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Meeting the Moment: How GIWPS is Defending 25 Years of Progress in Women, Peace and Security and Advancing the Field

Today marks the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), which formally established the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) framework at the United Nations and as an international norm. The passage of this resolution was the culmination of decades of work by diverse advocates from around the world. Since its passage, it has served as a call to action and a confirmation of what so many women already inherently know: that women have a critical role to play in peace and security.

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) was founded on this same principle, recognizing that without women’s leadership and participation, sustainable peace is not possible. We work to ensure that women are participating in decision-making and conflict resolution at all levels, protected during armed conflict, and involved in relief and recovery after conflict. We do this by conducting rigorous research, elevating the voices of women peacebuilders, informing policymakers, and nurturing the next generation of women leaders.

Today is an opportunity to celebrate how far WPS has come in the past 25 years. This week, we launched our Commitment 2025 paper series on progress towards UNSCR 1325. We found that women are more present in many peace and security domains than ever before, thanks to the tireless efforts of advocates who have demanded space in settings where women have been excluded for too long. We’ve seen strengthened WPS frameworks through National Action Plans and in the language of peace agreements. And many committed donors have increasingly prioritized gender equality in funding portfolios. As a community, we have more data than ever about the positive impact of WPS, including that peace agreements with women signatories are more effective and more likely to be sustained. Results from our latest WPS Index reaffirm that societies where women’s status is higher are also more peaceful, prosperous, and resilient, including in the face of climate change and economic shocks.

However, today is also an important reminder of how far we have yet to go and the challenges we continue to face. For many women, UNSCR 1325 remains a distant ideal, far removed from their lived reality. Over 676 million women globally live within 50 kilometers of conflict, a staggering 74 percent rise since 2010. Today, women in Afghanistan face discrimination so extreme that it amounts to gender apartheid, women in Sudan face famine and war crimes, women in Ukraine face daily assaults, and women in Burma face targeted attacks for their work to advance human rights and democracy. But women’s wellbeing isn’t just under threat in acute conflict settings. The WPS rankings for developed countries have stagnated at a time when progress is urgently needed. And at a global level, key indicators of WPS progress still lag; for example, women’s representation in the security sector remains alarmingly low, with women only serving as 13 percent of defense ministers and less than 10 percent of peacekeepers. 

This milestone anniversary for WPS also comes at a moment of global backlash against women’s rights and women’s leadership in peace and security. The U.S. government, once a global leader in WPS, has systematically dismantled its capacity to implement its WPS commitments. It has slashed WPS-related budgets, personnel, programs, and systems across the Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security, the Intelligence Community, and beyond, despite decades of data showing why these efforts make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. As the U.S. reduces its WPS efforts, so too do many partner countries and multilateral organizations. Governments that have long been leaders on WPS are reducing their spending on international assistance and women’s issues due to budget cuts and increased defense spending, at a time when global conflict is at its highest level since World War II. Multilateral institutions are also facing significant budget cuts and hard choices, likely impacting key WPS-related offices, staff, and capacities. A UN Women report found that one-third of the women’s rights and civil society organizations that they surveyed have already shut down or suspended programs to end violence against women and girls due to recent funding cuts.

We know that what the WPS community does today—how we respond to these threats, how we gather evidence and insights, and where we innovate to respond to the needs and opportunities to come in more inclusive and effective ways—will shape the next 25 years of WPS.

GIWPS is committed to meeting this moment and standing up for WPS, not just as the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Here’s our plan:

Push Back on the Pushback: Protecting Women, Peace and Security Amidst the Global Backlash

GIWPS will double down on its efforts to make the case for why WPS matters and why women-forward approaches are key to peace and security outcomes. We will work with allies—women peacebuilders themselves, governments, women leaders, male allies, and other champions—to elevate a pro-WPS narrative in a wide range of policy spaces, from Congressional hearings to the UN Security Council to the Conference of the Parties (COP) and everything in between. We will push back directly on national and international policies and efforts that undercut WPS or would diminish the ability of key actors in this space. Our top policy priority is to protect the global WPS architecture and push for its full implementation, including through laws, policies, and norms. The critical progress that we have made for decades must not be erased.

