Meeting Records 2006 NATO Nations National Briefings and Reports Belgium Bulgaria Canada Danmark France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Latvia Lithuania Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Romania Spain Turkey United Kingdom United States PfP Nations Briefings Armenia MD Nations Briefings Jordan CWINF Conference This year’s Conference on Women in the NATO Forces was held in the NATO HQ from 15 to 19 May 2006. Twenty-four delegations from NATO member nations, observers from four Partnership for Peace- and three Mediterranean Dialogue Countries were present with a total of 70 participants. Since 2004 the Committee has been identifying various gender issues and ways of integrating gender perspectives into all aspects of NATO operations not as a separate issue, but as an aspect that permeates all action taken in this area. Gender mainstreaming should become routine with full regard to the operational requirements in order to improve operational effectiveness. This year the Committee agreed that it is necessary to enable all service personnel, equally, to participate fully in consolidating peace and rebuilding conflict-torn societies. During operations it is of great importance to obtain a sound understanding of the gender issues in the area of work and of the needs of the most vulnerable part of the affected population in the conflict area.