Twenty-five years ago, the world made a historic promise: to recognise women not just as victims of war, but as leaders, peacebuilders and decision-makers.
When the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 in October 2000, it launched the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda—a global commitment to ensure women’s equal participation in building and sustaining peace.
A quarter of a century later, progress has been made—but peace remains elusive in many parts of the world. Wars are multiplying, violence against women is rising, and funding for peacebuilding is shrinking. Advocates say the message is simple: if the world truly wants peace, it must invest in women.
“When women lead, peace follows,” says Miryam Djangala-Fall, a Central African activist and survivor of conflict-related sexual violence. “We [survivors] must be fully involved in peace processes before, during, and after conflict. Nothing about us without us.”
According to UN Women, global military spending reached a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, while less than 0.5 per cent of aid to conflict-affected countries went to women’s organizations. That imbalance, experts warn, shows how far the world’s priorities have drifted from peacebuilding.
“Countries are pouring money into weapons instead of investing in prevention,” says one UN Women official. “It’s like trying to put out a fire while adding fuel.”
The consequences are visible: women and girls are four times more likely to be killed in conflict than before, and cases of conflict-related sexual violence have risen by 87 per cent between 2022 and 2024.
Meanwhile, grassroots women’s groups—often the first to respond when violence erupts—are struggling to keep their doors open due to funding cuts.
What is the Women, Peace and Security agenda?
The WPS agenda rests on four pillars that link peace and gender equality:
- Prevention: Stopping conflicts before they start and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls.
- Protection: Safeguarding the rights and safety of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations.
- Participation: Ensuring women are meaningfully involved in all decisions about peace and security—from local councils to national negotiations.
- Relief and Recovery: Meeting the specific needs of women and girls during and after conflicts, including access to food, healthcare, and justice.
Signs of progress
Despite the challenges, women’s leadership is making a difference.
In Colombia, women peace negotiators helped end decades of civil war and are now shaping the country’s transitional justice process.
In South Sudan, women peacekeepers like Police Commissioner Christine Fossen are mentoring young officers and building trust with communities.
In Mozambique, displaced women like Quibibi Faquihe Buana are training others to prevent gender-based violence and report abuse.
These examples show that peace processes are more likely to succeed—and last—when women take part. Research backs this up: peace agreements signed by both men and women are 35 per cent more likely to hold for at least 15 years.
Challenges ahead
Yet, the gap between commitment and reality remains wide. Only 1 in 10 peace talks today includes women as negotiators.
Many national action plans on WPS remain underfunded or ignored. And in too many countries, women’s rights are facing a backlash.
Data gaps also hide the true scale of suffering. Without proper statistics, crimes like sexual violence go unpunished, and survivors go unsupported. “When we don’t count women, they don’t count,” notes one UN Women report.
A call to action
UN Women and its partners are urging governments to fully finance their WPS commitments, strengthen protection systems, and ensure women’s voices are heard in every peace process. The organization also supports women-led initiatives, documents war crimes, and trains women for leadership roles in security and governance.
As Pédrica Saint-Jean, Haiti’s Minister for Women’s Rights, puts it: “Equality and empowerment must not be luxuries. They are prerequisites for peace.”
This year marks both the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, another global blueprint for gender equality. Together, they remind the world that peace cannot be achieved without women’s full participation and leadership.
If there is one lesson from the past 25 years, it is this: Peace built without women is peace built on sand.
