Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada

What Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada does

Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) is a federally incorporated, member-based Canadian not-for-profit civil society network comprising over 80 Canadian NGOs and individuals working on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Its functional mandate is two-fold: to provide a forum for exchange and action among Canadian civil society on WPS issues, and to promote and monitor the Government of Canada's implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security (UNSCR 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2122) and Canada's National Action Plan (currently CNAP3, 2023–2029). WPSN-C co-chairs the WPS Advisory Group with Global Affairs Canada, providing structured civil-society input into WPS policy across multiple federal departments (Defence, Veterans Affairs, Immigration, Public Safety, Status of Women).

WPSN-C's deliverables are advocacy, research, and convening outputs rather than software products. Its core offerings include a publications library (flagship works include 'WPS at 25 and Canada's CNAP3: Feminist Reflections on Progress and Gaps', 'Foundations for Peace in Turbulent Times', and commissioned thematic reports such as 'Adaptive Leadership, Resilient Economies' on the Indo-Pacific), bilingual webinars and roundtables, a continuously updated blog and letter-campaign archive, an open consultation pipeline with government and Permanent Missions to the UN, and a curated repository of Canadian government WPS documents. Governance is handled by a 7-member Steering Committee and 2-member Board of Directors, with day-to-day operations run by a single paid Coordinator and a volunteer Ombudsperson for accountability. International reach is exercised through co-implemented multi-country projects and side events alongside UN Women, the WPS Focal Points Network, and civil society partners in Colombia, DRC, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Rwanda.

The organization finances itself primarily through a sliding-scale membership structure: individual memberships at CAD $75 (professional), $40 (low wage), and $20 (student/unwaged); organizational memberships at CAD $22 (budget under $50K), $125 (budget under $1M), and $750 (budget over $1M), collected annually via Interac e-transfer or PayPal. This membership base is supplemented by project-based grants — notably the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives via the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN — and commissioned analytical work from federal departments. Go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: growth comes through word-of-mouth in the Canadian WPS community, public events, and visible engagement with government. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no API, no AI/ML capabilities, and does not develop or sell software products.

Name

Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada

Legal name

Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada

Website

https://wpsn-canada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) is a Canadian not-for-profit network of 80+ NGOs and individuals that advocates for, and monitors the Government of Canada's implementation of, UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: WPSN-C generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by individuals and organizations. Individual memberships are priced at CAD $75 (professional), $40 (low wage), and $20 (student/unwaged). Organizational memberships range from CAD $22 (budget under $50,000) to $125 (budget under $1 million) to $750 (budget over $1 million). Payments are accepted via Interac e-transfer and PayPal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WPSN-C is a membership-based civil society network of over 80 Canadian NGOs and individuals that promotes and monitors the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and Canada's National Action Plans (CNAP). It provides a forum for civil society exchange, conducts advocacy with the Government of Canada (notably co-chairing the WPS Advisory Group with Global Affairs Canada), and produces publications, webinars, blogs, and open letter campaigns on WPS policy and programming.