At the same time, we recognize that the pushback on WPS is also an attack on women. GIWPS will fight this trend by standing firm in our support for women and women-led organizations. We will continue to engage and connect women leaders at local, national, and international levels, supporting solidarity, mentorship, knowledge exchange, joint agendas, and joint advocacy. Women around the world are working to defend the progress made on WPS, and GIWPS is committed to supporting them directly and indirectly through our research, advocacy, network strengthening, and convenings.

Producing Data and Research to Make WPS More Effective

We recognize an urgent need to continue to strengthen the evidence-based case for women’s leadership and inclusion, grounded in the wisdom and realities of women on the frontlines, and to document the outsized impact of conflict and crisis on their lives. This requires more data and analysis of emerging security issues like technology and climate change, and the unfinished work of women’s economic empowerment. From our flagship products—the WPS Index, WPS Conflict Tracker, and WPS Survey—to specific research products focusing on global trends, country and regional dynamics, and thematic spaces for WPS, we are committed to a research portfolio that supports data-informed WPS programs, policies, and approaches.

Building a More Inclusive Movement

While WPS actors have made huge progress to date, it is important to recognize that the field has also left many voices and perspectives out of the conversation. From disabled women and Indigenous voices to minority groups and non-English speakers to youth-led movements and informal activists, the field must be more inclusive to be more effective. As we look to the next 25 years, it is essential that we create space for new leaders, movements, and allies to inform and shape the agenda. GIWPS is committed in its own work to utilizing inclusive, people-centered, and solidarity-focused approaches to advance this global agenda. We will work to elevate diverse perspectives on a range of countries and issues, build new allies, collaborate with researchers and advocates from other sectors that are part of our broader ecosystem, and work with a diversity of partners. 

Making WPS More Accessible to More People 

We recognize that WPS is, at its core, an easy-to-understand concept: peace and security can’t happen without 50 percent of the population. Yet we and others in the WPS field have often struggled to translate our expertise, research, and recommendations into simple language that brings more people into our space. As a result, WPS advocates find themselves “preaching to the converted,” only reaching those who already know and care about WPS. How do we help those who don’t currently understand or appreciate the value proposition of WPS to see these issues as critical to advancing their own strategic objectives? 

GIWPS is committed to telling a better story about what we already know from 25 years of WPS, what this field of work looks like, and what impact it can have. For all of the tireless efforts of so many around the world, the “evidence-based case” hasn’t been enough on its own to move the needle forward to the degree we aspire. As we look toward the next five years, we must find new and engaging ways to help people understand that WPS is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. This includes broadening our base of supporters and allies, and exploring new spheres of influence. 

Innovating and Advancing WPS Even as the Global System Shifts

Today, we have to play both defense and offense on WPS issues, continuing to bring the field forward through innovation and a focus on ongoing challenges and emerging issues. To this end, GIWPS is positioning itself to lead in spaces where WPS hasn’t always been seen as a central issue, but where it should be, including technology, economics, climate change, and democratic governance. We will work to understand and respond to the risks tech creates for women, from technology-facilitated gender-based violence to extreme misogynist content online, while also working to harness the positive power of the emerging digital ecosystem for women. We will build a stronger case for women’s economic empowerment as central to all pillars of WPS, recognizing that this need is more pressing than ever and continues to be a space where sustained efforts and significant innovation are needed. As the world struggles to grapple with climate change and climate adaptation, GIWPS recognizes it is critical to ensure that women—from different backgrounds—are able to lead in negotiations and participate in the design and implementation of programs. Gender issues must be firmly on the climate agenda. And as countries worldwide contend with democratic backsliding and rising authoritarianism, GIWPS will work closely with allies in the democracy and governance space to better link the two agendas, recognizing that women’s wellbeing is not only linked to positive peace but it’s also linked to stronger democratic outcomes.

As we mark the 25-year milestone of our field, we find ourselves in a world that many of us could not have imagined 25 years ago, 10 years ago, or even one year ago. Yet the needs have only grown. Research shows that scaling investments in women offers a concrete pathway to better outcomes for all, yet the world is stepping back from this support when we need it the most. At GIWPS, we feel a tremendous responsibility to meet this moment. To protect and defend the gains, but also to fight for a brighter future. To leverage the full power and potential of our Institute—from its research, to its advocacy, programs, networks, and its communications.

Today, as always, we stand in solidarity and partnership with women worldwide and commit to another 25 years of fighting for women’s leadership in all areas of peace and security.

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