(Resumed) Women and peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation - Security Council, 10254th meeting Security Council Date: 30 October 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/sc/10254/3 Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- Greece · President [0:00]: The 10254th meeting of the Security Council is resumed. I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than three minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. The flashing light on the microphone will prompt speakers to bring their remarks to a close after three minutes. I now give the floor to the representative of Albania. Albania [0:33]: Mr. President, Albania thanks Greece for convening this important debate and the briefers for their valuable contributions. We remain deeply concerned by the devastating impact of armed conflict on women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, forced displacement, and their continued exclusion from peace process. Threats against human peace builders and human rights defenders, alongside online harassment and gender-based disinformation, further undermine our collective efforts to achieve sustainable peace. For Albania, the women peace and security agenda is both a human rights commitment and a strategic imperative for international peace and security. Our experience in the Western Balkans reinforces our conviction that lasting peace requires justice, accountability, reconciliation, and the meaningful participation of women. Mr. President, allow me to highlight three priorities. First, Women must have a meaningful role in shaping peace, their full, equal, and safe participation is essential at every stage, from conflict prevention and mediation to peace negotiations and post-conflict recovery. Second, protection must go hand in hand with accountability. Conflict-related sexual violence must be prevented and prosecuted. Survivors must have access to justice and essential services, and perpetrators must be held accountable. We must also protect women peacebuilders and human rights defenders from intimidation, reprisals, and digital threats. Third, commitments must be matched by sustained political will and adequate financing. Women-led civil society organizations are indispensable partners in conflict prevention, mediation, and reconciliation. Supporting their work is an investment in sustainable peace and resilient societies. Mr. President, Albania advances these priorities through its National Action Plan for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 for 2023-2027, alongside efforts to strengthen women's participation in decision-making and the security sector. Our contributions to CoFAR and EU-led security initiatives underscore Albania's commitment to international peace and stability. We remain determined to integrate the Women, Peace and Security agenda into operational planning, training, and deployments, ensuring women's meaningful participation and leadership across the security sector. Women's prominent role in our diplomatic service, where they constitute most of our diplomatic corps, further reflects our commitment to inclusive leadership. As a NATO ally and a candidate country for European Union membership, Albania remains committed to working closely with the United Nations, the European Union, and civil society to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and ensure that gender perspectives are systematically integrated into peace and security policies. Mr. President, the women peace and security agenda must remain a political priority, backed by concrete action, sustainable financing, and measurable results. Albania will continue to advocate for women's rights and their full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in shaping peace and security. There cannot be lasting peace without women's meaningful participation, no sustainable without the protection of their rights, and no justice without accountability. I thank you. Greece · President [4:29]: I thank the representative of Albania for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Nepal. Nepal [4:37]: Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, I thank the Presidency of Greece for convening this timely debate on such a pressing Women, Peace, and Security agenda. I also thank the Secretary-General for his compelling message. and distinguished briefers for their insightful reflections. Mr. President, 26 years ago, the Security Council adopted landmark Resolution 1325, recognizing the disproportionate impact of armed conflicts on women and girls and their indispensable role in conflict prevention, resolution, peacebuilding, and reconstruction. Over these years, evidence has demonstrated that women's meaningful participation and leadership have contributed to sustaining durable peace, and building more peaceful, inclusive, and just societies. Yet, women remain underrepresented where peace is negotiated and decisions are made, even as they bear the disproportionate consequences of conflict. It is deeply concerning that progress on women's leadership is slowing, even reversing in some cases, while no SDG 5 indicator is on track for achievement by 2030. Violence against women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, trafficking, femicide, and technology-facilitated abuse, remains deeply concerning. Women in public life increasingly face misogynistic hate speech, online harassment, and AI-enabled disinformation, undermining their political representation. Mr. President, Nepal remains firmly committed to advancing the WPS agenda. Our constitution guarantees gender