Twenty-three years after the adoption of a landmark UN Security Council resolution on women, peace and security, their presence is still woefully lacking at negotiation tables, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.
Addressing the Council's annual debate on resolution 1325, he appealed for countries to "urgently bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality" through concrete action in the areas of participation, financing and leadership.
"Of 18 peace agreements reached last year, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women's group or organization," he said. Women also comprised just 16 per cent of negotiators or delegates at UN-led, or co-led, peace processes, he added.
War's impact on women
Mr. Guterres highlighted how women's contributions are needed in a world that is on a "knife's edge" due to raging conflicts, escalating tensions, coups, rising authoritarianism, climate chaos, the nuclear threat, and other crises.
"Where wars rage, women suffer. Where authoritarianism and insecurity reign, women and girls' rights are threatened. We see this around the world," he said, pointing to situations in Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine and the recent escalation in the Middle East.
"Women and girls are among the many victims of Hamas' brutal atrocities," he told the packed Council chamber.
"And women and children are more than half the victims of the relentless bombing of Gaza. Tens of thousands of pregnant women are desperately struggling to access essential healthcare."
Shut out and fed up
Mr. Guterres called for the women, peace and security agenda to be fully implemented now "because women have had enough of being shut out of the decisions that shape their lives".
Women are demanding concrete actions, he continued, with the first step being ensuring their presence in peace talks. He encouraged governments to support conflict mediation to set ambitious targets for women on negotiating teams.
The UN chief also underscored the need for "money on the table", stating that "if we want to stand with women driving change, if we want to support women enduring conflict, if we want to remove barriers to participation, and if we want women's organisations to deliver, we need to pay for it."
