Women, peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation
October 12, 2026
As the United Nations prepares to mark another milestone in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, growing concern is emerging over the future of women's rights and participation in peace and security efforts worldwide. In October, the UN Security Council will convene its annual open debate on WPS under the theme, “Women, peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation”. The discussion comes amid warnings from UN officials, analysts and civil society organizations about an increasingly organized backlash against gender equality, alongside rising militarization, escalating conflicts and declining support for women's rights initiatives.
New UN assessments paint a troubling picture for women affected by conflict. The number of women and girls living within 50 kilometres of armed conflict is expected to have risen from 676 million in 2024 to more than 756 million in 2025. At the same time, conflict-related sexual violence continues to increase, with nearly 9,800 UN-verified cases recorded in 2025. While women remain at the forefront of local peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts in countries such as Sudan, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Yemen, they continue to be largely excluded from formal peace processes. Women accounted for just 5 percent of negotiators across 57 peace processes in 2025, highlighting a persistent gap between global commitments and implementation on the ground.
The debate is also expected to focus on concerns that support for the WPS agenda is weakening within international institutions. Recent Security Council resolutions have seen reductions or omissions of language related to gender equality and women's participation, while the number of women civil society representatives briefing the Council has declined sharply. At the same time, gender equality institutions are reporting budget reductions and diminished influence, even as global military spending reaches record levels. Supporters of the WPS agenda are calling for renewed political commitment, stronger accountability, sustained funding for gender expertise and greater inclusion of women in peace negotiations and decision-making processes. Their message is clear: the next quarter-century of Women, Peace and Security will be defined not by new commitments, but by whether the international community fully implements the promises it has already made.
To read the full story, see here
October 12, 2026
Women, peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation
October 12, 2026
As the United Nations prepares to mark another milestone in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, growing concern is emerging over the future of women's rights and participation in peace and security efforts worldwide. In October, the UN Security Council will convene its annual open debate on WPS under the theme, “Women, peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation”. The discussion comes amid warnings from UN officials, analysts and civil society organizations about an increasingly organized backlash against gender equality, alongside rising militarization, escalating conflicts and declining support for women's rights initiatives.
New UN assessments paint a troubling picture for women affected by conflict. The number of women and girls living within 50 kilometres of armed conflict is expected to have risen from 676 million in 2024 to more than 756 million in 2025. At the same time, conflict-related sexual violence continues to increase, with nearly 9,800 UN-verified cases recorded in 2025. While women remain at the forefront of local peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts in countries such as Sudan, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Yemen, they continue to be largely excluded from formal peace processes. Women accounted for just 5 percent of negotiators across 57 peace processes in 2025, highlighting a persistent gap between global commitments and implementation on the ground.
The debate is also expected to focus on concerns that support for the WPS agenda is weakening within international institutions. Recent Security Council resolutions have seen reductions or omissions of language related to gender equality and women's participation, while the number of women civil society representatives briefing the Council has declined sharply. At the same time, gender equality institutions are reporting budget reductions and diminished influence, even as global military spending reaches record levels. Supporters of the WPS agenda are calling for renewed political commitment, stronger accountability, sustained funding for gender expertise and greater inclusion of women in peace negotiations and decision-making processes. Their message is clear: the next quarter-century of Women, Peace and Security will be defined not by new commitments, but by whether the international community fully implements the promises it has already made.
To read the full story, see here
