Twenty-five years ago today, the United Nations (UN) Security Council, under the chairmanship of Namibia, unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security—a landmark recognition of women’s vital role in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and post-conflict recovery. Spearheaded by Namibia’s then minister of women’s affairs, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and advanced through the persistent advocacy of women’s rights and civil society groups, the resolution transformed decades of activism into binding international policy. Supported by leaders such as Anwarul Chowdhury, the then ambassador of Bangladesh to the UN, Resolution 1325 marked the first time the Security Council affirmed that women’s equal participation is essential to sustainable peace. Yet, a quarter century later, the stakes could not be higher. According to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security Index, cited in the UN secretary-general’s latest report on women, peace, and security (WPS), a staggering 676 million women and girls now live within fifty kilometers of active conflict zones—the highest number recorded in recent history.
Twenty-five years on, advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda is more urgent than ever (Melanne Verveer and Ana Lejava – Atlantic Council)
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