equality, safeguards women's fundamental rights, and makes gender discrimination punishable by law. In 2011, Nepal adopted a national action plan for the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. We launched our second national action plan in 2022, focusing on the needs, rights, and participation of conflict-affected women and children. Nepal has made notable strides in women's political representation, with women holding more than one-third of seats in the federal parliament and accounting for over 41% of elected representatives at the local level. As a leading TPCC and one of the largest contributors of female peacekeepers, Nepal upholds the highest standards of conduct while protecting civilians and advancing gender-responsive approaches to peacekeeping. Mr. President, allow me to highlight five key priorities. First, ensure meaningful participation and leadership. Women must have full, equal, and meaningful participation at every stage of this process, from prevention and mediation to negotiation, implementation, and reconstruction. We must dismantle structural barriers and ensure women's voices influence decisions, not merely their presence at the negotiation table. Second, strengthen protection and accountability. We must prevent and respond decisively to all forms of violence. against women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence. Survivor-centric justice, effective accountability mechanisms, and protection against reprisals for women peacebuilders are essential. Third, prioritize prevention. We must address the root causes and structural drivers of violence and conflict, including inequality, exclusion, discrimination, and the lack of opportunities, particularly for women and girls. Women's rights and violations must also be integrated into conflict early warning system, preventive diplomacy, and peacebuilding strategies. Fourth, invest in empowerment and ensure sustainable financing. We must invest in women's peacebuilding leadership, education, economic empowerment, and resilience, recognizing women as partners in building sustainable peace and development. Amid shrinking resources, predictable, flexible, and sustained financing must support effective implementation of national action plans and local women-led organizations. Partnership among the governments, UN system, regional organizations, civil society, and private sector must reinforce national ownership and local leadership. Fifth, harness technology responsibly. Women’s digital and technological capacity must be harnessed to protect and promote their voice and participation. Technology can amplify leadership, expand access to decision-making spaces, and safeguard contributions in flexible contexts. We must invest in digital inclusion, extend online protection, and support innovation that empowers women peacebuilders. In closing, Mr. President, The experiences of many countries, including Nepal, demonstrate that investing in women's leadership and participation extends peace, inclusion, and democratic governance. The challenge today is not a lack of norms, but a gap of consistent implementation, accountability, and adequate financing, for which we need to work together in the next quarter centuries and beyond. Nepal remains committed to advancing the WBS agenda and to ensuring that all women and girls remain equal architects of a peaceful, just, and secure future. I thank you. Greece · President [9:57]: I thank the representative of Nepal for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Malaysia. Malaysia [10:05]: Mr. President, Malaysia thanks Greece for convening this important debate and the briefers for their valuable insights. 26 years ago this week, as an elected member of this Council, Malaysia voted for resolution 13/25. We observed then that gender-based abuses are not just an accident of war, but reflect the inequalities and indignities that women face in their everyday lives, even in peacetime. Unfortunately, that remains true today. In 2015, again on the Council, we voted for resolution 2242 and set ourselves the task of ensuring that every woman can lead in peace and security and not only stand in the shadows of men. Eleven years on, the challenge before us is no longer lack of commitment, but the gap between commitment and implementation. Malaysia remains committed to closing that gap. In September 2025, we launched our first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for 2025-2030. Built around four pillars, namely perspective, prevention, participation, and protection, the plan translates our commitments into national action. Mr. President, women's meaningful participation remains essential to sustainable peace. Yet women accounted for only 5% of lead negotiators in peace processes in 2025. Women must have a meaningful role in shaping decisions on peace and security, not merely be consulted after those decisions have been made. Malaysia continues to advance women's participation in UN peacekeeping. As we have pledged in this chamber in 2015, the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre has provided training that integrates gender perspectives, civilian protection, and humanitarian assistance. We are also strengthening women's participation and leadership within our defence and security institutions. At the regional level, Malaysia hosted the ASEAN Women, Peace and Security Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, reinforcing regional cooperation and implementation of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action. Mr. President, participation must be accompanied by protection. We