25 years of Resolution 1325: women are vital for lasting peace

On 21 May 2025, our FPS jointly organised a conference to mark 25 years of UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). What exactly is this resolution about? And why is the WPS agenda more relevant than ever?

25 years ago - on 31 October 2000 - the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Why devote a separate resolution to that topic? Because armed conflicts have a different impact on women than on men. While men are more likely to take up arms, women suffer more from the indirect effects of challenging and dangerous conditions. And the sexual and gender-based violence that often goes hand in hand with conflict also primarily affects women.
 

WPS Agenda

Moreover, women and girls feel the effects of conflict much longer, even after they are resolved. Indeed, they have limited involvement in peace negotiations and reconstruction. As a result, there is hardly any consideration for the specific needs and perspectives of women.

In fact, it is striking that better and more sustainable solutions for peace and security emerge when women are part of the decision-making process. Among other reasons, because women (1) often bring different perspectives on the meaning of peace and security, and how these can be realised, (2) they are more likely to build trust and dialogue between different parties, and (3) they are more attentive to broader coalitions. In short, to achieve lasting peace, women - after all, half the population - must participate equally in decision-making.

Resolution 1325 offers a solution to that. It makes the equal participation of women in peace and security decision-making the main focus, and works towards gender mainstreaming in all peace and security initiatives, conflict prevention and addressing violence against women and girls. Gender mainstreaming means that all phases of a policy action - design, implementation, evaluation, etc. - take into account the implications for different genders.

Resolution 1325 was followed by several other resolutions that elaborated on the issue in more detail. These resolutions together form the ‘WPS agenda’ (Women, Peace and Security).
 

Special Representative

For example, the additional resolutions look more closely at sexual violence. Resolution 1888, from 2009, called for the appointment of a ‘Special Representative of the Secretary General’ (SRSG) on sexual violence in conflict. This SRSG assists Member States in preventing and tackling conflict-related sexual violence, and monitors and reports trends and emerging incidents of sexual violence in armed conflict to the Security Council. This development was an undeniably important step forward.

To be clear, the WPS agenda does not only revolve around conflict situations in the strict sense, but is also applicable to security issues such as terrorism, disarmament, the corona pandemic, and the climate crisis. It also includes phenomena such as disinformation and 'foreign information manipulations and interference' (FIMI).
 

National Action Plan

In the context of Resolution 1325, UN Member States were called upon to draft a National Action Plan (NAP). Belgium is since already on its 4^th action plan, which runs from 2022 to 2026. Our FPS jointly coordinates implementation, working closely with the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men (IGVM), the Ministry of Defence, the FPS Justice and the FPS Interior. Every year we present a report to parliament on its implementation.

It goes without saying that our NAP includes an internal-Belgian component, but most of the action points fall under Belgian foreign policy and development cooperation. For example, the WPS agenda is part of our relations with the partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation, the international organisations of which Belgium is a member, the countries where Belgian military forces are active and the countries with which we maintain bilateral relations.

The 4 focus countries are Mali, Niger, DR Congo and Burkina Faso. Indeed, not only do we have diplomatic missions in these countries, but the Ministry of Defence and the Belgian Development Cooperation are also active there.

All of our embassies and consulates, as well as our colleagues at the Central Administration, must ensure that the goals of the WPS agenda are applied in their area of work. For example, they can (1) advocate with countries in their areas of jurisdiction for the ratification of treaties on women's rights, (2) systematically consult local women's organisations and women human rights defenders, and (3) put the WPS agenda on the agenda of international institutions.
 

Female mediators

Our FPS also supports specific initiatives. One of the beneficiaries was FemWise-Africa - Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation - founded in 2017 within the African Union. The objective is to train and recruit more women mediators in conflict prevention and peace initiatives in Africa.

But it is much more than training. Women often have years of experience in conflict management, mediation or other matters, but face structural obstacles. For example, lack of economic resources, too little time to be away from home, too much insecurity with regard to women, or they are explicitly not welcome at the negotiating table. Our support for the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund was intended specifically to remedy that.

Another success story is Belgian support for the SRSG Sexual Violence in Conflict, for example, to strengthen structures around conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine. The aim is to provide better care for victims, develop a framework for reparations and bring the perpetrators to justice. The firm political will of the Ukrainian government represented a significant contribution to its success.

An anniversary on a sad note?

The 25^th anniversary of Resolution 1325 will be officially celebrated at the UN in New York on 31 October 2025. But it will be an anniversary on a sad note. We have clearly achieved a lot, but women are still glaringly underrepresented in peace and security, and distressing conflict-related sexual violence is ubiquitous. Moreover, we see anti-gender movements emerging around the world calling into question women's rights, the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals and gender equality.

Women's safety online also leaves a lot to be desired, and they are disproportionately targeted by FIMI: disinformation campaigns which, for example, want women back in the kitchen, and bar them from public forums. The WPS agenda is clearly more relevant than ever!
 

Belgian recommendations

This symbolic anniversary should therefore be seen as an opportunity to drastically refocus the ambitions. In preparation for this celebration, our FPS - together with the Polish EU Presidency, the EU and UN Women - organised a conference on the WPS agenda on 21 May 2025. No fewer than 240 invited guests exchanged views: ambassadors, diplomats, academics and experts from international organisations.

But also international and Belgian NGOs and women's rights organisations such as the NGO umbrella 11.11.11 and Search for Common Ground, which explores solutions to conflicts. A number of women human rights defenders - including from Afghanistan, DR Congo and Ukraine - addressed the conference with specific recommendations on how to strengthen the WPS agenda in the current context. Ilwad Elman - of the Somali NGO Elman Peace, which was awarded the KBF Africa Prize in 2022 - also spoke at the conference.

Participants explored solutions to current challenges connected to Women, Peace and Security, such as online disinformation/FIMI, the impact of anti-gender movements and strengthening partnerships, but most importantly the importance of keeping the WPS agenda in the spotlight in the current geopolitical context. From all the ideas put forward, we are currently distilling a set of recommendations that we will take to New York next October.

For example, we believe that gender-based disinformation must be taken more seriously, especially as a weapon which is systematically and broadly used by states. We also believe it is crucial to find a counter-narrative to attacks on gender equality and attempts to portray the WPS agenda as 'woke'.
 

Global momentum

More than anything, the celebrations in New York should give new broad-based global momentum to the WPS agenda. We do not need new resolutions and formulations, but we do need tireless implementation of the commitments made, despite the headwinds. Strong partnerships are crucial in this regard.

Our FPS is also already doing a great deal, but it can incorporate Women, Peace and Security - and women's rights in general - more intensively and make it central to all its policy areas. Not just because half the world's population is entitled to a dignified existence, but also because it makes a direct contribution to sustainable solutions to the problems we all face. With this conference, we have already gotten off to a good start.