Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda – a German priority for 25 years

On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which provided the foundation for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Since then, there has been progress in advancing the participation of women in peace processes and on other key areas of the agenda. But a lot of the work still lies ahead.

In many crisis regions, women have long been performing crucial work in peace processes. Women negotiate with militia groups to free their children. They create safe spaces in crisis regions to protect their communities. They negotiate humanitarian corridors to ensure access to food supplies, often long before aid organizations arrive on the scene. Yet this work often goes unnoticed and is not supported enough.

For Germany, advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda remains an ambitious and important political priority – through, for example, providing support for survivors of sexual violence, funding local women peacebuilders, convening networks of female leaders, training women mediators, and integrating the agenda throughout the work of the government. In the implementation of our third WPS National Action Plan, Germany has realized close to 1000 projects and initiatives.

Defending and strengthening multilateralism, international law and the UN system, which are increasingly being undermined, is also a key pillar of our efforts. After all, they have been and continue to be a key catalyst for gender equality.