The report highlights the role women play as peacebuilders, outlines how conflict affects women generally, and outlines the UN Secretary-General’s goals for the key agenda.
“Women and girls are being murdered in record numbers, excluded from peace talks and left unprotected as wars multiply.. “Women do not need more promises, they need power, protection and equal participation,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.
25 years later
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the women, peace and security agenda and Security Council resolution 1325, a historic decision adopted by the international community at the beginning of the century, which affirms the importance of women’s participation in conflict prevention and peace processes.
Since its adoption, there has been a growing consensus backed by real-world examples – from Colombia to Liberia to the Philippines – that women’s participation makes peace agreements more likely and lasting, according to the report.
But problems persist. Implementing WPS goals requires funding and, since last year’s report, women-led organizations need more funding as conflicts and crises put them at risk.
Women remain underrepresented
Women can play a fundamental role in conflict mediation. As part of negotiations to finally end Yemen’s long civil war, women leaders managed to negotiate access to natural resources.
Data collected between 2020 and 2024 found that the representation of women as negotiators, mediators and signatories in peace processes is well below the target set by the UN.
Last year, Women represented only seven percent of negotiators on average worldwide, and Almost nine out of ten negotiation channels did not include female negotiators. not at all, the report says.
the women were slightly more represented in mediation roleswith an average of 14 percent, but still, two-thirds of mediation efforts did not include women.
At the annual open debate on the WPS agenda earlier this month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that while progress has been made over the last quarter of a century, “the progress is fragile and – very worryingly – going in reverse”.
‘Broken promises’
Launching the report on Monday, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda highlighted that while civilian casualties among women and children have quadrupled compared to the previous two-year period – and sexual violence has also increased – many women’s organizations working on the frontlines are scaling back or closing due to lack of funding.
“These numbers tell a story, one of broken promises.“, said.
Sarah Hendriks, director of the agency’s Policy Division, warned that if current trends continue, the progress made in women’s rights over the past two decades risks being erased.
She reiterated the report’s call for binding targets and quotas for women’s participation, accountability for gender-based crimes and violence in conflict, and other recommendations.
“The evidence is clear: when women lead and when their organizations have resources, peace is more possible, recovery is faster and societies are stronger,” she concluded.