remain deeply concerned by the devastating consequences of armed conflict for women and girls, particularly in Gaza, where displacement, destruction, and restrictions on humanitarian assistance have severely undermined their safety and access to essential services. Malaysia reiterates the need to protect civilians, ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and uphold accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including conflict-related sexual violence. As we look towards the next 25 years, our measures of progress must be what we deliver, not merely what we pledge. Malaysia stands ready to work with the UN and all partners to advance and deliver on the Women, Peace and Security agenda. I thank you. Greece · President [13:23]: I thank the representative of Malaysia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Turkey. Türkiye [13:32]: Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation thanks the Greek Presidency for convening this important debate and commends the briefers for their dedicated efforts. In this long debate, it has been widely underscored that women are disproportionately affected by violence, displacement, and instability, yet their voices remain marginalized in the very processes aimed at resolving these crises. On Tuesday, Executive Director of UN Women, Madame Bahus, shared her alarm that women made up of only 5% of negotiators at global peace tables in 2025. After 26 years of commitments to Security Council Resolution 1325, it is indefensible that nearly 80% of active peace negotiations last year held took place without a single woman on the table. It tells us why sustainable peace could not be achieved so far in peace tables. Mr. President, Turkey is firmly committed to advancing women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in decision-making processes of peace and security. Today, 90 Turkish women ambassadors are serving across continents, from Africa to Asia, contributing actively to dialogue, trust-building, and conflict resolution in diverse and often complex settings. Among our junior diplomats, women account for 48%, promising a fair representation of women leaders in diplomacy, mediation, and future peace processes. The importance of women's meaningful participation in mediation was extensively discussed at the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference held just last week on 23rd and 4th October. This reflects our continued efforts to place women's perspectives and contributions at the heart of international mediation. In 2024, we endorsed the Secretary-General's Common Pledge for Women's Full, Equal, and Meaningful Participation in Peace Processes, reaffirming our commitment to translating principles into practice. Building on these efforts, Türkiye is pleased to have joined this week, together with Finland, to UN Women's new initiative on women's participation in mediation and peace processes. Through evidence-based analysis, consultations with women in conflict settings, and stronger partnerships, this initiative will help ensure women's perspectives meaningfully inform mediation and peacebuilding efforts. Distinguished participants, there can be no sustainable peace when half of humanity is excluded from shaping its future. But there can also be no sustainable peace without justice, and no meaningful justice without accountability. In this context, we cannot overlook the plight of Palestinian women and girls in Gaza, who have endured immense suffering, displacement, and grave violations of their fundamental rights. Ensuring accountability for violations of international law and guaranteeing access to justice and effective remedies for Palestinian women and girls are indispensable to any credible and lasting peace. Mr. President, 26 years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, our challenge is not merely to reaffirm our commitments, but to deliver concrete results. This requires stronger implementation, greater accountability, and sustained political will. Women must not only be protected from the consequences of the conflict; they must have access to justice and an equal role in shaping peace. Türkiye stands ready to continue working with the UN and all partners towards these objectives. Thank you. Greece · President [17:33]: I thank the representative of Türkiye for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Fiji. Fiji [17:42]: Mr. President, members of the Council, Fiji thanks Greece for convening this debate and thanks the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of UN Women, and our civil society briefer for their briefings earlier this week. Twenty-six years after resolution 1325, the problem is no longer commitment; it is implementation. 117 national action plans exist on paper, yet in 2025, women were 5% of lead negotiators and 14% of mediators, and only 10 peace agreements referred to them at all. We know that agreements with women at the table last longer. We keep negotiating as though we did not. In the Pacific, women were making peace long before there were resolutions on it. Their standing as mediators is rooted in custom and in our faith communities, and it carries weight among their own people. They have brought divided communities back into the dialogue, and after every cyclone, they are the first to organize for those most in need. Our leaders' Gender Equality Declaration of 2023 and the Pacific Women Mediators Network are our region’s effort to bring that tradition into how we make policy. For us, climate change and disasters are part of the security picture, and women’s leadership belongs in the