Making the Case for Women, Peace and Security: How Women Making the Case for Women, Peace and Security: How Women
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This year's United Nations (UN) General Assembly put forth a clear task for the year ahead: countries must reaffirm their commitment to advancing women's equal and meaningful participation in all peace and security processes.

"Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence, progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes. Generational gains in women's rights hang in the balance around the world, undercutting the transformative potential of women's leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace." This statement in the 2024 report of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on Women, Peace and Security[1] depicts a bleak picture of the current global peace and security landscape.

Decades of research have determined that women's meaningful participation in peace and security processes is critical for lasting and sustainable peace. Yet, according to the UN Secretary General's annual report on Women, Peace and Security, zero women's groups or representatives were included as signatories in peace agreements reached in 2023. Research by UN Women also found that only 26 percent[2] of peace and ceasefire agreements in 2023 mentioned women, girls, or gender.

Case Studies

The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, passed in October 2000, calls for the increased participation of women and the incorporation of gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts.

The Resolution mandates the meaningful inclusion of women in decision-making processes related to conflict prevention and peacebuilding and the protection of women's and girls' rights during conflict.

While more work needs to be done to achieve this mission, women have long contributed to peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts. The following examples highlight the integral role that women have played and continue to play in building peace globally:

Liberia stands as one of the most enduring examples of the profound impact of women's participation in peacebuilding.

From 1989 to 2003, Liberia was embroiled in a civil war, resulting in the deaths of over 200,000 people and the displacement of one-third[3] of the population. The women of Liberia responded, and in 2003, Leymah Gbowee started the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace (WLMAP),[4] a peace movement organized by thousands of Liberian women.

These women mobilized, barricading the exit of the peace negotiation talks until a peace agreement was reached. Gbowee was later honored with a Nobel Peace Prize for her work. Just three years after implementing the peace agreement, Liberia became the first African country to elect a female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Women peacebuilders in Colombia also played a historic role in developing the country's peace agreement. After five decades of conflict, formal peace talks commenced in October 2012 between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in which all but one[5] of the negotiators were men.

After pressure from women-led civil society organizations, a Gender Sub-Commission[6] was established during negotiations to address the gendered dimensions of the conflict and its aftermath. The Commission played an instrumental role in advocating for gender-sensitive language and commitments in the Agreement, resulting in over 130[7] gender equality and women's rights provisions in the Final Peace Agreement in 2016.

Due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, a humanitarian disaster has emerged, with over 7.4 million[8] people forced to leave their homes, disproportionately impacting women and children.

Amid this crisis, Sudanese women have become leaders in humanitarian initiatives and peace efforts. The Peace for Sudan Platform[9] is a network of over 49 women-led peacebuilding, humanitarian, and civil society initiatives working to end the conflict and advocate for women's participation in peace processes.

While little progress[10] has been made in formal peace talks thus far, Sudanese women active in local peacebuilding initiatives must be ensured a seat at the negotiation table.

Persistent Challenges

Despite the substantial contributions made by women to peace and security efforts, they remain disproportionately impacted by conflicts and underrepresented in formal peace processes.

A recent brief[11] by Our Secure Future, an organization working to strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda, states, "Women's inclusion in decision-making that affects them and the future of their countries is not only a matter of fundamental human rights but also a strategic imperative, as adding a broader range of perspectives can tangibly reduce conflict and advance stability."

Read more about the importance of the Women, Peace and Security framework and the work being done by women peacebuilders around the world in Our Secure Future's "Making the Case for Women, Peace and Security: Evidence and Country Examples": https://oursecurefuture.org/our-secure-future/publication/making-case-women-peace-and-security

Sources:

  1. https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/S-2024-671.pdf
  2. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security/facts-and-figures
  3. https://thenonviolenceproject.wisc.edu/2024/02/04/how-women-ended-liberias-civil-war-women-of-liberia-mass-action-for-peace/
  4. https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2018-july-2018/women-liberia%E2%80%99s-guardians-peace
  5. https://oursecurefuture.org/our-secure-future/news/status-women-peace-and-security-agenda-colombia-and-progress-toward-1325
  6. https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/97/1/17/6041490
  7. ​​https://peacemaker.un.org/documents/words-action-experience-un-political-missions-colombia-women-peace-and-security
  8. https://www.unocha.org/sudan
  9. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2023/10/sudanese-women-advocate-for-peace-at-conference-in-uganda
  10. ​​https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/sudans-ceasefire-talks-what-has-been-missing-thus-far
  11. https://oursecurefuture.org/our-secure-future/publication/making-case-women-peace-and-security