Women and girls neither choose nor lead conflicts and are sidelined from ending them

Armed conflict has intensified sharply over the past two decades. Globally, 18.8 per cent of women and girls, or 756.1 million, lived within 50 kilometres of at least one armed conflict event in 2025. The share rises to 50.5 per cent in fragile States. Conflict exacerbates pre-existing inequalities, disrupts education, healthcare and livelihoods, and heightens exposure to displacement, food insecurity and violence. In 2025, the United Nations verified nearly 9,800 reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence, more than double the number recorded in 2024 (4,600 cases). Such sharp increases reflect both worsening conflict dynamics and persistent failures to protect civilians and end impunity. In addition, one in four civilians killed in armed conflict in 2025 was a woman or girl, reflecting the growing toll of warfare in populated areas. Evidence from Colombia, Ethiopia and Lebanon shows that women continue to lead local peacebuilding, despite being underrepresented in formal peace negotiations[1]. In Yemen, women have negotiated for civilian access to critical resources such as water amid ongoing conflict. In Sudan, advocacy by a coalition of women peacebuilders backed women’s indirect participation in the 2024 Geneva peace talks.

Despite their contributions, women activists and defenders of human rights brave escalating threats and violence. These attacks reflect broader patterns of backlash against women’s participation in public and political life. Fewer than 5 per cent of world leaders mentioned backlash and the shrinking space for civic and women's rights at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly General Debate[2]. This neglect reverberates in poor perceptions of inclusive governance. Data covering 2021–2025 show that the proportion of women who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive ranges, from just 8.4 per cent in Tunisia to 69.9 per cent in Lithuania. In the State of Palestine (21.2 per cent), the Republic of Korea (21.4 per cent), New Zealand (23.7 per cent) and Colombia (28.6 per cent), fewer than 3 in 10 women held this view. The legitimacy, effectiveness and responsiveness of public institutions depends on ending women’s exclusion from decision-making.