In focus
In focus: The women, peace, and security debate
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On 25 October, the UN Security Council will hold its annual open debate on women, peace, and security, titled “Women’s participation in international peace and security: from theory to practice”.
Watch the debate live on UN Web TV.
The event comes at a dire time for global security. More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. At the same time, 2022 marked the eighth consecutive year that global military expenditure rose, hitting a record-breaking USD 2.2 trillion.
In recent years, conflicts from Ethiopia to Myanmar to Yemen have seen attacks on women and girls, while negotiation delegations remain overwhelmingly—in some cases entirely—male.
USD 2.2 trillion
Governments spent USD 2.2 trillion on the their militaries in 2022.
600 million
More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022.
117.2 million
The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that 117.2 million people will be forcibly displaced or stateless by the end of 2023.
A recent report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that displacement and conflict can “turn back the clock” on women’s rights. Meanwhile, a growing share of the world’s population lives under autocratic rule, which is often accompanied by the spread of misogyny and extremism.
Ambassador Glivânia Maria de Oliveira, director general of the Rio Branco Institute in Brazil, will brief the debate about the conflict in Colombia. The debate will also feature remarks from Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, and Hala Al-Karib, from the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, among others.
At the UN Headquarters in New York, the debate will be accompanied by a joint exhibition by UN Women, the Enhanced Integrated Framework, and the UN Departments of Peace Operations and Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, in partnership with the Inside Out Project, featuring 50 large-sized portraits of women peacekeepers and peacebuilders.
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Rouba Mhaissen - Syria. -
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Zareta Bueza - Mozambique. Photo: Nilsa Ribeiro. -
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Joênia Wapichana - Brazil. Photo: Joenia Wapichana. -
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Oleksandra Matyviychuk - Ukraine. Photo: Olena Vedmid. -
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Halima Mohammed Abdel Rahman Al-Aalim - Sudan. Photo: Ahmed Omer. -
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Charity Faridah - Uganda. Photo: Adam Gule. -
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Ajna Jusić - Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo: Senedin Hrnjica. -
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Wadad Halawani - Lebanon. Photo: Lauren Rooney. -
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Dafina Peci - Albania. Photo: National Youth Congress. -
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Hana Bacaj - Kosovo. Photo: Flutura Delin. (This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.) -
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Fleria Mukhula - Kenya. Photo: Luke Horswell.
Follow the debate on UN Web TV and access our social media package for shareable assets.
In peacebuilders' words...
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In the words of Fleria Mukhula: ‘I was born a peacebuilder.’
Fleria Mukula, 65, has lived in Bungoma County in Western Kenya all her life. She felt she could bring more to her community and, while raising a family and running a farm, she became one of its leading voices on peace and conflict.
“I am a child born out of wartime rape”
"I am a child born out of rape during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Twenty-six years later, both my mother and I still live with the stigma."Ajna Jusić, 26 years old, is the President of the Forgotten Children of War Association, a psychologist and a feminist from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Zareta: A peacebuilder's journey in the heart of conflict
Zareta Bueza is a dedicated activist for women, peace, and security, hailing from Mozambique. Over the years, she has emerged as a prominent and respected peacebuilder in the local community, who works tirelessly to promote peace and security.
In the words of Oleksandra Matviychuk: “If we want sustainable peace, we need justice”
Oleksandra Matviychuk is a human rights activist from Ukraine. Together with her team, Matviychuk has documented over 18,000 reported war crimes against the Ukrainian people since 2014. The Centre for Civil Liberties, which she heads, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
Ten African Women leaders we admire: Farida Charity
Farida Charity, 36 years old, is a community leader and peace advocate supporting peace initiatives in the conflict-affected district of Yumbe, Northern Uganda. Charity started her activism at a very young age, when she participated in the peace negotiations with the Uganda National Rescue Front which led to a formal ceasefire agreement between the rebels and the government in 2002.
"Every day, I witness the lands of my ancestors eroding".
Halima, a peace activist and women's human rights defender from North Darfur is a key figure in the Shaqra agricultural association and the head of the women's development association in her village.Read more about women, peace, and security
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Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict, underrepresented in peace processes, according to UN Secretary-General report
More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. Civilians around the world need greater humanitarian aid than ever before—but countries are instead increasing military spending, which topped USD 2.2 trillion in 2022. That is the picture painted by a new report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on women, peace, and security which UN Women drafted on behalf of the UN system.
Expert’s take: What does the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace mean for women?
The Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace aims to respond to this challenge and represents a welcome recognition of decades of feminist advocacy to address the root causes of conflict.
Sudanese women advocate for peace at conference in Uganda
In late October, shortly after Sudan's conflict passed its six-month mark, UN Women organized a conference with Sudanese women peacebuilders in Kampala, Uganda.
How women’s voices are shaping Colombia’s path to peace
UN Women, local organizations, and the Colombian government have been working together to ensure that women’s rights and voices are at the center of a lasting peace in the country.
UN Women report reveals devastating impact of the crisis in Gaza on women and girls
UN Women’s “Rapid assessment and humanitarian response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” sheds light on the profound impact of the ongoing conflict on the people in Gaza, including on women and girls.
Women’s groups in Niger push for justice amid coup and economic crisis
Women and girls are working for peace amid Niger's political and economic crisis.
Media advisory: Open debate and side events on UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security
In the context of the open debate, UN Women together with partners will host a number of events that will bring together women leaders, peacemakers, activists, and women human rights defenders to advocate for conflict prevention and resolution and for building and sustaining peace.
New podcast explores gender issues during the war in Ukraine
The podcast is an initiative of UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and The Hague Humanity Hub, within the framework of the Regional Refugee Response Programme.
Facts and figures: Women, peace, and security
Statistics on women's meaningful participation in negotiating peace, gender and climate security, disarmament, and more.
How Syrian women navigate security risks to mediate local conflicts
Syrian women have been instrumental in mediating various conflicts that have affected their communities. Most Syrian women mediators operate as ‘insider mediators’, meaning they have some connection to the dispute and are perceived as trustworthy and credible by the disputing parties.Related content
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Press release