response. Mr. President, Fiji asks the Council for three things: First, participation. The three processes led or co-led by the United Nations last year had women as chief mediators. Where the United Nations sets the standard, the standard is met. The gap is in the wider mediation landscape, where more processes are now run by regional bodies, coalitions and individual states. Fiji asks that the Council to require in every mandate and every renewal reporting on women’s participation in the processes it supports, and to apply the same expectation to the mediation efforts it welcomes. Fiji measures itself by the same standard. Women are now 14 percent of our deployed uniformed personnel and 11 percent of our military contingents, against the United Nations target of 15 percent by 2028. This year, we published an independent assessment of what holds that number down: recruitment, leave, facilities, complaints. And the Force is acting on it. A number reported is a number that can be moved. Second, protection and accountability. Reported conflict-related sexual violence has more than doubled since 2024. while the gender advisors and women’s protection advisors who document it are being cut from peace operations. As resources tighten, those roles should be among the last to go. The Council already holds the tools to act on what they document, including the designation criteria for sexual violence in its sanctions regimes. Fiji urges that they be used. And that the Council be consistent in its response to reprisals against the women human rights defenders and peacebuilders who brief it. Those who speak to this chamber must not pay for it at home. Third, financing and technology. Funding for this agenda must reach women’s organizations directly, in amounts and on terms they can use. In our islands, that means a village women’s committee, not only a national secretariat. Fiji supports flexible, multi-year funding to local women’s organizations and welcomes the responsible use of digital tools to widen participation, provided that the technology-facilitated violence against women in public life is treated as the threat to peace and security that it is. Mr. President and members of the Council, the next quarter century of this agenda will be judged on numbers, not on anniversaries. Fiji commits to reporting on ours. I thank you. Greece · President [22:28]: I thank the representative of Fiji for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Sudan. Sudan [22:37]: Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, we Thank you for holding this important session, and we welcome your Minister of Foreign Affairs and express our appreciation for – we thank the briefers for their briefings. Mr. President, as this discussion takes place during the end of Pink October, a time when the world celebrates women’s health and well-being, millions of women in my country are facing compounded challenges due to a war of aggression that has caused displacement and forced migration, the collapse of essential services, the loss of livelihoods, sexual violence and enslavement, and profound psychological burdens, among other atrocities and violations that are painful even to speak of, all occurring against the backdrop of international silence regarding the realization of these women's rights. Despite this, they have demonstrated an exceptional capacity for resilience, contribution, and leadership. They have remained the first line of defense for their families and society, serving as a fundamental pillar for social cohesion and defense for their and humanitarian response. Their stories of resilience are a message of hope, affirming that peace building begins by investing in women, protecting them, empowering them, ensuring their equal participation in shaping the future of their nation. Mr. President, The Sudan firmly believes in the role of women in peacebuilding. This is why we developed a comprehensive national vision to transition women from mere symbolic representation to genuine and impactful participation in peace processes, including dialogue, mediation, and community reconciliation efforts, while also building their capacities in negotiation, dialogue management, and early warning systems. This is evidenced by their inclusion in the committee tasked facilitating the intra-Sudanese dialogue to ensure democratic transition. Recognizing the importance of a specialized institutional mechanism dedicated to those most affected by war, the Office of the Advisor for Women and Children was established. It serves as a national platform for integrating their concerns into national policies, plans, and programs. This reflects my country's firm conviction that sustainable peace and recovery cannot be achieved without ensuring the participation of women and the protection of children. The Office plays a pivotal role in coordinating national efforts to enhance protection and provide social and psychological support, as well as monitoring the situation of women and children impacted by war. This is exemplified by the implementation of the Sakina Centers initiative, launched last Tuesday, which provides comprehensive services to women for protection and socioeconomic and legal empowerment. Mr. President, my country places special emphasis on documenting and highlighting the contributions of women to community reconciliation. This is done by strengthening networks of female mediators and peacemakers, and by leveraging the experience that women have cultivated across various states in the Sudan in recognition of their role as active partners in peacebuilding. Economic empowerment of women is fundamental for building and consolidating peace. We have placed this at the core of our recovery priorities. This approach is embodied in the Women as Architects of Recovery initiative, which views women as active partners in rebuilding a productive economy. It's also reflected in the economics initiative implemented in Kassala State in collaboration with UNDP. An economically empowered woman is better equipped to protect her family, foster social cohesion, and mitigate drivers of conflict. Mr. President, empowering women in war-affected countries requires sustained international support, long-term funding, and genuine partnerships with national institutions, feminist civil society organizations, and local women leaders. It also requires support for capacity building that respects national priorities and local specificities. In conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to the resilient Sudanese women who have faced the horrors of war with determination and faith. They continue to shoulder the burdens for their family and society. We emphasize that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full and effective participation of women at every stage of decision-making, recovery, and reconstruction. While we look forward to seeing a woman on top leadership position within the UN system, we wish to remind the Council of the moral standing, integrity, and independence that such leadership entails. We reaffirm our full commitment to Resolution 1325 as a fundamental framework for sustainable peace, and we pledge to continue working towards a future in which all women and girls enjoy security, dignity, and equal opportunity. Thank you. Greece · President [27:54]: I thank the representative of Sudan for the statement. I give the floor to the representative of Afghanistan. Afghanistan [28:04]: Madam President, thank you for convening this debate. I thank Secretary-General António Guterres Sima Bahous, and Afghan civil society representative Tamanna Zaryar Pariani for their briefings. More than 26 years after resolution 1325, the gap between commitments and implementation remains unacceptable. Peace cannot endure when women are excluded from shaping it. Afghanistan adopted its National Action Plan on Resolution 1325 in 2015. Afghan women served as judges, ministers, pilots, ambassadors, and parliamentarians. Today, under the Taliban rule, those gains have been systematically dismantled. 2.4 million girls are excluded from secondary education. Women are barred from universities, most employment, and many public spaces. Restrictions on female UN and humanitarian personnel further undermine assistance. Reports of domestic violence, forced and child marriages, and severe psychological distress deepen this human tragedy. These discriminatory policies contradict Islamic teachings and Afghan traditions. Yet, Afghan women continue to protest, teach girls in secret, and sustain their communities. Their courage demands action. Thus, we offer four proposals for the Council’s consideration. First, ensure Afghan women’s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in every political process concerning their country, including the Doha process. They must shape agendas and decisions from the outset. Their rights must never become bargaining chips. Second, advance accountability for gender persecution and other serious violations. Sustain UNAM’s monitoring, support independent investigations, preserve evidence, and protect survivors and witnesses. Support complementary accountability efforts through the International Criminal Court and relevant CEDAW mechanisms. Third, provide direct, flexible, and predictable funding to women-led organizations through transparent, accountable arrangements. Protect women human rights defenders from reprisals, provide safe pathways for those at risk, and ensure their voices remain present in this Council. Fourth, demand the reopening of schools and universities to women and girls, and lifting the restrictions on female UN humanitarian personnel, support safe, quality education, including online learning, while insisting on full restoration of the right to education. Madam President, in conclusion, implementation requires a united, coherent international approach. Engagement must never become a vehicle for normalizing oppression and exclusion. Lasting peace requires legitimate, inclusive, and accountable governance grounded in the rule of law, justice, and the will of Afghan people, and committed to Afghanistan's national and international obligations, and the fundamental rights of all citizens. I thank you. Greece · UNSC · President [31:27]: I thank the representative of Afghanistan for the statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. Before adjourning the meeting, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the Council for the month of October, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of Greece to the members of the Council and to the Secretariat of the Council for all the support they have given us. Indeed, it has been a busy month, and one in which we rallied to consensus on several important issues within our purview. We could not have done it alone and without the hard work, support, and positive contribution of every delegation and the representatives of the Secretariat, including the technical support team, conference service officers, interpreters, translators, verbatim reporters, and security staff. As we end our presidency, I know I speak on behalf of the Council in wishing the delegation of Latvia good luck in the month of November. The meeting is adjourned.