The year 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The resolution’s principles remain vital, but progress advancing them has been scant. One problem is the integration of WPS work with the complement to counter-terrorism known as “countering violent extremism”.

On the ground, many women activists feel that their activism has become tangled up in – or even subordinated to – states’ efforts to combat Islamist militancy. Fair or unfair, the association has made their work on women’s empowerment more difficult and sometimes exposed them to physical danger.

The UN, donors and states should stop instrumentalising WPS principles in counter-terrorism programming. They should listen to local women’s groups about how to empower women and build peace, involving activists in project design so as to ensure that funding goes to local priorities and that risks are minimised.