Agenda. The working group operates as a learning-informed community of practice and coalition that values collaboration, evidence, and respectful engagement.

As the “go-to” group of civil society experts on WPS in the U.S., the U.S. CSWG regularly engages with U.S. Government departments and agencies, members of Congress, the bipartisan WPS Caucus, and key Congressional committees to ensure that the WPS Agenda is integrated in policy, programs, and practice at all levels. This engagement takes multiple forms, including interagency consultations, agency-specific consultations, briefings, and events.

Each year the U.S. CSWG develops new strategic objectives to inform all efforts, planning priorities, activities, and goals. With the overarching goal of advancing WPS in the U.S and globally, in 2026, the U.S. CSWG identified the following objectives to guide its work:

Engage representatives from the U.S. and other governments, as well as regional and multilateral institutions and intergovernmental organizations, to promote partnerships and ensure awareness, implementation, integration, and transparency of the WPS Agenda across the U.S. and world.
Engage peer, cross-border, and cross-sectoral stakeholders, networks, and women peacebuilders so that the U.S. CSWG takes an inclusive, integrated approach and increases learning, sharing, and collaboration with diverse actors to advance the WPS Agenda.
Advance innovative approaches to internal and external WPS learning and strategic communications.

In 2010, the United States Institute of Peace founded the U.S CSWG and served as its Secretariat until 2025 to promote non-partisan engagement with U.S. law- and policymakers. Currently, the Alliance for Peacebuilding serves as the Secretariat.