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”.
In-focus: The women, peace, and security debate
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.
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.
The debate will be chaired by Ambassador Glivânia Maria de Oliveira, director general of the Rio Branco Institute in Brazil, as part of Brazil’s Security Council presidency. It will 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.
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.
In the words of Fleria Mukhula: ‘I was born a peacebuilder.’
“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.
In the words of Oleksandra Matviychuk: “If we want sustainable peace, we need justice”
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.
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.
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.
How Syrian women navigate security risks to mediate local conflicts
