From Resolution to Revolution: Lessons Learned from 25 Years of the Women, Peace & Security Framework

Global conflicts are having a disproportionate impact on women, with violence reaching unprecedented levels and nearly one in three countries experiencing armed conflict. Additionally, women’s proximity to these conflicts is alarming, with 15% of women living within 50 kilometers of hostilities. This is happening amid increasing opposition to women’s political participation, setbacks in women’s rights, and reductions in overseas development assistance.

Amid these challenges, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), is marking its 25th anniversary. UNSCR 1325, adopted in 2000, emphasized the critical role of women in achieving sustainable peace, particularly in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, and post-conflict recovery.

As the WPS Agenda celebrates this milestone, it is an opportunity to evaluate progress, address ongoing challenges, and build on the successes. A high-level event in January 2025, co-hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the Embassy of Japan, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, gathered global leaders and experts to discuss best practices and proposed six actionable steps to advance the WPS Agenda and fulfill the commitment of UNSCR 1325.

Read the full policy brief.

From Resolution to Revolution:
Marking 25 Years of the Women, Peace and Security Framework

The Embassy of Japan, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) hosted a high-level event bringing together representatives from a variety of countries that have demonstrated leadership and innovation in advancing the WPS Agenda.

Featured Speakers

H.E. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President of Kosovo (Recorded Remarks)

H.E. Yoko Kamikawa, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan; Chair of the Women, Peace & Security Parliamentarians’ Network, Japan

Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Ambassador-at-Large, Office of Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State

Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security; Participated in reconciliation processes in Liberia, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo

Anna Tarhata S. Basman, Former Legal Chief, Peace Implementing Panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in the Bangsamoro Peace Process; Former Member of Parliament and Attorney General in Bangsamoro Transition Government

Dr. Avila Kilmurray, Community Leader and Peacebuilder in Northern Ireland; Negotiator in the peace process culminating in the Good Friday peace agreement

Maho Nakayama, Director, Peacebuilding Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation; Supported peace and reconciliation projects in Indonesia and Philippines

Additional Participants

Ambassador Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America

Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, Chairman and President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA

Dean Joel Hellman, Dean, Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security

Hosted by the Embassy of Japan, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA