On 31 October, 2000, the United Nations Security Council passed the landmark Resolution 1325 and created the Women, Peace and Security agenda. To commemorate the resolution's 25th anniversary, ASPI has released this compendium which features a collection of articles published on The Strategist .
This series reflects on the progress made since 2000, including the transformative changes in women's representation across security. More women are performing in combat roles, participating in peace processes and representing their nations in multilateral institutions.
Notwithstanding the noted success, there is a unifying message throughout the reflections in this series: while we should celebrate the progress of the past 25 years, now is not a time to rest. The authors make clear that the push for women's rights – from participation in decision making to prevention of harm – continues and that complacency threatens to open the door to regression.Instead of seeing this milestone as any sort of 'mission accomplished', we should use it as motivation to keep fighting. The 25th anniversary presents an opportunity to take stock of where we are, determine where we need to go next and how the WPS agenda should evolve, and to ensure that all women are part of the journey forward.
ASPI would like to thank the authors for their valuable contributions to this series and, as we look ahead to 2026, we look forward to working with all stakeholders in relation to the much-needed work to support women in defence and security.
