Twenty four years ago in the year 2000, the UN Security Council adopted SCR 1325, the first resolution on women, peace, and security (WPS). This resolution is a significant milestone as it establishes a connection between women and the peace and security agenda. The Security Council has adopted an additional nine resolutions on WPS after adopting SCR1325. Women’s Policy and Security framework recognizes that women must play a crucial role in any endeavor to establish long-term global peace and security. WPS encourages women to participate equally and meaningfully in peace processes, peacebuilding, and security, all from a gendered perspective. However, the proportion of women participating in formal peacemaking processes continues to be low despite several global and regional promises and initiatives. In 2022, women’s participation as negotiators in UN-led or co-led peace processes dropped to 16%, down from 19% in 2021 and 23% in 2020. Since 1990,women’s groups’ representatives have rarely been signatories to peace agreements. Ensuring women’s participation in peace negotiations and peacekeeping activities is crucial for the advancement of their role in peacebuilding. There is evidence that the presence of women in peace negotiations improves peace agreements’ quality and longevity and increases their number of provisions pertaining to political reform and rate of implementation.
03 September, 2024