A quarter of a century after the launch of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, the United Nations is warning that women’s full and equal participation in peace processes is still lacking, urging countries worldwide to renew their commitment to the framework.
It comes at a time whene global conflict is at an all-time high. In 2024, the world saw 61 active conflicts that involved at least one state, according to a study by the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme (UCDP), the highest figure since 1946.
That same year, nine out of the 10 peace processes had no women negotiators, with women making up only 7% of negotiators and 14% of mediators globally, a UN report found.
“25 years later […], the world is still choosing war over peace and women are still paying the price,” said Deputy Executive Director of UN WomenKirsi Madi during her opening remarks in Brussels at the inauguration of a photo exhibition celebrating women at the heart of the WPS agenda.
The photographs feature women on the frontline, leading mediation efforts, supporting survivors and rebuilding communities post-conflict.
“I hope that this exhibition inspires all of us to reaffirm women’s central role in peace and security, and to ensure that gender equality remains at the heart of global peace building and development,” Madi said in her speech.
What is the Women, Peace and Security agenda?
On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, a landmark bill that acknowledged the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls and called for women’s equal participation in conflict prevention, resolution and post-conflict recovery.
The resolution laid the groundwork for the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, a global framework designed to promote gender-responsive approaches to peace and security.
Since its implementation, the UN Security Council has passed nine additional resolutions on the WPS agenda and over 100 countries adopted National Action Plans to meet its commitments under the resolution.
The anniversary coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a global blueprint for advancing women’s rights that laid the foundation for the WPS agenda.
Among the works on display in Brussels are photographs fromThe Female Lens project by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). The humanitarian and peacebuilding organisation collaborated with five women photographers to capture the vital role women play in rebuilding communities after conflict.
“I don’t know why people actually invest in war, but not peace,” Maryam Ashrafi, a Paris-based Iranian photographer who collaborated with MAG, told Euronews.
Ashrafi joined a team of women deminers in Sri Lanka, who often begin their days early, working in heavy gear and intense heat to remove and clear explosive remnants of war from the country’s former frontline. Decades after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, she noted, the country is still in recovery.
“People think that when war is over, peace comes quickly,” she said. “But it’s a long way to peace and security.”
As a survivor of an improvised explosive device (IED) blast herself, Ashrafi emphasised the importance of addressing the aftermath of war, noting that conflict can have long-term consequences, which are often overlooked.
Despite the perilous nature of the team’s work, a number of Ashrafi’s photographs convey an unexpected sense of humanity.
Reflecting on one image taken, showing women seated in a circle sharing lunch, Ashrafi explained: “They had a space where everyone placed their food together. One of the women told me, ‘Not all of us can afford to bring lunch, so this way we all feel like we are together.;”
Grassroots women’s organisations leading the way
The temporary exhibition in the Belgian capital serves as a stark reminder of the importance of women in peacekeeping processes, not just at the negotiating table, but on the ground as well.
“From villages rebuilding after the war to negotiation rooms in major capital cities, there is no security, no lasting peace without women as active participants in the process,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a speech at the exhibition’s inauguration.
Kallas announced that the EU would contribute an additional €12 million to support civil society organisations operating in the Middle East and the Great Lakes region.
“This funding will strengthen and support women’s organisations in conflict, including the protection of women human rights defenders,” she said.
Despite the tangible progress achieved by the WPS agenda over the past 25 years, a UN report revealed a global backlash on women’s rights in a quarter of countries in 2024, making the work of women human rights defenders increasingly dangerous. The protection of human rights and women’s rights is now more urgent than ever.
Through its ProtectDefenders programme, the EU has supported more than 5,000 women human rights defenders, EU Ambassador for Equality Aude Maio-Coliche told Euronews, highlighting the bloc’s commitment to working closely with civil society organisations.
“In 2024, we had nearly €30 million allocated for women’s organisations and the level of financing has tripled over the past three years,” Maio-Coliche added.
The EU Amabassador acknowledged the number of countries committed to the WPS agenda but stressed that, despite this progress, there’s a “need to update the agenda, it needs to be put back on the table.”
Today’s rapidly evolving societal, environmental and geopolitical landscape has brought new challenges to the WPS agenda, issues that were largely absent two decades ago, including the growing threat of climate change, artificial intelligence and online violence.
The reduction in humanitarian international aid from donors stands in sharp contrast with the increase in military spending, proving to be another major hurdle to women’s full and equal participation in peace processes.
“Security is not just the absence of war, but security also means that communities are protected, that they have opportunities, that there is cohesion and they are protected and human rights are guaranteed,” Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Kirsi Madi told Euronews.
Madi called it an “uphill battle” with many remaining barriers in place, “so this is where we need a strong commitment and not just the commitment in words, but really make sure that there’s a true accountability.”