Date:
This October marks 25 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, a landmark commitment that placed women’s leadership and participation at the heart of peace and security efforts global, regional, and national. The resolution culminated a century of women’s advocacy and opened a new chapter in collective action for peace and security.
Despite shrinking democratic space and rising militarization, women peacebuilders and Member States have advanced this vision, reforming institutions, supporting survivors of conflict-related violence, and expanding women’s leadership in post-conflict recovery and governance.
Across the Arab States, women have upheld this vision amid conflict, displacement, and fragility. From Gaza to Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, and Yemen, they mediate disputes, deliver humanitarian assistance, and rebuild communities. Their leadership and resilience continue to sustain hope amid years of crisis.
Governments and civil society have also made historic progress. Over half of the region’s countries have adopted or renewed National Action Plans (NAPs) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Eight countries now have NAPs, some in their second or third iteration, and one regional plan has also been established. These milestones reflect a growing recognition that women’s leadership is essential for lasting peace and sustainable development.
Yet progress remains fragile. As conflicts escalate and humanitarian needs intensify, the space for women’s participation is shrinking, and resources for empowerment are in decline. A rising backlash against women’s rights threatens to undermine the transformative promise of the WPS agenda.
Across the region, women continue to demonstrate what inclusive peace looks like in practice, often in the face of unimaginable hardship:
As the region faces mounting crises, women’s leadership must be recognized, protected, and adequately funded. Ensuring women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in decision-making is not only a matter of justice, it is the foundation of resilient, inclusive, and peaceful societies.
The UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States calls on all partners, governments, regional organizations, and civil society, to renew their commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to build peace rooted in equality, justice, and dignity for all.
“ When women lead, peace follows.”
When the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in October 2000, it marked a defining shift in how the world understands conflict and peace.
For the first time, the Council recognized that wars and crises affect women and girls in unique, disproportionate ways, and that their leadership is indispensable to preventing conflict, brokering peace, and rebuilding societies.
Resolution 1325 did more than acknowledge women’s suffering in war, it asserted their agency and right to shape peace. It called on all parties to armed conflict to:
This was the first legally binding international framework linking women’s rights directly to global peace and security. It reframed women not as victims of war, but as strategic actors in achieving peace.
Since 2000, the WPS agenda has grown into a comprehensive global platform, strengthened by nine complementary Security Council resolutions; including 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122, 2242, 2467, and 2493.
Together, these resolutions deepen commitments to:
In practice, the WPS agenda bridges humanitarian action, peacebuilding, development, and human rights. It has inspired governments, regional organizations, and civil-society movements to translate global promises into local realities, from drafting laws and policies to creating women’s mediation networks and training peacekeepers on gender sensitivity.
To implement Resolution 1325, the Security Council urged Member States to adopt National Action Plans (NAPs) outlining national priorities, responsible institutions, and budget allocations.
By 2025, more than 100 countries had developed NAPs, up from 63 in 2016, covering contexts as diverse as post-conflict recovery, humanitarian response, and defense reform.
In the Arab States region, eight countries have adopted or renewed NAPs, with some advancing to second or third iterations, reflecting regional leadership in operationalizing the WPS agenda.
At the heart of the agenda are four interdependent pillars, established through Resolution 1889 (2009). Together, they provide a roadmap for implementation and accountability.
Addressing the root causes of conflict and preventing all forms of violence, especially sexual violence. It calls for the inclusion of women’s perspectives of analysis in early-warning systems, mediation efforts, and peacekeeping mandates, and training security actors to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse.
Protection focuses on safeguarding the rights, safety, and dignity of women and girls. It includes measures to improve their access to justice, health care, psychosocial services, and economic security, as well as to strengthen national laws that defend women’s rights during and after conflict.
Participation emphasizes women’s full, equal, and meaningful engagement in all stages of peace and security processes, negotiation, conflict prevention, transitional governance, and reconstruction. It calls for more women in political office, peacekeeping missions, and leadership roles across national and international institutions.
This pillar ensures that post-conflict relief and reconstruction efforts respond to the distinct needs and contributions of women and girls. It demands the equitable distribution of aid, the integration of women’s perspectives in recovery programmes, and sustained investment in women’s livelihoods, education, and long-term resilience.
Despite clear progress, the world faces major setbacks. Rising authoritarianism, protracted wars, climate-driven displacement, and shrinking civic space have stalled or reversed gains made over the past two decades.
Funding for women’s organizations remains critically low, while global military expenditure continues to climb.
The 25th anniversary of the WPS agenda is therefore not only a commemoration; it is a call to reinvigorate political will, close the implementation gap, and ensure women’s voices remain central to every peace and security effort.
As UN Women and its partners mark this milestone, the focus is on turning principles into tangible progress so that women’s leadership becomes the norm, not the exception, in peacebuilding.
Because peace built by women is peace that lasts.
National Action Plans (NAPs):
To date, several Arab countries—including Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen—have adopted WPS National Action Plans, with others in development. These plans reflect high-level political commitment to integrating women’s participation in peace, mediation, and security reform.
Regional Cooperation:
The League of Arab States has endorsed a Regional Strategy and Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security, supported by UN Women, to advance collective accountability and coordination.
WPS Working Group
The WPS Working Group for the Arab States/MENA Region is supported by UN Women as part of the project ‘Enhancing Women’s Leadership in Peace and Transition Processes in Fragile Contexts in the MENA Region’
Conflict-Affected Contexts:
In fragile settings like Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen, UN Women works with national partners and women-led organizations to ensure women’s voices are central to humanitarian action, reconstruction, and peace processes.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
CALENDAR: WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY EVENTS 2025
Throughout 2025 — particularly in October — numerous events are being held at the headquarters, regional, and national levels to spotlight the issues, challenges, and opportunities of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Explore the activities here.
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