Product overview

WPSN-C is a civil society network — not a software product company — comprising over 80 Canadian NGOs and individuals. Its offerings are entirely advocacy, knowledge, and coordination products: a publications library (reports on Canada's National Action Plans, thematic climate/WPS analyses, and working-group papers), government engagement consultations (co-chairing the WPS Advisory Group with Global Affairs Canada), bilingual webinars and dialogue events, a blog with organized series, open letter campaigns, and a curated archive of Canadian government WPS documents. The network also provides governance, staffing, and Ombudsperson services to its membership. No commercial software product, API, or SaaS platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WPSN-C Membership (Individual and Organizational)
• Government Engagement & Consultation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 member organizations and individuals in the network as of 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Research Network on Women, Peace and Security (RN-WPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026WPSN-C and RN-WPS co-hosted a two-part webinar series exploring how the WPS agenda applies to the Canadian context. They also convened a roundtable at the University of Ottawa (February 2026) bringing together researchers, civil society, and defence practitioners. Both organizations produced joint reports including 'What We Heard: Roundtable on Future-Proofing Women, Peace and Security' and 'Future-Proofing the WPS Agenda: Technical Report'. The collaboration bridges academic research and civil society practice on WPS in Canada.
• Global Affairs CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C co-chairs the WPS Advisory Group with Global Affairs Canada. This is the primary formal mechanism for civil society engagement with the Government of Canada on WPS policy and CNAP implementation. The network also receives project funding through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) via Canada's Permanent Mission to the UN.
• UN Women ItalymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C co-hosted 'Bridging Generations for Sustainable Peace' (June 8, 2026) as a side event to the WPS Focal Points Network meeting hosted by Italy and the Philippines. The event brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society leaders to advance WPS and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas.
• Sustainable Cooperation for Peace & Security (SCPS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C and SCPS co-hosted 'Bridging Generations for Sustainable Peace' (June 8, 2026) with UN Women Italy as a side event to the WPS Focal Points Network meeting. SCPS contributes expertise on cooperation and peacebuilding to these collaborative initiatives.
• University of OttawamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Ottawa hosted a WPSN-C and RN-WPS roundtable (February 2, 2026) bringing together researchers, civil society representatives, and defence practitioners to discuss how the WPS agenda can remain responsive to evolving security environments.
• Women of Colour Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation – Canada (WCAPS-Canada)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C and WCAPS-Canada co-hosted 'Queering Peace and Security: Moving from Rhetoric to Action' (June 18, 2025), a virtual panel discussion to mark Pride Month. The event explored how queer experiences intersect with WPS and YPS agendas.
• Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C and CCYPS co-hosted 'Queering Peace and Security: Moving from Rhetoric to Action' (June 2025). Both organizations work at the intersection of WPS and Youth, Peace and Security, with joint advocacy on issues affecting young people and 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
• Inter ParesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C and Inter Pares co-hosted 'Queering Peace and Security' (June 2025) and have collaborated on Sudan programming. Inter Pares is a long-standing WPSN-C member organization and a key feminist civil society partner for international cooperation and peacebuilding.
• Red Nacional de Mujeres (Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementing partner in the 'Advancing WPS: Strengthening Government-Civil Society Collaboration in NAPs' project (2024–2025), funded by CFLI. The project brought together civil society networks from 6 countries to enhance collaboration between governments and civil society in developing and implementing WPS National Action Plans.
• Synergie des femmes pour la paix et la sécurité (DRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementing partner in the Advancing WPS project (2024–2025). Represents women peacebuilders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, contributing to cross-country collaboration on WPS NAP development and implementation.
• Justice Without Frontiers (Lebanon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementing partner in the Advancing WPS project (2024–2025). Contributed to civil society-government collaboration discussions and the Leveraging Government-Civil Society Collaboration briefing note.
• West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, WANEP (Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementing partner in the Advancing WPS project (2024–2025). Supported the development of the briefing note on government-civil society collaboration and participated in learning lab and public panel events in New York.
• Benimpuhwe Organization (Rwanda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementing partner in the Advancing WPS project (2024–2025). Rwanda is widely regarded as a global leader in WPS NAP implementation, and this partnership contributed expertise on effective NAP processes.
• Office of the Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C prepared a report under contract to the Office of the WPSA on strengthening engagement between the Government of Canada and civil society representatives/WHRDs. The network has a longstanding relationship with the Ambassador's Office and advocated for its restoration and timely appointment.
• John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted 'Hear the Women – Experiences from Women Human Rights Defenders' (December 2023) as part of the Ignite Change Global Convention commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• SHE Associates IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted 'Hear the Women' event (December 2023) with WPSN-C and John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights.
• Sudan Women Rights ActionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPSN-C and Sudan Women Rights Action co-hosted 'Sudanese Women at the Frontlines of Resistance' webinar (January 2022), moderated by Canada's WPS Ambassador Jacqueline O'Neill. Both organizations advocate for Sudanese women's rights and participation in peace processes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Equality Fund: Canadian-led international gender equality fund — operates as a WPSN-C member and shares the network's feminist funding and advocacy orientation.
• Inter Pares: Canadian feminist organization working internationally on peace and equality — listed as a WPSN-C member and co-host of recent events, reflecting strong peer overlap in Canadian feminist foreign policy advocacy.
• Egale Canada: Canadian 2SLGBTQI human rights organization — represented on WPSN-C's Steering Committee and collaborates on WPS-queer intersection programming (e.g., 'Queering Peace and Security' 2025).
• KAIROS Canada: Canadian ecumenical justice network active in WPS and human rights; shares members with WPSN-C (e.g., Steering Committee member Danielle Kamtié) and operates as a peer in Canadian civil society advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• CARE Canada: Major Canadian international development organization and WPSN-C member — operates a broader humanitarian mandate but runs a substantive WPS program and shares the feminist foreign policy lens.

Direct peers

• International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN): International civil society network focused on women, peace, and security with member-based governance and a similar advocacy and policy-monitoring mandate across multiple geographies.
• Peace Direct: International peacebuilding network that convenes local peace organizations and engages in policy advocacy — comparable as a civil society network coordinating grassroots WPS-adjacent actors.
• Kvinna till Kvinna (Woman to Woman Foundation): Swedish women's rights and peace organization funding women's organizations in conflict-affected countries — comparable in mission focus on women in peacebuilding and policy advocacy.
• Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF): Global women's peace organization with national sections that monitor government implementation of the WPS agenda and produce policy analysis — directly comparable in advocacy function and WPS focus.
• Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS): UK-based network coordinating civil society organizations on Women, Peace and Security — the closest international structural analogue to WPSN-C, engaging the UK government on the National Action Plan on WPS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada