(Continuación) Las mujeres y la paz y la seguridad en el próximo cuarto de siglo: cumplir la promesa mediante la aplicación - Consejo de Seguridad, 10254ª sesión
Consejo de Seguridad
Date: 28 October 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/es/sc/10254/2?lang=en
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.

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Greece · President [0:04]:

The 10,254th meeting of the Security Council is resumed. I now give the floor to Ms. Nahla Manla Ousman, Director-General of the Expatriates and Refugees Affairs Department in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic.


Syrian Arab Republic · Director-General, Expatriates and Refugees Affairs Department [0:30]:

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Mr. President, for many Syrian women, the past 14 years have felt like the complete opposite of Security Council Resolution 1325. Instead of protection, they have faced persecution. Instead of security, they have borne the burdens of conflict in every aspect of their lives. They have borne these burdens as mothers inside Syria, striving to shield their children from bombardment and violence. They have borne them as wives, daughters, and sisters, searching for their missing loved ones, many of whom are still waiting, to this day, for a grave that might hold the remains of those they have lost. Shouldering the role of primary breadwinners for their families, they suddenly found themselves responsible for securing income, healthcare, and education for their children. Yet, the story of the Syrian woman is not one of victimhood. It is a story of extraordinary resilience. Today, that resilience is evolving into leadership. The Syrian Government recognizes that the legacy of Syrian women is not one of weakness, but rather one of strength, forged through years of suffering while the world watched in silence. Mr. President, pathways have been opened for women to participate in decision-making, parliamentary work through both election and appointment, security institutions, and positions of administration and leadership. We are fully aware that the road ahead remains long, and that more needs to be done. With the liberation, we had anticipated that we would only have to contend with the legacy of the past, difficult as that might be, without the emergence of new causes for further suffering. Yet, Israel has not ceased its violations in southern Syria. The sight of mothers holding up photographs of their sons before the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. LeCroux, last week in Quneitra served as a cry of anguish that resonated with every Syrian woman, a cry that now awaits the world’s attention. From this Council, we reiterate our call for compelling Israel, the occupying power, to respect the 1974 agreement, withdraw completely from the Syrian territories it has encroached upon since December 8, 2024, as well as from the entirety of the occupied Syrian Golan, and return all abducted Syrians, especially minors. Mr. President, We have initiated broad-ranging consultations to develop a national action plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. What matters in this process is not the existence of the strategy itself, but rather the manner in which it was constructed. This strategy is rooted in the real-life experiences of Syrian women. Women who lived through years of revolution and war, who experienced displacement and sought refuge, and who have acted as peacebuilders. Syrian women do not wish to be defined solely by what they have endured in the past, but rather by what they can contribute to the future. Mr. President, in my capacity as Director of Expatriate and Refugee Affairs, I have met with Syrian women across the globe who have rebuilt their lives in the countries that welcomed them. Today, I am increasingly encountering Syrian women who are returning to their homeland, women who are establishing projects and businesses, women who are restoring their homes, women who are helping to reconnect communities torn apart by years of war. I understand this journey well, for I was one of those women who returned to Syria and was given the opportunity to serve my country. Within Syria, I see a clear reality, an extraordinary determination, not just to recover, but to contribute, to lead, and to build. My message today is a question directed to the international community: Will you stand with Syrian women as they take on greater roles, both within the government and beyond? Will you listen to Syrian women as true partners in the pursuit of justice and the building of peace? Will you support Syrian-led solutions and Syrian national ownership? A new Syria and peace cannot be built without genuine support for the women in Syria. So stand with them. Thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [5:57]:

I thank Ms. Osman for the statement. 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 Brunei Darussalam.


Brunei Darussalam [6:28]:

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, President. At the outset, Brunei Darussalam congratulates Greece on assuming the presidency of the Security Council this month. We appreciate the valuable insights provided by Secretary General and others who briefed on this important topic. Mr. President, Brunei Darussalam reaffirms its support for Women, Peace and Security agenda as rooted in Security Council Resolution 1325 and reinforced by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Together, these landmark frameworks affirm our conviction that women are indispensable agents of change whose leadership and participation are crucial to shaping a secure and sustainable future for all. Yet, women remain persistently underrepresented in peace processes. This gap restricts the credibility and affects durability of peace itself. We believe that the path forward lies not in passive acknowledgment of these deficits, but in a deliberate, forward-looking approach. While frameworks are already in place, frameworks alone do not save lives. We must therefore translate our commitments into concrete actions and measurable progress. Having said that, President, Brunei Darussalam wishes to highlight three priorities for our shared agenda. First, we must reinforce institutional accountability. The Secretary-General has set an initial target for women to constitute at least one-third of participants in UN-led or co-led peace processes. Brunei Darussalam support this target and encourages the Council to consider more systematic, measurable benchmarks across mediation and peacebuilding mandates so that women's full, equal, and meaningful participation is consistently advanced and monitored. Second, we must strengthen regional ownership, including by leveraging the complementarity between the United Nations and regional organizations. For Brunei, ASEAN's Regional Plan of Action on WPS provides a framework for coordinated action across our region. We also support initiatives such as the Enhancing Support Mechanism for ASEAN Women Peacekeepers, which focuses on training, capacity building, and leadership development. And finally, national action is essential to ensure that our commitments reach those they are meant to serve. At home, we are strengthening the foundations for women's meaningful participation. Women in Brunei Darussalam hold senior positions in diplomacy, the civil service, and key national institutions, including at the cabinet and ministerial levels. We are building on this foundation through the development of the 2026 to 2030 National Plan of Action on Women, which will focus on security, well-being, and empowerment, ensuring that our national framework keeps pace with the evolving needs and aspirations of women and girls in Brunei Darussalam. In parallel, our commitment also extends to international peacekeeping operations. Women personnel of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces have served in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon since 2008, putting our commitment to the WPS agenda into practice. President, Brunei Darussalam will continue to do its part, be it at home, in our region, and through our contributions to international peacekeeping. We believe that when women lead, peace follows. We reaffirm our readiness to work alongside all partners to ensure that women's full, equal, and meaningful participation becomes a reality at every stage of peace processes. I thank you.


Greece · President [9:48]:

I thank the representative of Brunei Darussalam for the statement. I now give the floor to Ms. Lindsay Cameron, head of the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross.


ICRC · Head of the Legal Division [10:02]:

Thank you, Mr. President. The theme of this open debate is a grim testament to how often the hard-won norms of this agenda are discarded and violated on the ground. The International Committee of the Red Cross sees this too often in our operations around the world. In armed conflicts today, women die giving birth, girls are absent from schools at higher rates than boys, they're sold or forced into marriage as families make impossible choices to survive. Sexual violence remains endemic in armed conflict, disproportionately impacting women and girls. Women are likely to have fewer financial resources to cope with injury, property damage, and loss of income. They're also less represented in decision-making regarding humanitarian assistance in conflict and in the peace processes that can lead parties out of conflict. Mr. President, the link between the WPS agenda and international humanitarian law is both clear and necessary to fulfill their shared object and purpose, which is the protection of all victims of armed conflict. So, the question is thus, what actions can states take to strengthen implementation of both IHL and each of the 10 WPS resolutions? The ICRC presents two practical recommendations today. First, states can take steps to incorporate WPS-related IHL obligations into military doctrine and training. IHL requires parties to armed conflict to reduce expected civilian harm, notably as part of the principles of proportionality and precautions. And expected civilian harm is more likely to be accurately assessed if considered with a gender perspective. The ICRC encourages states to embed express gender requirements in doctrine, for example, by incorporating gender analysis in the planning of military operations, including foreseeable gendered impacts when assessing likely civilian harm prior to an attack, and incorporating non-discrimination provisions in military manuals. We also recommend appointing well-placed military gender advisors and including IHL in WPS national action plans. And second, all parties to armed conflict can act to address sexual violence in armed conflict. Sexual violence is unequivocally prohibited, yet continues across conflicts. Over the past decades, the ICRC has conducted operational research on what works for prevention, and we found that changing behavior hinges on whether training bridges the gap between what the law says and why it matters to fighters on the front line. So we recommend scenario-based training of weapons bearers, which can equip forces and force commanders to prevent sexual violence, respond appropriately to disclosures, and to support victims and survivors. Commanders also play a critical role in enforcing rules that prohibit sexual violence across their ranks. Mr. President, across each continent, the ICRC observes militaries and armed groups dedicating human resources, budget lines, and leadership to end gendered harm. But we're not there yet, and more needs to be done. Achieving equal protection for all civilians is a decision, and the ICRC stands ready to support states in their implementation. Thank you.


Greece · President [13:16]:

I thank Ms. Cameron for the statement. I now give the floor to Mr. David Balza Guldry, Special Envoy of the Presidency of the Central American Court of Justice to the United Nations.


CCJ · Special Envoy of the Presidency to the UN [13:40]:

Good afternoon, President of the Council. Greetings from the President of the Central American Court, Carla Gutierrez, to the Security Council meeting on 20th October in New York. We extend our particular thanks to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his constant attention to Central America. The Central American Court is very important. Greece is a very important partner to SICA. Since 2014, in 2014, there was a, we remember the good reception that we got in 2014 from the foreign minister and the prime minister of Greece, Mitsotakis. In this dialogue, we discussed the role of Greece as a point between.


Interpreter [14:41]:

The speaker is speaking too fast for interpretation, and the interpreters.

Not have the text. I apologize.


CCJ · Special Envoy of the Presidency to the UN [15:03]:

The holding of the second high-level Latin American forum.


Interpreter [15:11]:

The interpreter.

Apologizes, this is too fast for interpretation. I really apologize.


CCJ · Special Envoy of the Presidency to the UN [15:19]:

Deseamos expresar nuestra profunda preocupación por la situación de las mujeres víctimas del conflicto interno de la República de Haití. Agradecemos el liderazgo de la Misión de Panamá y de su embajador, el señor Eloy Alfaro de Alba. en la aprobación de la resolución del Consejo de Seguridad 2829, del 29 de septiembre de 2026, por la que se prorroga el mandato de las Fuerzas de Supresión de las Pandillas hasta el 31 de marzo de 2027, así como el apoyo solidario facilitado al FIDH por el Gobierno de la República de Panamá.


Chair [15:44]:

Could you could you slow down a little bit for the interpreters? We will appreciate it. Thank you very much.


CCJ · Special Envoy of the Presidency to the UN [15:50]:

Excuse me. Thank you. I go slowly.

We would like to express our deep concern with regard to the situation of women who are victims of violence in the Republic of Haiti. We appreciate the leadership of Panama and its Ambassador, Ambassador de Alba, in approving the Security Council resolution 2829 of 29 September, extending the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force until 2027, and also the support given to Haiti by Panama. We also would like to recognize the Dominican Republic and the Interior Minister for the support given to security in Haiti. We also welcome the holding in El Salvador, the 2nd International Conference on Democracy, hosted by the Vice President of El Salvador with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti, an international important meeting that will be dealing with the serious situation in the brotherly Republic of Haiti. We're also seeing more and more initiatives to empower Haitian women that are victims of conflict. In alliance with CARICOM in order to address particularly the energy crisis, particularly affecting women and children, and also the mission of France, Jérôme Benaffon, we'd like to thank him. On the 8th of October, when I spoke to the Council of Europe in Europe, I was able to pass on thanks to France for their work in Central America and the Caribbean, particularly with regard to Haiti. And we congratulate the Ambassador of Greece, Madame Balta, for her concept note that was distributed for this debate in the Council. And we fully agree with the note in referring to Beijing+30. also able to meet in Beijing with various dignitaries, and amongst other things, we spoke about multilateralism.


Interpreter [18:13]:

The speaker has increased the speed again. I apologize.


PARLACEN · Special Envoy of the Presidency to the UN [18:18]:

En mi calidad de Enviado Especial de la Presidencia del Parlamento Centroamericano ante Naciones Unidas, deseo subrayar que la participación plena, igualitaria, significativa, segura de las mujeres en los procesos de paz y la toma de decisiones es indispensable para alcanzar acuerdos inclusivos y sostenibles. Sin embargo, su representación en las negociaciones continúa siendo limitada. Es necesario fortalecer su liderazgo y respaldar a las organizaciones de mujeres que trabajan en primera línea para prevenir los conflictos y construir la paz. y tenemos una experiencia muy amplia en Centroamérica de esta labor. En este sentido, la promesa de la Agenda de Mujeres, Paz y Seguridad para Centroamérica y para todo el planeta solo podrá cumplirse mediante una implementación efectiva, con recursos suficientes y compromisos que se traduzcan en mejoras reales para las mujeres y niñas afectadas por los conflictos armados en todo el mundo. Por último, y para concluir, deseamos, en relación a cuestiones procedimentales, confirm to the Security Council our request to incorporate the Portuguese language as an official language of the United Nations. Many thanks from Central America for your attention, Mr. President of the Council.


Greece · President [19:22]:

I thank Mr. Balza Guldrius for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Mexico.


Mexico [19:32]:

Thank you very much.

Mr. President, Mexico I would like to recognize the Greek, thank the Greek Presidency for having convened this debate, which requires us to move from promises to implementation. In a context of growing polarization in conflicts, the participation of women in building peace is not just an ethical imperative, but an indispensable condition for the sustainability of peace and stability across the world. However, the most recent data show that this conviction still has not been translated into practice. The warning of the global study pursuant to resolution 1325 is telling us a resounding truth: military expenditure is at a record level today, which shows that the world is investing more in making war than in building peace. This militarization coincides with an alarming situation. In 2025, women only represented 5% of those negotiating peace in formal peace processes. This increases, however, the risk that conflicts will break out yet again. This backward movement can also be seen in decision-making bodies. In 2025, only 46% of decisions of the Security Council included references to gender, the lowest percentage since 2009, in fact. And in the presidential statements, this figure went from 85.7% in 2024 to 12.5%, an alarming figure. as I say, in 2024. It's up to this Council to lead by example. Given this situation, Mexico reaffirms its conviction that national action plans for the implementation of Resolution 1325 are instruments that will help us to address the specific needs of women in addition to guiding and facilitating public policy to promote and sustain their meaningful participation in peace and reconciliation processes. It's encouraging that 117 member states already have these kinds of plans in place. and some are already on the fourth and fifth edition of these measures. Mexico recently presented our second national action plan, ensuring that gender equality applies across the board in all prevention, maintenance, and peace-building action in the country. And this was developed jointly with five secretaries of state and the National Center for Disaster Prevention. This document not only consolidates our feminist foreign policy, but also reaffirms the conviction that lasting peace is not possible, cannot be possible without the full, meaningful equal and secure participation of women in decision-making. Mexico's second plan aims to bring the Women, Peace and Security agenda closer to communities and to translate those commitments into concrete actions. An example of this is initiatives such as weavers of the peace of the homeland, the national strategy of resilient communities, end of quotation, which aims to, for the first time, implement the women, peace and security agenda in communities. In addition to that, it promotes an intergenerational focus by promoting the youth peace and security agenda as well, through local initiatives to develop forums for inclusive peace with the participation of young people in school settings as well as online. Internationally, Mexico continues to strengthen the presence of Mexican women in uniform in UN peacekeeping operations. And we also have the Latin American Network of Women Mediators, to improve the participation of women in our region in processes of mediation and peacebuilding at local, regional, and global level. In conclusion, Mexico would like to underscore that despite the setbacks that we've seen globally in the equality agenda, my country's position is firm. As was pointed out by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the time has come for equality, the time has come for women. To fulfill the promise of resolution 1325 requires resources, political will, and the presence of women in all fora. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [26:27]:

I thank the representative of Mexico for the statement. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Pasi Rajala, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland.


Finland · Nordic Group · Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs [26:41]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I am honoured to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Finland.

I thank the briefers and the Secretary General for his report.

Last year we celebrated the 25th anniversary

of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

According to the SG report, even more women and girls are affected by conflicts. We are disappointed to hear that fewer women are part of peace processes as negotiators, except in UN-led operations. This is clearly at odds with the commitments enshrined in Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent Women, Peace and Security Resolutions. Contemporary, more transactional ways of resolving conflicts restrict women's participation and are seldom a good base for inclusive peace agreements.

On the more positive side, we do note the increase of the number of new national action plans for women, peace, and security. In many corners of the world, the support for women, peace, and security is stronger than ever. The Nordic countries reaffirm their commitment to Women, Peace and Security

agenda and underline that its true implementation is today more urgent than ever. We must never stop insisting that women, peace and security must be addressed in all settings. We know that wars affect women and men differently.

Mr. President, integrating gender perspectives and ensuring women's leadership across all phases of peace operations is not only a question of equality, but of effectiveness and accountability. Women must form part of peace negotiations and national dialogues, cease-fire agreements, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration,

as well as transitional justice and accountability processes.

We must use our power and tools and put in practice our plans for women, peace, and security. The United Nations and the essential work of UN Women, as well as UNFPA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, play a key role. Regional organizations and women's organizations are key actors at the regional level. We believe that expanding digital connectivity and harnessing emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to enhance women's participation as peacemakers.

Secure and trusted digital tools can help overcome geographical, social, and security barriers that often limit women's engagement.

At the same time, we must protect women's women peacemakers from online harassment and other digital threats. The Nordic countries are deeply concerned that sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, continues to be used systematically against women and girls as a tactic of war, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Impunity must end. Perpetrators must be held accountable, and survivors must have access to justice and comprehensive support.

We commend and support the valuable work of Special Representative Patten and her office.

Protecting women and girls and their sexual and reproductive health and rights is our responsibility in societies suffering from conflict.

Mr. President, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is not only about participation, protection and rights, but also about development. The empowerment of women drives democratic progress, fuels economic growth, sparks innovation, and strengthens resilient societies.

Women and girls,

in all their diversity, make up half of the world's population, and therefore at least half of its potential. When women and girls have equal access to education, decent work, finance, and resources, And when they participate in political decision-making, entire communities and nations rise. We stress the importance of ensuring that women, peace and security is safeguarded as a core

element of a UN fit for purpose, and reaffirm our commitment to pursuing this agenda as UN Member States everywhere.


Finland · Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs [31:29]:

And in my national capacity, I wish to inform that Finland and UN Women have this morning signed

an agreement on an initiative for women's participation in mediation and peace processes with data analysis and policy influence.


Finland · Nordic Group · Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs [31:43]:

I thank you.


Greece · President [31:44]:

I thank His Excellency Mr. Rejala for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Italy.


Italy [31:55]:

Mr. President, I wish to thank Greece for convening this timely debate on women's rights, leadership, and participation in peace and security. Italy aligns itself with the statements which will be delivered by the European Union and the Group of Friends on Women, Peace, and Security. Italy remains firmly committed to the WPS agenda, recognizing that women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation is essential to preventing conflict and building lasting peace. Despite progress, significant challenges remain. According to the Secretary General's latest report, women accounted for only 5% of peace negotiators worldwide last year, down from 7% in 2024. We must strengthen women's participation in peace processes and decision making. The protection of women and girls in conflict setting is equally urgent. The fourfold increase in conflict related sexual violence since 2022 underlines the need for stronger prevention and accountability, alongside continued support for local women's organizations. Emerging technologies pose further challenges. Online harassment, technology-facilitated violence, and disinformation can undermine women's safe participation in public life. Their responsible and inclusive use must be supported by appropriate safeguards. Italy translates its commitments into action through its fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for 2025-2029, supporting projects by international and civil society organizations, particularly in post-conflict settings. Italy also promotes women's mediation through the Mediation Women Mediators Network, launched in 2017 and now comprising over 80 members. Our co-chairmanship alongside the Philippines of the network of focal points on women, peace, and security further demonstrates our commitment to international cooperation and sharing good practices. Mr. President, 26 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, we must turn our commitments into tangible progress in women's participation, protection, and access to justice. This requires stronger cooperation among Member States, international organizations, and civil society. If we are committed to peace, we must invest in women’s leadership and ensure that women can participate safely and equally in shaping it. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [34:57]:

I thank the representative of Italy for the statement. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Stavros Labrinidis, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.


EU · EU · Head of Delegation to the UN [35:10]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The candidate countries, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, as well as Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino, aligned themselves with the statement. President, we are deeply concerned by the acute challenges highlighted in this year's report and in this meeting as well, including the increase in conflict-related sexual violence, the rise in attacks against civilians, and the one in five women and girls globally who globally live in conflict-affected settings. Behind these numbers are millions of lives uprooted and at risk in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan, and in many other places. In Ukraine, Russia's illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified war of aggression continues to have a devastating impact on women and girls. We're also concerned that women are excluded from peace processes in many contexts, and that those speaking up often face harassment, hate speech, and intimidation. Many women's rights organizations are beyond the breaking point, leaving millions without life-saving services. These disturbing trends are embedded in a wider pushback against gender equality and long-standing international norms and the multilateral system that upholds them. This is dangerous. In this light, the European Union has three key messages today. First, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is not only a human right, it is a security imperative. Second, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is a central component to resolving today's pressing security challenges, to prevent and resolve conflict, ensure lasting peace and build more resilient societies. Third, commitments must be implemented. Women must be able to participate fully, equally, and meaningfully in decision-making and at all stages of peace processes. A gender perspective must be mainstreamed across our peace and security policies and actions. The Security Council must lead by example. by upholding the WPS framework and systematically integrating it into its decisions and mandates. Dear colleagues, the European Union also calls for preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence, ensuring a survivor-centered approach and accountability for perpetrators. The International Criminal Court plays a crucial role in this regard, and we also welcome the creation of the CRSV Prosecution Network earlier this year. President, the European Union remains a steadfast partner in these endeavors. We will continue to stand up for gender equality and the rights of all women and girls, especially when these rights are under pressure. We are embedding WPS into every strand of our external action, including a common foreign and security policy, as well as a common security and defense policy missions and operations. We're updating our own WPS action plan as we speak to make our foreign policy responses even more systematic and result-oriented, and to respond to the evolving mediation landscape and emerging security threats. We practice what we preach. The EU will also continue to support women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in decision-making and in all stages of peace processes. The EU has supported women peacebuilders, women-led and civil society organizations to advance mediation, conflict prevention, and inclusive governance in conflict-affected communities across the world. For example, listen, colleagues, in Eastern DRC, local early warning mechanisms established by women-led networks have contributed to preventing attacks against communities. The EU more than tripled its annual support to women's rights organizations starting in 2021, reaching almost 300 million euros altogether in the past five years, and assisted more than 10,000 human rights defenders in 2025 alone. And that is in addition, of course, of our half a billion euro commitment to the Spotlight Initiative. protecting women and girls from violence every day. Mr. President, today more than ever, this agenda needs to be reinforced, politically and financially. The European Union remains committed to deliver on exactly that, in partnership with the UN, Member States, and civil society.

Thank you.


Greece · President [40:18]:

I thank His Excellency Mr. Labrinidis for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of India.


India [40:27]:

Mr. President, we thank Greece for convening today's open debate. We also thank the Secretary General, EDU and Women, as well as the civil society representative for their detailed briefing. 25 years since the adoption of Resolution 1325 is an apt moment to reflect on the path trodden and the path forward. The SGA's report conveys urgency of addressing the issue. Over 750 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of conflict.

Verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence have more than doubled in a year.

SRSG Paton, in her report, had underlined how sexual violence has become a political weapon in a world increasingly marred by conflicts. We believe that the United Nations should set the example in implementing the provisions of Resolution 1325. India supports UN's efforts to achieve full gender parity across its workforce by 2030. We are happy to note that the three peace processes that the UN facilitated in 2025 had women as the lead mediators. Women understand local grievances, build common ground, and set priorities that go beyond ending conflict to include safety, health, education, and other factors of development, which makes peace effective and lasting. Their empowerment is therefore the clearest path towards sustainable solutions. Our own experience in India with women's self-help groups shows how economic empowerment and peacebuilding reinforce each other. The Secretary General's report rightly highlights that women's representation in political leadership and decision-making roles is critical to take the WPS agenda forward. He notes that legislated gender quotas make a clear difference. We attest to its potency. conscious decision adopted by India in 1993 to reserve one-third of seats for women in local government bodies has brought over a million women into leadership roles. In India, the Women's Reservation Act of 2023 extends this provision to the national and state legislatures. Measures to pave a path for women in decision-making roles in the private sector are also underway. Our regulations make it mandatory for listed companies to appoint at least one woman director on its boards. Targeted programs are being implemented to enhance women's access to education, skill development, and credit to ensure their economic and social empowerment. Mr. President, technology can be an enabler in advancing the WPS agenda. It can be used for early warning, inclusive digital consultations with women in conflict settings, and in building survivor-centered support tools. For example, Major Moez Yasin of India, the force ombudsperson and welfare officer in UNMISS, built an accessible, confidential, and victim-centered channel for informal grievance reporting. She conducted over 40 tailored sessions across troop and police contributing countries and military observers, and also established a force gender database for evidence-based, gender-responsive planning. Major Sonia Newaskar, who was a focal point for uniformed women and a member of the UNMISS Gender Task Force, built the UNPOL Military Best Practice Networks, Both of which greatly aided in strengthening the WPS agenda. At the same time, technology can be effectively used for creating livelihoods and empowering women. One such innovation has been done in India with the Drone Didi program, where women are trained to operate drones to significantly enhance agricultural productivity. Mr. President, we believe that greater representation of women in armed forces can greatly enhance the WPS agenda. India has carried out systemic restructuring in our Indian armed forces, granting permanent commission to women officers and inducting women into all combat streams. This commitment has opened doors for women from fighter pilots to military diplomats, and has increased the number of Indian women serving as UN peacekeepers. In addition, the Center for UN Peacekeeping in New Delhi holds regular training sessions for female peacekeepers. We stand ready to share our training capacity and our experiences. Mr. President, the SG’s report records a worrying trend: rising militarization and military spending, historic decline in foreign aid, and a gridlocked Security Council. We are well aware that women and children are disproportionately impacted by conflicts.

If we are to honor the.

True spirit of the WPS agenda, we ought to put honest effort to end conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, and dismantle support for state and non-state actors that benefit from sustained violence. This Council, with its mandate for maintenance of international peace and security, has a primary role in this regard. Allow me to reiterate India’s commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We stand ready to work with Member States to implement the resolution in its true spirit. Thank you, Mr. President.


Security Council · President [45:02]:

I thank the representative of India for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Malta.


Malta [45:11]:

I thank you, Mr. President. And Malta joins others in thanking Greece for convening this high-level open debate. We also thank the Secretary General, the Executive Director of UN Women, and human rights.

Activist Ms. Tamanna Zaria Pariani for their valuable contributions. Malta aligns itself with the statements delivered by the European.

Union and the Group of Friends of Women, Peace, and Security. President, armed conflicts continue to proliferate.

At the same time, we are witnessing rising militarization, increase in military expenditure, and a significant decline in foreign aid. Women and girls continue to face exclusion, discrimination, and sexual and gender-based violence, while remaining largely absent from peace negotiations. Meanwhile, and quite alarmingly, Security Council decisions referencing the WPS agenda dropped to 46.2%, marking a severe decline in gender-related language.

This clearly demonstrated the WPS agenda must remain at the center of international peace efforts.

Against this backdrop, Malta wishes to make three points.

First, implementation must now match commitment.

While 117 countries have adopted national action.

Plans, progress continues to be hindered by insufficient financing, uneven political commitment, and limited accountability.

NAPs must be adequately resourced, supported by robust monitoring frameworks, and implemented through whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches.

Second.

Women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation must be guaranteed throughout peace processes. Women are building peace every day on a local level.

However, often far from the negotiating table, as we see in the DRC, Sudan, Palestine, and Syria.

This exclusion deprives peace efforts of essential expertise and perspectives. Women must be involved from the outset and at every stage of negotiations and peacebuilding efforts. We also support efforts to protect women peacebuilders, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives from threats, reprisals, and violence, including when engaging with the Council. We join in the UNSG's call to push for a zero tolerance approach to any form of attack, retaliation, or reprisals against women in all their diversity.

Third, protection and accountability must remain central to our efforts. The increase in conflict-related sexual violence demands an unequivocal response.

Perpetrators must be held accountable, and survivors must have access to justice, protection, and comprehensive support services. This supports sustainable peace.

President, Malta's second NAP for 2025-2030 reaffirms our commitment, supported by an inclusive approach, monitoring, and accountability.

We remain committed to advancing the WPS agenda both nationally and across all relevant multilateral processes.

Malta also continues to support WPS agenda financially and will be contributing to the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund.

The international community has already established a comprehensive framework.

What is required now is the political will, accountability, and sustainable financing necessary to fully implement it. I thank you.


Greece · President [48:48]:

I thank the representative of Malta for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Romania.


Romania [48:56]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. My delegation aligns with the EU statement and also with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace, and Security. We do share the assessment expressed by the Secretary General's report that there is a vast distance between the hundreds of events organized last year in celebration of 25 years since the adoption of Resolution 1325 and the actual levels of implementation of the WPS agenda. Consequently, while we welcome the global increase in national action plans on WPS, We also call for the political will and resources for their comprehensive implementation. Romania is currently implementing its second such national action plan in conjunction with our national strategy for the implementation of Resolution 1325 for 2024-2028. From one iteration of the action plan to the other, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense has recorded a growing trend of women representation across all military personnel categories: officers, warrant officers, NCOs and professional enlisted personnel, as well as the fact that women presently constitute 65% of the civilian personnel employed in defense. For effective implementation, our national experience highlights the importance of sustained measures throughout the military career: awareness of opportunities, accessible training, transparent criteria, and institutional support. Activities organized in Romanian military and civilian educational institutions.

Such as the.

She for Romania campaign, facilitate active engagement with professional role models, raise awareness of career opportunities, and challenge stereotypes. At the same time, a network of gender advisors embedded with Romania's military structures works in support of the integration of the gender perspective within institutional activities, monitors progress, and identifies barriers which may affect women's participation and career development. Their objective is to make equal opportunities and the mainstreaming of the gender perspective consistent practices in defense, contributing to the full use of human potential and effective mission delivery. We also continue to actively support women's participation in policing and peace operations. There is a constant increase in women's participation in the UN-recognized superior international course hosted by the Romanian Gendarmerie, which has reached 40% in 2026. At the same time, the Romanian police encourages and actively contributes to the development and exchange of best practices aimed at strengthening gender-sensitive policing approaches. The high-level network on gender-responsive policing initiative is aimed to do just that. Women's voice in international negotiations is also very much essential. Within the Romanian Foreign Ministry, around half of management roles and more than 40% of heads of mission positions are held by women. And as a former member of the Human Rights Council and as vice president of the 70th and 71st sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, our commitment to this agenda directly and significantly informs our foreign policy decisions. Mr. President, we are all aware that armed conflict disproportionately affects women and girls, including through displacement, conflict-related sexual violence, food insecurity, and the disruption of essential health and education services. We also know that resilience depends on the engagement of entire communities, in which women play a critical role across all dimensions. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues to demonstrate this very clearly. We honor the heroism and sacrifice of Ukrainian women in defending their country, their communities, their families, and their workplaces against the aggressor. We also honor the resilience of women all over the world who are deeply affected by the disproportionate impact of armed conflict. In this Council, Romania has consistently argued that our collective responsibility under the Women, Peace and Security agenda is to move forward from commitments to implementation and to measurable action.

Thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [52:59]:

I thank the representative of Romania for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Austria.


Austria [53:08]:

Thank you, President. And I also want to express my thanks to Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, and civil society briefer Paryani for their briefings. The legacy of resolution 1325 is both simple and transformative, with women at the centre as active agents for peace. Allow me to make three points. First, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is not an ideological luxury. It's not an ideological luxury. It is a strategic necessity. Women make up half of our societies. They're disproportionately affected by armed conflict and, yes, often targeted. as a strategy of war. Yet in most cases, women still remain excluded from the decisions that determine whether conflicts are resolved. As many examples show, the meaningful inclusion of women in peace and transition processes is correlated with more durable peace. Just this September, our Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger joined Liberia's President Boakai and Foreign Minister Nyante in an event showcasing the impressive trajectory of Liberia in this context. And we pay tribute to the Liberian people in this context. Second, women belong at the table as change makers. Such participation In peace processes must be the result of sustained empowerment across society. This is why Austria has supported a global network of women peacebuilders project with 1.5 million euros to empower women, local women leaders, and humanitarian responders capacities. And third, we must all continue my favorite sentence of this statement, we must all continue to do our homework. Since 2005, we have gone from zero to 118 national action plans on WPS worldwide. Austria has devised its first National Action Plan 2007 and its second edition of 2012 is currently undergoing a comprehensive and very inclusive evaluation process before the third NAP is drafted. It will be crucial to integrate emerging technology and AI-related risks, such as technology-facilitated gender-based violence, into WPS frameworks. President, Austria is looking forward as an incoming member to joining the shared commitments on WPS, and we will continue to give focused attention to this agenda during our Council membership. I thank you.


Greece · President [56:03]:

I thank the representative of Austria for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Estonia.


Estonia [56:12]:

President, we warmly welcome this open debate and would like to thank the briefers for their valuable contributions. Estonia aligns itself with the statement of the European Union, and I would like to add the following: More than 25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, the implementation gap of the Women, Peace and Security agenda remains deeply concerning. In conflicts, women and girls are often deliberately targeted, excluded from decision-making, and denied justice. While almost 19% of women globally are impacted by conflict, in 2025, women made-up only 5% of lead negotiators across 57 peace processes. We believe this reflects not a lack of capacity, but of the political will. Women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in all levels of peace processes is essential for sustainable peace. conflict prevention, and long-term stability. Estonia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and putting it into practice at home and internationally. Through our fourth National Action Plan on Resolution 1325, we continue to embed WPS in our domestic and international policies. Our national plan therefore includes concrete actions to guarantee that women and men have equal opportunities to candidate and work in the security sector, including at the leadership level. We also remain devoted to promoting safe, inclusive, and rights-based digital transformation in order to advance gender equality. Estonia's recent ranking as the first globally in internet freedom provides that we walk the talk. Online harassment, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, transnational repression, and disinformation targeting women politicians, human rights defenders, journalists, and other media workers, among others, are pushing them towards self-censorship and discouraging their participation in society and politics. As an antidote, we need to ensure that international human rights obligations are respected throughout the life cycle of digital and emerging technologies. President, Estonia remains gravely concerned by the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence and unequivocally condemns all acts, regardless of the perpetrator. Survivors' access to health services cannot be compromised by funding cuts. Now, the potential merging of UNFPA as the key institution for sexual and reproductive health and rights with UN Women. Access to justice is equally important as accountability in the most effective means of prevention. In this regard, We are proud to have joined the global CRSV prosecution network and community of practice, helping to bring perpetrators to justice. Last but not less importantly, allow me to draw your attention again to the fact that Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine is unfolding for a fifth year. According to UN sources, the number of civilian casualties in recent months and weeks has grown dramatically. The civilian critical infrastructure and residential areas have become the main target of Russia's relentless attacks. Women and children, unfortunately, are the main victims of these attacks. These attacks constitute war crimes. Russia's actions as a permanent member of the UN Security Council are incompatible with responsibilities and undermine international peace and security. These actions are incompatible with Russia's responsibilities and undermine international peace and security. Excellencies, gender equality must extend to the highest levels of leadership. Estonia is proud to, once again, have a woman as a president. We also believe that after 81 years, it is high time for this organization to be led by a woman too.

I thank you.


Greece · President [1:00:55]:

I thank the representative of Estonia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Tunisia.


Tunisia [1:01:03]:

Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, we thank Greece for convening this open debate. We also express gratitude to Mr. Antonio Guterres, Ms. Sima Bahous, and Ms. Tamanna Pariani for their insightful briefings yesterday. 26 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security agenda remains more relevant than ever. Yet, despite the commitments undertaken over the years, progress continues to fall far short of our expectations. As highlighted yesterday in the Secretary-General's report, women accounted for only 5% of peace negotiators in 2025. Meanwhile, millions of women and girls continue to bear the devastating consequences of armed conflicts, displacement, and violence. These realities underscore the urgent need to translate our commitments into tangible action and meaningful change. President, since the adoption of the Personal Status Code in Tunisia in 1965, my country has consistently upheld the civil identity of the state and promoted the advancement of women as a fundamental pillar of social progress. Tunisia remains firmly committed to protecting, consolidating, and further advancing the rights acquired by Tunisian women. In this regard, I am pleased to highlight Tunisia's second National Action Plan on WPS for the period 2025-2030. The new plan places particular emphasis on strengthening women's participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and decision-making, while promoting their economic and social empowerment. It reflects also our conviction that effective implementation requires close coordination among national institutions, meaningful engagement with civil society, and robust monitoring and accountability mechanisms to measure progress and ensure results. President, the African WPS agenda is increasingly important as a framework for strengthening African ownership and leadership in advancing this agenda. Achieving its objectives requires enhanced cooperation among African states, stronger support for network of women mediators and peacebuilders, the exchange of expertise and best practices, and the strengthening of institutional capacities. It also requires ensuring women's meaningful participation in early warning systems, mediation efforts, and conflict prevention mechanisms. In this context, I wish to recall Tunis Declaration, adopted at the conclusion of the Sixth African High-Level Forum on Women, Peace, and Security held in Tunis last December. The declaration marked an important milestone in reaffirming Africa's commitment to Security Council Resolution 1325. I also commend the adoption of the African Union Strategic Plan for the period 2026-2028, which reflects a renewed determination to translate commitments and principle into concrete action and measurable To conclude, Mr. President, allow me to reiterate that our collective responsibility is to ensure that women’s voices are heard, their leadership is supported, and their contributions are fully reflected in the decisions that shape our common future. Tunisia remains committed to working with all partners to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and to turn our shared commitments into concrete and lasting progress. And I thank you.


Greece · President [1:04:24]:

I thank the representative of Tunisia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.


Netherlands (Kingdom of the) [1:04:35]:

Thank you, Mr. President. And I'd like to start by thanking Greece for organizing this open debate and the briefers for their valuable contributions. The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the statements of the European Union and the Group of Friends on Women, Peace, and Security. Mr. President, the Kingdom of Netherlands is unequivocally committed to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Security Agenda. But today, this agenda is being tested. Civic space is shrinking, anti-rights movements are gaining ground, and gendered disinformation is increasingly used as a tool of warfare. Meanwhile, conflicts are becoming deadlier and more protracted. Hard-won progress is at risk. Translating the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda into action is therefore urgent. And let me highlight three priorities. First, peacebuilding and peacekeeping. Lasting peace requires women's meaningful participation. As a member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, we advocate for women's inclusion in local peacebuilding initiatives. Through our programs on peacebuilding, mediation, and civilian protection, we have seen that engaging women has directly led to prevention of attacks on civilians. At the upcoming UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Jakarta, which we co-host with Indonesia, we will also advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Second, on protection. Conflict-related sexual violence is not a byproduct of war. It is deliberately used to terrorize communities. We must protect survivors, ensure access to justice, and hold perpetrators accountable. Through training of policewomen, we see an increased number of police reports from victims of sexual and gender-based violence. And also a landmark Dutch court ruling convicted a former Syrian regime interrogator of crimes against humanity, including rape and other sexual violence. While the judgment is not yet final, it sends a clear message: these crimes must not go unpunished. Third, funding. The closest to conflict Those closest to conflict know best what is needed to build lasting peace. Through our new Women, Peace and Security grant instrument, the Netherlands aims to strengthen local leadership. We also announced increased global support for women's rights and gender equality. Beyond funding, we help local women's organizations build capacity, strengthen networks, and engage decision makers to develop community-led solutions. Ultimately, the Women, Peace and Security agenda requires us not merely to recognize women's role in peace, but to change the systems, structures, and attitudes that determine who shape it. I thank you.


Greece · President [1:07:36]:

I thank the representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Slovenia.


Slovenia [1:07:45]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for convening today's open debate. I also thank the UN Secretary General and the Executive Director of UN Women for the briefings. Slovenia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and the Group of Friends on Women, Peace and Security. We have numerous concerns about the findings in this year's report. At the forefront is the acute nature of identified negative trends. Continuing with business as usual means that next year we will find ourselves here in this room concerned again by the low participation of women in the decision-making on peace and security, by the rising number of conflicts, and by the growing disregard for human dignity and the rules of engagement in armed conflict. Mr. President, we must strengthen preventive efforts. The cost of conflict to societies is high, and it accentuates the vulnerabilities of those already marginalized. In most societies, these costs are disproportionately higher for women and girls. I will outline an outrageous fact from the report. Giving birth in a conflict-affected country increases the risk of maternal death fivefold. The intentional destruction of reproductive health care or infrastructure is a direct attack on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It has no direct military gain, but is aimed at terrorizing the civilian population and long-term destruction of the fabric of society in the same way as other forms of systematic sexual and reproductive violence. As violations of international law, such acts demand accountability, through strong national rule of law institutions and through international courts such as the ICC. We call on countries to utilize robust mechanisms for mutual legal assistance, such as the Ljubljana and the Hague Convention in these efforts, and on the Security Council to include conflict-related sexual violence as a designation criterion in sanctions regimes. Another striking fact from the report is the abysmally low share of women in peace negotiations, only 5% in 2025. With the rising number of women in most diplomacies, the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace efforts should be a low-hanging fruit. Also, peace agreements must ensure the effective political participation of women. Many nations, including Slovenia, have found that binding quotas help fulfill this objective. Mr. President, I need to address one more crucial issue from the report, namely the gender-based violence aimed at preventing or discrediting the political, humanitarian, peace-building or human rights efforts of women. This is clearly displayed in the attacks, retaliations, and reprisals against women and women's organizations for their engagement in these areas or for their cooperation with the UN. We must recognize them as attacks on the resilience of our societies and continued investment in gender equality as the only way to counter them effectively. To conclude, we must seek a future that benefits all, not just a few, where decisions, including those on peace and security, are taken with the participation of men and women. Without that consideration, we will never have stable, durable peace. Thank you.


Greece · President [1:10:48]:

I thank the representative of Slovenia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia.


Namibia [1:10:57]:

Thank you, Mr. President. 26 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, the world continues to fall short of its promise. Women remain underrepresented in peace processes, underprotected in conflict, and under-resourced in recovery efforts. We heard through the Secretary-General's report that women's participation in mediation and political decision-making remains far below what this Council envisioned. This is a multidimensional structural weakness that erodes the very foundations of sustainable peace and weakens the prospects for lasting stability. The protection of women and girls remains one of the most urgent challenges. Conflict-related sexual violence continues to rise, and impunity remains widespread. Namibia calls for stronger investigative mechanisms, survivor-centered justice, and sanctions that explicitly target perpetrators. Women human rights defenders and women-led civil society organizations are essential to peacebuilding and must be protected. Namibia’s commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda is deep. historic, and lived. As the birthplace of Resolution 1325, Namibia has always considered women's leadership a necessity. Our own liberation struggle was shaped by women who stood at the forefront of resistance, reconciliation, and nation building. Today, Namibia's constitution enshrines gender equality We elected our first female president last year. Women hold senior positions across government, and our parliament is amongst the most gender balanced on the continent. These achievements are proof that inclusive governance strengthens peace and stability. During the 25th anniversary of the Resolution 1325, Namibia, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the SADC Secretariat, proudly hosted the Silver Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Windhoek. The event culminated in the adoption of the Windhoek+25 Declaration, a document that celebrates progress while renewing our collective purpose. The declaration acknowledges The leadership demonstrated at the highest political and intergovernmental levels, as well as steadfast commitment of civil society, grassroots organizations, and community peace builders. It reminds us that the women, peace, and security agenda is only as strong as the systems that connect women at the grassroots level to the decision-making tables where their realities are translated into policy. Mr. President, my country continues to implement its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, focusing on participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. We have integrated gender perspectives into national security policies, strengthened training for our peacekeepers, and expanded support for survivors of gender-based violence. Mr. President, the next quarter century must be defined by implementation. This Council must ensure that women participation is integrated into every mandate, every briefing, and every peace operation. Compliance with Resolution 1325 must be treated as a core equipment for international peace and security, not an optional add-on. We urge the United Nations and regional organizations to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and ensure accountability for actors who do not uphold the obligations they have endorsed. Financing remains one of the greatest obstacles to implementation. The WPS agenda cannot advance without predictable, sustainable, and flexible funding. Namibia encourages the creation of a dedicated financing window within peacebuilding instruments, increased support for national action plans, and innovative partnerships with regional organizations and the private sector. Amid the UN liquidity crisis, Member States must show political will by ensuring that commitments are matched with resources. Mr. President, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, offer new opportunities to strengthen early warning, expand women participation, and improve protection. But they also introduce new risks: online harassment, technology-facilitated violence, and disinformation. Hence, the need for responsible governance frameworks that expand digital literacy and ensure that technology becomes a tool for empowerment rather than a weapon for harm. Namibia's own experience shows that when women lead, societies heal and communities thrive. When women participate in peace, agreements endure. After celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in 2025, we must now channel that momentum to shaping a next quarter century driven by ambition, accountability, and meaningful delivery. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [1:17:25]:

I thank the representative of Namibia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Mongolia.


Mongolia [1:17:34]:

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies and distinguished delegates. Allow me to begin by thanking Greece for organizing open debate on this important topic, and allow me also to thank the briefers, including the Secretary-General, UN Women, and civil society representative. Yesterday marked the 65th anniversary of Mongolia's full-pledged membership in the United Nations. On this significant occasion, Mongolia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and to contributing to international peace and security, including through the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. More than 25 years after the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325, our priority must be to translate commitments into concrete, measurable, and lasting results. Women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and decision-making are essential to achieving sustainable peace. Mr. President, Mongolia pledged to increase women's participation in our United Nations peacekeeping deployments to 15% by 2027, and we have achieved this target ahead of schedule. We will continue to expand opportunities for women to serve in leadership roles and contribute to operational decision making. At the national level, Mongolian government is at the final stage of finalizing the integrated first national action plan on women and peace security. Building on the international conference hosted by Mongolia in 2022, we will also host the second international conference on women's participation in UN peacekeeping operations in Ulaanbaatar in 2027. We look forward to working with Member States and the United Nations to share our experiences, identifying practical measures to increase women's participation and leadership in peacekeeping operations. Looking ahead, Mongolia, unilaterally and in partnership cooperation with Member States, will focus on the following key priorities. First, we will advance the development and implementation of our integrated first national action plan on women, peace, and security with clear responsibilities, measurable objectives, and inclusive partnership. Second, we support stronger protection of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations, accountability for conflict-related sexual violence, and effective safeguards against intimidation and reprisals targeting women peacebuilders and human rights defenders. Third, we underscore the importance of sustainable financing and responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to support women's participation and empowerment while addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence and disinformation. Mr. President, for women, peace and security agenda, not only for women, peace and security agenda, but for broader international security and peace, Mongolia has presented its candidature for non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council for the term of 2048-49. and kindly request your support from now on for our candidacy, which would give us an opportunity to serve in the Security Council for the first time by then, after eight decades of our accession to the United Nations. I thank you very much.


Greece · President [1:21:16]:

I thank the representative of Mongolia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Poland.


Poland [1:21:25]:

Mr. President, I thank the Greek Presidency for convening this debate and the Secretary General for his report. It is a sobering read. For Poland, it describes what is happening just our next door. The civilian casualties among women in Ukraine rose by 27% last year. It is no coincidence. It is the result of a deliberate Russian strategy: strike homes, power stations, and water systems, and make ordinary life unbearable. Sexual violence, too, is used as a weapon of war. Let us be clear here: survivors must be protected, and the perpetrators must face justice. There is a bitter irony in all this. Russia, a permanent member of this Council, entrusted with upholding the UN Charter, is tearing it up. This is why Poland will keep supporting Ukraine until it achieves a just and lasting peace based on international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, not on exhaustion and not on appeasement. Mr President, war in Ukraine and many other conflicts show us something else as well: strength. Women run emergency services, serve in armed forces, and keep communities working under fire. Resilience has a face, and very often it is the face of a woman. This is why the Women, Peace and Security agenda must be about preparedness, not only protection. A society that leaves half of its people out of civil defense and crisis management chooses to be weaker than it needs to be. Poland is acting on this. In our region, we support Ukraine's emergency services and infrastructure. At home, we are strengthening our civil protection and civil defense systems, and our forthcoming national action plan on women, peace, and security will put women's role in the national security, resilience, and crisis management at its center, alongside protection from sexual and gender-based violence. Mr. President, we do not lack commitments, we lack implementation. This Council has a particular responsibility to uphold international humanitarian law, to ensure accountability for violations, and to support women's meaningful participation in decisions on peace and security. For Poland, the conclusion is simple: protecting women from the consequences of war is a duty; equipping them to help prevent and withstand the next one is a strategy. We need both.

And I thank you.


Greece · President [1:23:42]:

I thank the representative of Poland for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates.


United Arab Emirates [1:23:53]:

Mr. President, I thank the Greek Presidency for convening the Security Council open debate on women, peace and security, a topic of high priority for the United Arab Emirates. And I also thank the Secretary-General Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Bahous,

and the civil society representative for their powerful briefing.

26 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, we have made important progress, yet as conflicts spread, Women's representation in peace processes continue to be low, calling for our renewed commitment to the WPS agenda. In this respect, the UAE would like to highlight the following points. First, women must be able to shape every stage of the peace continuum, from conflict prevention to recovery and reconstruction. National action plans are important tools, but they require clear responsibilities across governments to translate commitments into actions. As the UAE develop its second NAP, the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women remains central to its contribution to international peace and security. Second, Women's leadership must be supported at every level, from local to global. The Sheikha Fatima **** Mubarak Women's Peace and Security Initiative upholds this goal, having trained 730 women in peace building, conflict resolution, and leadership across several continents. The UE also advances women's leadership and representation in policing, serving as a co-chair of the High Level Network on Gender Responsive Policing, promoting related standards for police institutions worldwide. Third, women must be able to work for peace without fear of sexual exploitation and abuse, including conflict-related sexual violence and technology-facilitated violence. Concrete measures such as the SAF-T initiative, unveiled during the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, help curb digital acts of violence against women, improve protection, and promote accountability. Mr. President, looking ahead, It is our collective responsibility to increase the meaningful participation of women in all sectors and at all levels of peace and security, and to ensure that no woman is being adversely affected by armed conflict and related violence. We must trust that these discussions will enrich the upcoming Global Conference on Women, Peace and Security and further empower women as leaders, peacebuilders, and agents of change for decades to come.

And I thank you.


Greece · President [1:27:20]:

I thank the representative of the United Arab Emirates for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.


Japan [1:27:30]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Japan expresses its sincere appreciation to Greece for convening this important open debate, and to briefers Mr. Guterres, Ms. Bafous, and Ms. Paliniya for their invaluable insight. With a record number of conflicts worldwide in 2025, the latest SG’s report outlines a grave reality: the number of women and girls impacted by conflict continues to increase, Yet, women continue to be underrepresented and even excluded from peace processes and negotiations. To reverse this trend, first, we call on Member States, particularly Security Council members, to go beyond rhetoric and take concrete actions to safeguard the rights of women and girls. Second, we call for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to the WPS agenda. Beyond advancing the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women, it is essential to invest in the next generation of leaders. As emerging technologies, including AI, continue to reshape societies, strengthening capacity-building support that complements the efforts of Member States is also urgently needed. Against this backdrop, Japan attaches great importance to the role of the UN Women. in advancing a holistic and future-oriented WPS agenda, and remains committed to further strengthening its strategic partnership with UN Women. Mr. President, Japan continues to advance the WPS agenda, incorporating our experience as co-chair of the WPS Focal Points Network. In partnership with UN Women, Japan supports the development of national action plans and promotes more inclusive national networks of women peacebuilders in the Asian-Pacific region. Furthermore, last month, the Ministry of Defense of Japan hosted the third Japan-ASEAN Women Peace and Security Cooperation Project. Building on achievements of the past two years, the project brought together 23 WPS practitioners and features a tabletop exercise enabling participants to practice more practical and advanced WPS approaches as the culmination of the project's third year. The project enhanced participants' undertaking of WPS in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, while also strengthening the network of practitioners across the Indo-Pacific region and reinforcing the platform for addressing shared challenges. Mr. President, Women and girls bear the brunt of conflict, with heightened risk of being exposed to sexual violence. Japan continues to support victims and survivors of CRSV, both with necessary care and access to justice, primarily through the Office of CRSRSGCVC and the Global Survivors Fund. In November, Japan will host the second Next Generation Forum for Gender Equality in Tokyo under the theme of our well-being in the digital age, paved by gender equality. The forum aims to address gender-related challenges in well-being and digital sphere, while empowering future leaders, including young women, to advance gender equality and contribute to a more peaceful and resilient future. Japan remains steadfastly committed to ensuring women's active participation and leadership in all areas of peace and security, and will continue to advance the WPS agenda together with the international community. I thank you.


Greece · President [1:31:39]:

I thank the representative of Japan for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Mozambique.


Mozambique [1:31:49]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, allow me to start by thanking the Presidency for convening this important open debate and the briefers for their valuable contributions. Mr. President, the Secretary-General’s latest report should concern every member of this Council. In 2025, 756 million women and girls lived near armed conflict, yet women accounted for only 5% of negotiators across 57 peace processes. 26 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, the commitments are clear. The real challenge is translating them into actionable steps that deliver measurable outcomes. Lasting peace cannot be achieved without women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in all peace and security processes. Mozambique knows this from experience. Women carried our liberation struggle, sustained communities through war, and returned to rebuild the peace. Our disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs showed that women's economic empowerment is part of the security architecture, not an afterthought. Today, in Cabo Delgado, terrorism and violent extremism are displacing families, and women and girls bear the heaviest protection risks. Their knowledge of communities, early warning signs, and reintegration needs must shape our response to terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and recovery. Women are not only victims of conflict, they are its first line of prevention. In this regard, Mozambique is in the final stage of developing its second national action plan on women. peace and security for the period 2026-2035, and it is anchored on participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. Mr. President, drawing on these experiences, Mozambique wishes to highlight three priorities. First, on meaningful participation. Women must sit as negotiators, mediators, and decision makers in peace processes, not only as consultees invited after decisions have been made. Second, protection and accountability. Conflict-related sexual violence must be prevented and prosecuted, and women peacebuilders must be protected from reprisal. Third and lastly, Sustainable financing. Women-led peacebuilding organizations need predictable funding, and national action plans must come with budget, not only commitment. In conclusion, Mr. President, the next quarter century must be judged by effective implementation of the existing commitments. Mozambique remains committed to advancing women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [1:35:48]:

I thank the representative of Mozambique for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Croatia.


Croatia [1:35:58]:

Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate, and to all the briefers for their valuable insights. Croatia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and on behalf of its member states, and of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace, and Security, and as well with the advice provided by the Peacebuilding Commission. I wish to also add some remarks in my national capacity. The rise in conflict-related violations against women and their continued exclusion from peace negotiations show us how far we remain from fulfilling the commitments made under the resolution 1325. The latest Secretary General's report leaves no doubt about this and must be taken as a wake-up call for all of us to act and sustain efforts until implementation matches our ambition. For Croatia, the Women, Peace, and Security agenda is a matter of lived experience. The heartless brutality of the war Croatia was forced to endure and the generation-long work on rebuilding our society afterwards. have given us a profound lesson on the importance of women's contributions to recovery, reconciliation, and sustainable peace. The fact that we are particularly proud and grateful for is that women were involved in every aspect of us overcoming this trauma as a society, as fighters, humanitarians, community organizers, and peacebuilders. They helped preserve and promote social cohesion at a moment of national rupture, contributing to reconciliation and rebuilding our society. They also became strong advocates for justice and accountability, and for establishing the fate of those who went missing during the war. We therefore see the WPS agenda as a fundamental tool for building sustainable peace and resilient institutions. This commitment is also reflected in our third National Action Plan. which sets out concrete steps to promote women's inclusion and leadership, including through UN-certified pre-deployment training and greater representation in the military and security sectors. Gender equality is a guiding principle of our societies and must be upheld at all times, not as a preference, but as a core tenet of humankind. This requires advancing women's human rights in peacetime, preventing gender-based violence in conflict, and holding perpetrators to account when violations occur. Turning these commitments into lasting progress requires concrete action and sustained investment. Adequate, predictable, and sustained financing for conflict prevention and sustainable peace is an essential element of this effort, including for women-led and women-focused peacebuilding initiatives and local women's organizations. The Peacebuilding Fund offers an additional avenue for turning these commitments into tangible results by supporting gender-responsive programs in fragile and post-conflict contexts. Through our joint efforts, all Member States should strengthen their support for these valuable initiatives, build on what has been achieved, and help ensure that hard-won gains are not lost. Thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [1:39:09]:

I thank the representative of Croatia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Thailand.


Thailand [1:39:17]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Thailand would like to express our thanks to Greece for convening this open debate, the Secretary General for the report, and all debaters for their insights. Last year, in this very chamber, we marked the 25th anniversary of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325. Yet, the Secretary-General’s report reminds us that progress remains uneven and commitments have not always translated into tangible results. We must redouble our efforts to close this gap. Thailand wishes to highlight three key points. First, women must remain at the center of our peace efforts. We must ensure their meaningful participation and leadership in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. At the same time, we must protect the rights of women and girls, combat all forms of gender-based violence, and empower women to become agents of change in both times of peace and conflict. Second, women, peace and security commitments must lead to concrete action on the ground. Last year, Thailand launched its first comprehensive national action plan on WPS for 2025 to 2027, built on a whole of society approach. As a member of the WPS focal points network, Thailand also values international cooperation and the exchange of good practices to advance the WPS agenda. Third, the WPS agenda must be supported by sustained political will, adequate resources, and strong partnerships. Keeping the WPS agenda a priority is very crucial. Thailand will continue to raise public awareness and engage local communities to build support from the ground up.

We also call for stronger partnerships with the private sector, civil society, academia, and regional and international financial institutions.

Including through capacity building, responsible application of emerging technologies, and flexible, sustained, and innovative financing. Mr. President, Advancing the WEPs agenda must be more than just a promise. Thailand will continue to work with all stakeholders as we move forward.

Move toward the next anniversary and spare no effort to ensure that women will not only be protected, but empowered.

To shape decisions that affect their lives and futures. I thank so much for your kind attention.


Greece · President [1:42:15]:

I thank the representative of Thailand for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Chile.


Chile [1:42:28]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for convening and chairing this open debate. More than 25 years ago, resolution 1325 established a fundamental commitment to recognize women as indispensable actors in international peace and security. However, a profound gap remains between our commitments and their implementation. In 2025, more than 756 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of an armed conflict. That same year, nearly 10,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were verified, more than double the number recorded the previous year. These figures reflect a troubling reality: women continue to bear a disproportionate share of the consequences of war, without exerting equivalent influence over the decisions aimed at bringing it to an end. Mr. President, in light of this reality, Chile proposes three priorities. First, strengthen the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and adapt it to emerging challenges. Chile calls for preserving strong language on this agenda in United Nations mandates, resolutions, and transition processes. Resolution 2242, adopted in 2015, acknowledged the impact of challenges such as violent extremism, displacement, climate change, and pandemics. Consistent with this development, Chile’s third National Action Plan incorporates, in addition to the traditional dimensions of the agenda, disaster risk management, socio-environmental conflict, and the prevention of human trafficking linked to transnational organized crime. Chile also pays particular attention to rural women, indigenous women and environmental defenders. Second priority: to promote implementation of the agenda that responds to different national as well as regional realities. Chile would like to highlight the progress made by Colombia through its first national action plan, characterized by its participatory approach and attention to territorial conflicts, and also its attention to forced human mobility. And Chile would also like to highlight the progress made by Mexico, whose second plan for 2026-2030 includes disaster risk management and women’s leadership as peacebuilders. These experiences reflect the importance of adapting the agenda to new contexts, while maintaining its fundamental objectives. Third priority: Strengthening civil society participation and international cooperation. Chile is promoting the creation and operationalization of the Resolution 1325 Observatory. This will be a space for sustained participation, transparent monitoring, results evaluation, and the formulation of recommendations. Likewise, as a founding co-sponsor of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network, Chile believes it is necessary that we move beyond the exchange of experiences towards concrete mechanisms for cooperation. This includes voluntary peer reviews, comparable evaluation methodologies, joint training, and South-South and triangular cooperation projects. In a context of financial constraints, making better use of these structures is especially important. for strengthening the implementation of all of our commitments. Finally, Mr. President, I'd like to recall that the next quarter century will not be measured by the number of resolutions that we adopt, but by the gaps that we are able to close. These gaps are between presence and influence, between promised protection and effective security, and between the words of this Council and the realities they are intended to transform. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [1:47:25]:

I thank the representative of Chile for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Kenya.


Kenya [1:47:34]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Kenya congratulates Greece on your presidency of the Council and thanks you for convening this meeting. We also thank all the previous for their insights. As we look towards the next quarter century of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, our priority must be to move from commitments to measurable results. Allow me to highlight three priorities. First, we must embed meaningful participation in peace processes, matched by sustained financing and accountability for implementation. Women must help shape decisions on conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding, and security. Representation alone is insufficient. Women must have political space, resources, and influence to influence outcomes. Kenya continues to mainstream gender perspectives across government institutions and security agencies. We have progressively increased women's representation in institutions responsible for national security, including Kenya Defense Forces and the National Police Service. We are also honored to chair the Women, Peace, and Security Chiefs of Defense Staff Network. Under our third national action plan, networks on women, peace and security networks are active in 34 of our 47 counties. Further, with African Union support, 63 women mediators have been trained. These efforts demonstrate the importance of connecting national commitment with locally-led prevention and peacebuilding. Second, prevention must be accompanied by prevention and justice. Conflict-related sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence must be prevented, investigated, and prosecuted. Survivors must have timely, confidential, and coordinated access to medical, psychosocial, legal, and protection services. Kenya's Policare program demonstrates our commitment to integrated, survivor-centered support. We call for strong action to ensure that survivors can access justice with dignity. Third, the Women, Peace, and Security agenda must respond to emerging technologies. Digital tools can expand women's access to early warning information, and peace processes. However, technology facilitated gender-based violence, online harassment, surveillance, and disinformation can silence women and undermine their participation in public life. We must strengthen safeguards and accountability, promote digital literacy, and ensure women's meaningful participation in shaping the development and governance of technologies for peace and security. Mr. President, the next quarter century must be defined by delivery. Our success will be defined by whether women can participate safely, influence decisions, access justice, and contribute meaningfully in their communities. We look forward to working with all partners towards this end. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [1:51:21]:

I thank the representative of Kenya for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Belgium.


Belgium [1:51:29]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Belgium aligns itself with the statement delivered by the EU and with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends on Women, Peace and Security. Thank you, first of all, for convening this important debate. I also thank the Secretary General, the Executive Director of UN Women, and the civil society briefers for their valuable contributions. As the Secretary General notes in his report, we face more conflicts, deeper instability, and increasing attacks on gender equality. More than 25 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate share of human cost of conflict, while their voices remain too often absent from peace processes. From counterterrorism efforts to the implementation of peace agreements, sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full, equal, meaningful participation of women and girls. Allow me to highlight three priorities. First, we must protect women human rights defenders, women peacebuilders, and civil society actors. Across the world, women advocating for peace and gender equality face growing intimidation, repression, online harassment, disinformation campaigns, and violence, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Shrinking civic space and declining funding undermine their vital role in conflict prevention, mediation, humanitarian action, and peacebuilding. Their protection, as well as predictable and flexible funding for women-led organizations, must remain a shared priority. Second, we must intensify efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. The most recent annual report on this topic reminds us that women and girls continue to face horrific violations in numerous conflict settings, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Haiti. This report also listed the Russian Federation and Israel. We encourage both countries to take the necessary steps towards their removal from the list by implementing the recommendations in the report, starting by granting access for monitoring. Belgium remains fully committed to supporting survivors and fighting impunity. We strongly support the mandate of the Special Representative, the team of experts on the rule of law and sexual violence in conflict, and other international efforts to strengthen accountability and access to justice. Third, participation in formal peace negotiations by women and girls remains unacceptably low, despite clear evidence that inclusive peace processes are more sustainable. This requires, among others, equal access to education, decision-making, security institutions, and public life. We remain deeply concerned by the continued restrictions on the right of women and girls in Afghanistan, where millions remain denied access to secondary and higher education. At the same time, Syria's transition offers a critical opportunity to ensure that women and girls can participate fully and equally in shaping the country's future, including through access to education, public institutions, and security sector professions. Women must also be meaningfully included in efforts to prevent conflict, build peace, and shape recovery and reconstruction. Mr. President, to conclude, Belgium is nearing completion of its fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and preparing its fifth National Action Plan. We are integrating the WPS agenda across our diplomacy, development cooperation, humanitarian action, and defense and security policy. This includes support for women's participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and decision-making in partner countries, including in the Sahel. Specifically on the Sahel, we are organizing here in New York on 30 October a side event together with UNOCT, UN Women, Liberia, and Burkina Faso on the role of women in counter-terrorism efforts. The Women, Peace and Security agenda does not suffer from a lack of commitments. It suffers from an implementation gap. Belgium remains committed to playing its part and calls on all Member States to match commitments with concrete action, sustained financing, and measurable results. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [1:55:52]:

I thank the representative of Belgium for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Montenegro.


Montenegro [1:56:00]:

Thank you, Mr. President.

We thank Greece for convening this important debate.

Montenegro aligns itself with the statements of the EU and the Group of Friends of WPS. Our region knows what the war does. Women suffered its worst consequences, yet often were the first to build bridges between communities, deliver humanitarian assistance, and open dialogue.

Today, from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan, women and girls continue to bear devastating consequences of armed conflicts.

In Afghanistan, the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life represents a profound setback for the WPS agenda.

According to the Secretary General's latest report, 756 million women and girls live near armed conflict, while conflict-related sexual violence has more than doubled since 2024.

Yet, across 57 negotiation processes, women make only 5% of lead negotiators and 14% of mediators.

We strongly believe that peace requires inclusion, justice, and women at the negotiating table.

Mr. President, Montenegro remains committed to advancing the WPS agenda by promoting women's.

Leadership in the security sector, preventing gender-based violence, and ensuring justice for women. This year.

We adopted a new 2026-27 action plan for Resolution 1325, reaffirming our commitment to translating international obligations into concrete national.

Action.

Activities of our team for networking women in the security sector include events on women's leadership and gender-sensitive practices.

To mark the 26th anniversary of Resolution 1325, our police, military, and defense institution will organize joint outreach and a youth-focused event. In Ministry of Defense, women make 63% of employees and hold majority of senior management positions. We have also made important strides in promoting women's participation and leadership in the armed forces, including through appointments to senior military and international positions.

Mr. President, moving.

Forward, the Security Council must ensure that the WPS agenda remains central to its work, from conflict prevention and mediation.

To peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery.

This requires making women's full, equal, and meaningful participation a standard in every peace and political process. It is also necessary to strengthen accountability for sexual and gender-based violence, protect women peacebuilders from reprisals, and secure sustainable, flexible financing, including for women-led organizations. The promise of Resolution 1325 will be judged by what we implement.

And Montenegro stands ready to do its part.

Thank you.


Greece · President [1:58:45]:

I thank the representative of Montenegro for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Algeria.


Algeria [1:58:53]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Algeria thanks the Greek Presidency for convening this important debate and the Secretary General for his report. The figures are deeply alarming. In 2025, more than 700 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of armed conflict. In the occupied Palestinian territory, at least 38,000 women and girls were reportedly killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025. Behind these figures are lives lost, families shattered, and communities deprived of their future. Algeria stresses that the protection of civilians, respect for international humanitarian law, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance are imperative. Mr. President, women must not only be protected from conflict; they must have a meaningful voice in shaping peace. Their participation in prevention, mediation, and decision-making is essential to achieving sustainable political solutions. Algeria remains committed to Security Council Resolution 1325. Through its National Action Plan for 2023-2030, Algeria is advancing efforts to ensure women's full and meaningful and effective participation in decision-making, promote their leadership in the security sector, and develop their capacities in negotiation, conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding. The election in 2026 of the first woman to preside over Algeria's People's National Assembly reflects an important milestone in women's political representation. Algeria's commitment also extends across the African continent. In September 2026, Algeria hosted the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, FemWise Africa Regional Forum on Women's Contribution to preventing terrorism and violent extremism in North Africa and the Sahel, reaffirming the vital role of African women in addressing the roots of instability and advancing peace. Mr. President, we must move beyond commitments to concrete actions, ensuring women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace processes, strengthening support for women peacebuilders, and providing the resources needed to sustain their efforts. I thank you.


Greece · President [2:01:23]:

I thank the representative of Algeria for the statement. I now give the floor to the permanent observer of the Observer State of Palestine.


State of Palestine · Permanent Observer [2:01:35]:

Thank you, Mr. President.

Sayyid al-Rais.

President, we wish to extend our thanks to you and to your delegation, the delegation of Greece. as President of the Council for the month for convening this very important meeting on the WPS agenda. We welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and we thank him for his comprehensive statement, and we also thank Madam Sima Bahouth, Executive Director of UN Women. And we also thank all of the participants for their interventions. Our meeting convenes while women and girls in Palestine are faced with catastrophic situations due to the unlawful occupation by Israel of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as East Jerusalem, including unlawful violations of their dignity and human security. In the Gaza Strip, widespread destruction, displacement, the fragmentation of families, and the disruption of services have led to daunting suffering for women and girls, as well as increased risk of subjecting women to violence and deprivation from a decent living. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, military Israeli operations, settler violence, forced displacement, the destruction of homes, and seizure of land continue, threatening the lives and future of women and girls. In this regard, we wish to stress the need to end the policy of impunity. to ensure accountability for crimes perpetrated against Palestinian women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, in accordance with international law, as well as international justice mechanisms, so that justice can be served for victims and survivors alike. We call for the immediate release of female detainees in Israeli prisons and the cessation of the torture they are subjected to, including ill-treatment and violation of fundamental rights. President, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is not a mere political framework or an international commitment. It is a dire need for the protection of Palestinian women and girls, especially amid the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. in addition to the failure of the implementation of the ceasefire plan, as well as the ongoing attacks by Israel and settler violence in the West Bank, including in the Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, as well as the policies of forced displacement and systematic destruction. Despite the financial blockade and attempts to undermine Palestinian institutions, the Palestinian government has given priority to women and girls issues. The Minister of Women's Affairs is currently implementing the third iteration of the National WPS Action Plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325, as well as the National Plan for Justice and Gender Equality in partnership with civil society organizations and government institutions to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Palestinian women in diplomatic efforts, decision-making, relief, early recovery, and reconstruction efforts. There can be no just and durable peace without the participation of Palestinian women as main partners in the establishment of solutions, not as mere bystanders who receive assistance or remain victims of the conflict. We stress the important role of female human rights defenders, female journalists, and humanitarian workers in documenting violations, providing assistance, and preserving social cohesion in Palestine. We call for their protection from violence and attacks to ensure that their voices reach international fora in freedom and security. President, Palestinian women are not mere bystanders witnessing the conflict. They are rights holders and partners in peacebuilding, an important pillar of the resilience and survival of the Palestinian people. We stress that the protection of women and girls in Palestine cannot be separated from addressing the root causes of the conflict and the end of the Israeli occupation. in addition to guaranteeing the right by the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of its sovereign state in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. In conclusion, we reiterate our solidarity with all women and girls who are suffering the brunt of conflict and crises, and we stress that their voices must remain at the heart of international efforts to achieve peace and security in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1325. I thank you, President.


Greece · President [2:07:00]:

I thank the Permanent Observer of the Observer State of Palestine for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Angola.


Angola [2:07:10]:

Mr. President, Angola commends Greece for convening this timely debate and thanks the briefers. Twenty-six years after resolution 1325, commitments must translate into measurable action, ensuring women’s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in peace and security. Angola speaks from experience. After decades of armed conflict, peace in 2002 opened the path to reconciliation, reintegration, and reconstruction. Women were indispensable in rebuilding communities, restoring trust, and strengthening social cohesion. Our experience demonstrates that lasting peace requires inclusive institutions, equal opportunities, and women's participation in shaping the country's future. These lessons inform Angola's preventive diplomacy and mediation, particularly in the Great Lakes region. Building on its first national action plan adopted in 2017, Angola approved its second generation plan through the Presidential Decree 159/26 of 3 September 2026, strengthening women's participation, protection, and accountability. Women now hold 41% of parliamentarian seats, 39% of ministerial posts, and 30% of ambassadorial positions. Women also serve as vice president of the Republic and the president of Constitutional Court. In July 2026, Angola hosted the second International Women's Forum for Peace and Democracy in partnership with the African Union, advancing women's leadership and practical cooperation. Mr. President, looking forward to the next quarter century, Angola proposes four priorities. First, guarantee women’s representation and leadership in peace negotiations, mediation, peacekeeping, and implementation of peace agreements, supported by measurable benchmarks. Second, strengthen measures against conflict-related sexual violence, protect women peacebuilders and human rights defenders, And ensure survivors access to justice, healthcare, and psychosocial support. Third, invest in women-led early warning, community dialogue, education, and initiatives addressing exclusion, inequality, and other root causes of violence. Fourth, ensure women's equitable access to humanitarian assistance, economic opportunities, and reconstruction, while providing predictable funding for national action plans and women-led civil society organizations. These priorities require stronger operational partnership between the United Nations, African Union, regional organizations, and member states supported by clear responsibilities, adequate resources, and regular monitoring. Angola remains committed to sharing its experience and working with all partners to turn the promise of resolution 1325 into lasting, inclusive, and sustainable peace. I thank you.


Greece · President [2:10:40]:

I thank the representative of Angola for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of El Salvador.


El Salvador [2:10:50]:

Thank you, Mr. President. El Salvador would like to thank Greece for convening this debate, as well as the Secretary General and the other briefers for their contributions. More than 25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, we reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and to the defense of the human rights of all women and girls. We categorically condemn all violations and abuses of their human rights, particularly sexual violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. These violations are unacceptable. They cannot be normalized and must not go unpunished. The rights of victims and survivors to protection, justice, and reparations must remain at the center of our collective response. We are also deeply concerned by new forms of violence and discrimination enabled by emerging technologies, particularly harassment, digital violence, online surveillance, and disinformation directed against women, which represent additional obstacles to the exercise of their rights and their participation in public life and peace processes. In the face of these challenges, we must strengthen prevention and protection measures while promoting the responsible use of these technologies as tools to expand opportunities for women's participation, leadership, and empowerment. President, the implementation of this agenda requires sustained political commitment and concrete actions as well. In this regard, we would like to highlight three priorities. Firstly, the Security Council must strengthen its commitment to the systematic and coherent implementation of this agenda. The progress achieved over more than two decades since the adoption of resolution 1325 must be preserved and translated into concrete action, particularly in the face of current challenges to international peace and security. In this regard, it is essential to prevent that the commitments undertaken lose relevance in the Council's decisions and to ensure that the Women, Peace and Security agenda continues to occupy a priority place in its work. The Council must consistently integrate this agenda into its decisions, mandates, and monitoring mechanisms. while promoting the full, effective, meaningful, and safe participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution processes and in peacebuilding efforts. Secondly, we must ensure that these commitments are translated into concrete results through peace operations. The agenda must constitute a cross-cutting component of efforts in the areas of prevention, mediation, civilian protection and peacebuilding in accordance with the respective mandates of these operations. In particular, no transition process or operational adjustment should result in the weakening of specialized capacities, protection mechanisms or spaces for participation that have been built over many years. Preserving these achievements is indispensable to the sustainability of peace. Third, and lastly, commitments must also be supported by adequate, predictable, and sustainable resources. Current financial constraints cannot become a justification for relegating this agenda. It is essential to preserve specialized institutional capacities within the United Nations system. In this context, we emphasize the importance of safeguarding resources dedicated to women's empowerment within the Peacebuilding Fund, whose contribution is essential for conflict prevention and the sustainability of peace efforts. President, we reaffirm our commitment to this agenda through the process of developing our third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. The next quarter century cannot be limited to reiterating unfulfilled commitments. It must mark a period of effective implementation in which the protection of the rights of women and girls, justice for victims, and women's leadership constitute priorities for international peace and security. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [2:15:35]:

I thank the representative of El Salvador for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Philippines.


Philippines [2:15:45]:

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President.

The Philippines thanks Greece for convening this important debate and the briefers yesterday for their insights. Twenty-six years after the adoption of resolution 1325, the challenge before us remains clear. How do we translate our commitments into meaningful change for women affected by conflict? For the Philippines, the answer begins with our experiences at home. In the Bangsamoro peace process, Filipino women have served as negotiators, mediators, and community peacebuilders, helping transform decades of conflict into opportunities for reconciliation and self-governance. Thus, Women must not simply have a seat at the negotiating table.

They must have the authority to shape decisions, influence outcomes, and sustain peace long after agreements are signed.

This belief has guided our national and international engagement. In 2024, the Philippines hosted the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security, which adopted the Pasay Declaration. reaffirming our collective commitment to women's leadership, protection, and meaningful participation. Earlier this month, we convened the ASEAN Women, Peace, and Security Conference, advancing regional cooperation on localization, sustainable financing, and accountability. These initiatives complement our 10-year National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. which seeks to translate commitments into coordinated action across national institutions and local communities. Mr. President, women’s participation must be matched by protection, accountability, and resources. We must strengthen national justice systems to address conflict-related sexual violence, ensure survival, and survivor-centered remedies, and protect women peacebuilders from intimidation and reprisals, including in the digital spaces. We must also recognize that women-led civil society organizations are indispensable partners in conflict prevention, mediation, and recovery, and their participation must be institutionalized, not merely consulted when crises arise. And crucially, we must finance the peace we seek to build. The Philippines calls for predictable, flexible, and accessible financing for women-led peacebuilding, particularly grassroots organizations in conflict-affected communities. National action plans must be backed by dedicated resources, clear responsibilities, and measurable outcomes. Meanwhile, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, can strengthen early warning, expand participation, and connect women peacebuilders. However, their benefits must be accompanied by safeguards against online violence, disinformation, and exclusion. Mr. President, in closing, the future of the WPS agenda must be defined by implementation. And the promise of resolution 1325 will be fulfilled not when women are simply included in peace processes. but when they have the power, protection, and resources to shape and sustain peace itself.

I thank you.


Greece · President [2:19:13]:

I thank the representative of the Philippines for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Guatemala.


Guatemala [2:19:24]:

Thank you, President. Guatemala would like to thank the delegation of Greece for convening this open debate, and we recognize the valuable contributions made by UN Women and the representative of civil society. 25 years ago, resolution 1325 marked a turning point, and the challenge now is to close the distance between commitments and achieving those commitments. This requires political will, sustainable finance, institutional finance, and effective mechanisms for follow-up and accountability. For Guatemala, this agenda is of historic dimensions. Guatemalan women, especially indigenous women, and those that have survived internal armed conflict, have been the leaders in searching for truth, justice, reparations, and reconciliation. This commitment is expressed in the National Action Plan for Resolution 1325, worked out together with the Interinstitutional Bureau for Women, Peace, and Security. with the help of civil society. We are promoting actions in the area of security and violence prevention, the participation of women, strengthening institutions and access to justice, and transformative reparations. We must guarantee effective access to justice and recognize that there can be no peace without truth, reparations, and guarantees that the situation will not be repeated. The follow-up of measures in the Achi case shows the importance of transformative reparations that are culturally relevant and built with the participation of the survivors. Recovery post-conflict should not be limited to reestablishing existing conditions, but contribute to transforming structural inequalities that made it possible for these violations to take place in the first place. Internationally, more than 372 Guatemalan women have participated in peacekeeping operations of the United Nations. Their participation is a concrete contribution to international efforts at prevention of conflicts and to peace building. On the basis of this experience, we would call for guaranteeing predictable and sustainable funding for national plans. that we protect those that defend human rights and that build peace, that we support women's organizations and ensure direct participation of indigenous women, rural women, young people, and survivors in decisions that affect their lives and their communities. Guatemala reaffirms its commitment to continue working with civil society, the United Nations, and international partners in order to close the gaps between standards and their fulfillment and overcome symbolic representation to ensure full meaningful and effective participation. The promise of resolution 1325 will be fulfilled when no decision on peace, security, and recovery is taken without the participation and leadership of women. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [2:22:17]:

I thank the representative of Guatemala for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Dominican Republic.


Dominican Republic [2:22:30]:

Thank you, President. The Dominican Republic would like to thank Greece for convening this important debate, and we recognize the valuable contributions of the Secretary General and of the Executive Director of UN Women and of civil society. 26 years on from the adoption of Resolution 1325, our main challenge is not the absence of commitments, but the gap that still exists between those commitments and their effective implementation. The report of the Secretary-General of 2026 shows us a worrying reality. 725 million women live near conflicts. So that was the case in 2025. And women only represent, in that same year, 5% of those involved in negotiating peace agreements, and only 10 of 53 agreements included references to women, children, and gender or sexual violence. These figures make it clear that the full, meaningful, equal participation of women continues to be an outstanding wish. And the Dominican Republic confirms its commitment to Resolution 1325, as well as to the international commitments that we have undertaken within CEDAW and also the Beijing Platform for Action. We think it's indispensable to translate those commitments into specific measures that will guarantee the effective participation of women in prevention and in conflict resolution, mediation, and peace consolidation and recovery processes. Likewise, we express our profound concern at the increase in sexual violence related to conflicts. This is a serious violation of human rights that requires urgent and coordinated responses through effective measures for protection and assistance to victims, as well as effective mechanisms for accountability in order to combat impunity. In this context, and in the case of our region, the report of the Secretary General indicates an increase of 163% in cases of sexual violence reported in Haiti in 2025, a situation that deserves particular attention and underscores the need to strengthen the protection of women and girls, as well as to guarantee their full and effective participation in efforts at stabilization and recovery in the country. President, this implementation requires political will, sustainable resources, and effective alliances with women's organizations. Their contribution is essential if we want lasting peace. The Dominican Republic believes that the next quarter century should be marked not only by reaffirming these commitments, but by concrete and verifiable results. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [2:25:24]:

I thank the representative of the Dominican Republic for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Jordan.


Jordan [2:25:38]:

Thank you, Mr. President. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Greece for having convened this open debate. I would also like to thank the Executive Director of UN Women, the USG, the Secretary General, and all of the briefers during the meeting yesterday afternoon. Jordan is pursuing its international commitments to women, peace, and security based on the belief of the State of Jordan and of its leadership, that women, Jordanian women play an incredibly important role in strengthening peace, security, and protection within local communities. Jordan adopted its second action plan on women, peace, and security for 2022-2025, and its implementation has been extended through 2026. We are currently assessing its achievements and challenges and learning lessons in order to prepare a roadmap map that will serve as the foundation for the third National Action Plan. This is through a participatory approach that brings together governmental, security and military institutions, civil society, and international partners, and includes refugees, female refugees, and persons with disabilities. National institutions are working to integrate the National Action Plan into their strategies and budgets. While dealing with the need to address the funding gap that limits implementation of some priorities, consideration is also being given to incorporating technology, AI, digital safety and measures to combat digital violence into the third plan, in line with priorities that will be determined through the ongoing national consultations. The participation of Jordanian women in the security and military sectors has witnessed tangible progress. The proportion of women Serving in peacekeeping forces within the Jordanian Armed Forces has reached 22.73% in 2025. The Jordanian Armed Forces are continuing to strengthen this participation through training and capacity building, through improving the working environment, integrating a gender perspective into decision making and planning, and also creating opportunities for women to occupy leadership positions. The Public Security Directorate has also continued to enhance the readiness of female police personnel to participate in United Nations missions through specialized training and qualification programs. The Directorate has launched a gender mainstreaming strategy 2026-2028 based on its Gender Unit and its Capacity Building Center to promote equal opportunities in the area of peace and security, and also to improve security and humanitarian services. In the area of protection, the Family and Juvenile Protection Department under the Public Security Directorate has expanded to have 17 field divisions and two branches in refugee camps, alongside prevention and protection services provided by civil society organizations for women and girls, including refugee women. We cannot talk about women, peace and security without taking into consideration the challenges faced by women and girls in conflict areas, in particular the occupied Palestinian territory, where they continue to bear the consequences of the illegal Israeli occupation and the ongoing violations against the Palestinian people. Protecting Palestinian women and girls and safeguarding their rights and dignity in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is the first step towards enabling their meaningful participation in efforts to achieve peace. The Secretary-General’s report contained disturbing indicators of the scale of suffering endured by Palestinian women and girls. It noted that at least 38,000 women and girls were killed in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and December 2025. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, women and girls continue to face Israeli attacks, settler violence, forced displacement, and restrictions imposed on their movement and access to essential services. This undermines their security, their rights, and their livelihoods. Jordan emphasizes the need to respect international law and IHL, to protect civilians, to halt forced displacement, to guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access, and to hold perpetrators of violations accountable. We stress that achieving a just and comprehensive peace requires ending the illegal Israeli occupation and achieving an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the 4th of June 1967 lines, or borders rather, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security alongside Israel on the two-state solution. Jordan reaffirms that implementing the WPS agenda requires strengthening collective action, protection, accountability, empowerment, enhancing and measuring women's participation, and ending violence and impunity remain fundamental pillars to fulfill our commitments under this agenda. I thank you.


Greece · President [2:30:40]:

Representative of Jordan for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Ireland.


Ireland [2:30:48]:

Thank you, Mr. President. We thank Secretary-General Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and Tamanna Zariab Pariani for their powerful opening contributions to this debate. A year ago, we marked 25 years since the adoption of resolution 1325, which firmly placed women’s rights, participation, and leadership at the center of international peace and security. Important progress has been achieved. More than 117 states have now adopted national action plans on women, peace, and security. And the evidence is clear that peace processes are more durable when women participate fully, equally, and meaningfully. That has certainly been the experience in Ireland. Yet these gains remain fragile and uneven. Today, women continue to be excluded from decision-making in peace processes.

Women represented only 5% of negotiators in peace processes last year, despite overwhelming evidence that their participation.

Contributes to more sustainable peace.

Women-led organizations and women peacebuilders remain under-resourced, even as they shoulder increasing responsibility for conflict prevention, mediation, and humanitarian response.

Mr. President, the global peace and security landscape is marked by rising conflict, deepening fragmentation, and increasing geopolitical tension. Armed conflicts are at their highest levels in decades.

And the specific, devastating impact of conflict on women and girls continues unabated.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Sudan, where conflict-related sexual violence continues to be used on a widespread and systematic scale, and where women remain largely excluded from formal efforts to shape their country’s future.

In Ukraine, women and girls continue to suffer the devastating consequences of Russia’s aggression, including attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. In Afghanistan, women and girls continue to be systematically denied their most fundamental rights and freedoms. And in Gaza, the humanitarian consequences of conflict continue to have a profound and disproportionate impact on women and girls, including thousands living with life-altering injuries and disabilities. New geopolitical risks, alongside emerging cyber and hybrid threats, are compounding the challenges facing women and girls in conflict and crisis settings. Women who participate in public life, engage in peacebuilding, or defend human rights are increasingly targeted through online harassment, disinformation, digital surveillance, and other forms of technology-enabled abuse. These threats are designed to silence women’s voices, to restrict civic space, and to weaken societal resilience. The next 25 years will require us to confront both long-standing and emerging violations of the rights of women and girls. The Women, Peace and Security agenda provides a clear framework for addressing these challenges and ensuring that women’s rights, protection, and leadership remain at the center of efforts to prevent conflict, build peace, and strengthen resilience. Renewed political commitment is needed to fully integrate WPS principles across national policies, multilateral engagement, and peace processes. This must be matched by sustained support for women-led organizations on the front lines of conflict and crisis, whose work is absolutely indispensable to advancing peace and security at the local level. Mr. President, Ireland remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, including during our forthcoming membership of the Human Rights Council from 2027 to 2029.

Our experience on the island of Ireland has demonstrated the transformative contribution of women to securing and to sustaining peace.

Through our fourth National Action Plan, which we launched last year, Ireland is committed to advancing women's leadership, protecting the rights of women and girls, and addressing emerging threats in the digital sphere. 26 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, the case for women, peace, and security is stronger than ever. Implementing this agenda is not only a matter of rights and equality, it is absolutely essential to achieving sustainable peace and security.

We owe it to the next generation to ensure that the promise of resolution 1325 is finally realized in practice. Thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [2:34:47]:

I thank the representative of Ireland for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Moldova.


Republic of Moldova [2:34:57]:

Mr. President, my delegation thanks Greece for convening this debate and distinguished briefers for their important contribution. This delegation also aligns itself to the statement delivered earlier by European Union. We welcome the Secretary General's most recent report on women, peace, and security, which highlights persistent gaps in women's meaningful participation in peace processes. The findings demonstrate that the challenge is not a lack of commitment, but very effective implementation. Women must have not only a seat at the table, but a meaningful voice in shaping peace processes and influencing security decisions. For my country, this is both a national priority and a regional security imperative. Russia's war against… And migration against Ukraine has profoundly affected our region, exposing women and girls to displacement, insecurity, and heightening vulnerabilities. At the same time, women have been at the forefront of humanitarian assistance, crisis response, and community resilience. Mr. President, our second-generation National Action Plan for 2023-2027 advances women's participation in security, defense, and peacebuilding. The Republic of Moldova ranks 36 among 181 countries in the 2025-2026 Women, Peace, and Security Index, placing it in the top fifth globally. Women now account for approximately 28 percent of personnel in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 29 percent in the National Army. Only in 2025, the government of the Republic of Moldova strengthened WUPS coordination across 19 security and defense institutions and civil society organizations while training over 700 stakeholders. Gender responsive national defense and military strategies alongside child care arrangements, anti-harassment mechanisms, and women's professional networks further support women's participation and advancement in the security sector. Women from both banks of the Nistru River also contribute to confidence building, community dialogue, and peace building, reinforcing prospects for a peaceful settlement of a transnational conflict in full respect for the Republic of Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mr. President, in November 2025, the Republic of Moldova hosted the high-level Women for Security Forum, followed by the Women Leaders and Security and Defense International Conference in October 2026. Both events reaffirmed our commitment to women's leadership, regional cooperation, and a more inclusive and resilient security sector. Drawing on this experience, the Republic of Moldova sees four priorities. First, ensure women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in peace and security processes. Second, strengthening accountability for conflict-related sexual violence and protect women peacebuilders and human rights defenders. Third, secure, predictable, and sustained financing for the WPS agenda, including grassroots women's organizations. And fourth, counter gender-based disinformation, online harassment, and AI-enabled violence, while leveraging technology to advance women's participation and protection. Mr. President, the next 25 years must be defined by implementation. Not not unfulfilled commitments. This requires sustained political leadership, adequate resources, and accountability from the Security Council members, states, and United Nations. The Republic of Moldova reaffirms its commitment to international law, the protection and advancement of women's. rights and the meaningful engagement with civil society in advancing WPS agenda. We firmly believe that women's participation is not merely an objective of peacebuilding, it is a prerequisite for lasting peace. Let implementation, not declaration, be measures -- measure of our collective success.

I thank you.


Greece · President [2:39:39]:

I thank the representative of the Republic of Moldova for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Kyrgyz Republic.


Kyrgyzstan [2:39:50]:

Good afternoon, Mr. President. I thank Greece for convening this timely debate. The theme you have chosen, fulfilling the promise through implementation, speaks directly to Kyrgyz experience. It will also guide us in January when we take our seat in this Council for the first time, with women, peace and security among our priorities. Mr. President, in time of crisis, women are often among the most vulnerable, but even in times of crisis and serious security challenges, women are not only among those who are most deeply affected by conflict, but also a vital resource for their resolution and prevention. Our history offers examples of women bringing people together, overcoming divisions, and making a meaningful contribution to preserving peace. This potential must not merely be acknowledged, it must be fully harnessed in decision-making, peaceful conflict resolution, and post-conflict recovery. In the 19th century, we provide an example, Khurramjan Dattqa, de facto head of nation, led the people through a very turbulent and dangerous crisis period, demonstrating remarkable leadership and diplomatic wisdom. It's an unusual approach for Muslim societies at that time. More recent example in In 2010, after the revolution, at a critical moment in our modern history, Roza Otunbayeva became president of the Kyrgyz Republic, the first woman head of state in Central Asia. She later served as special representative of UN Secretary General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. This and other examples remind us that women are not only affected by crisis, but also could be resourceful and very resourceful in overcoming them and building lasting peace. This conviction is reflected in our commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Since 2012, Kyrgyz Republic has been among the first in Central Asia to adopt and regularly renew national action plan on resolution 1325. Earlier this year, we adopted our fifth national plan for 2026-2028, reaffirming our commitment to women's participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and decision making. To be practical, let me inform that women currently hold approximately more than one third of all seats in all parliaments in the Kyrgyz Republic, national and all local ones, reflecting the implementation of a minimum threshold quota. Implementation also means protection through the humanitarian missions Marym and AICOL. We brought our women and children home from Syria and Iraq, and we continue to support their reintegration. This year, we also chaired the Regional Expert Council of Central Asian States on the Rehabilitation of Detainees. Mr. President, in May this year, Kyrgyzstan hosted a regional forum in Batken. post-conflict territory, actually, bringing together representatives of conflict institutions, local communities, civil society, and international partners. The forum highlighted the important contribution of women to strengthening mutual trust, promoting cross-border cooperation, and supporting sustainable development in border communities. This experience reinforces our conviction that women's meaningful participation should be an integral part of efforts to prevent conflicts and sustain peace. We believe that regional cooperation offers important opportunities to advance the WPS agenda, and in this spirit, together with UN Women, we continue our efforts to develop a regional WPS framework. As Kyrgyz Republic prepares to join Security Council, we see particular value in three interconnected areas: first, strengthening the role of women in conflict prevention, early warning, and mediation, including at the community level; second, promoting regional exchanges of experience and practical cooperation on the implementation of Resolution 1325, including through existing mechanisms and partnerships in Central Asia. Third, supporting capacity building for women peacebuilders and local leaders, including the institutions of lawmaking processes. We stand ready to share our national experience and work of the national and regional experience and work constructively with Council members, the United Nations system, and regional partners. Mr. President, as we enter the next quarter century of the WPS agenda, our collective responsibility is to ensure that its principles are reflected in concrete actions and lasting results. Kyrgyz Republic looks forward to contributing to this common endeavor. Thank you for your attention.


Greece · President [2:44:10]:

I thank the representative of the Kyrgyz Republic for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Canada.


Canada · Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security [2:44:19]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Canada has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of 67 member states of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, representing all five regional groups of the UN and the European Union. Mr. President, the evidence is clear: women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace and security decision-making is fundamental to security and prosperity for all. We know what works, yet implementation continues to fall short of commitments. As armed conflicts reach their highest number in decades, women remain underrepresented in peace negotiations and security institutions, while women and girls disproportionately face conflict-related sexual violence, displacement, food insecurity, and attacks on essential services. Women peacebuilders, human rights defenders, journalists, and humanitarian workers remain on the front lines, increasingly targeted online and offline for their work and simply for being women. The Group of Friends reaffirms its commitment to protecting, respecting, and promoting the human rights of all women and girls, and to resisting efforts to roll back these rights. We wish to highlight three priorities. First, women must have full, equal, meaningful, and safe representation in public life, including peace and security decision-making. We call for equal participation at every stage and level of peace negotiations, with women's participation a standard requirement in all UN-supported peace processes. We urge the Security Council to systematically integrate gender equality and women's rights into its work, including through regular briefings by women civil society representatives. Second, protecting women's human rights must remain central. We categorically condemn all violations, including all forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse, sexual and gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, restrictions on access to and violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights, and attacks against women, human rights defenders, and peacebuilders. This includes reprisals and intimidation against those engaging with the UN. We remain committed to ending impunity. The rising incidence of CRSV against women, and increasingly against men and children, demand urgent action. Where national institutions are unable or unwilling to act, the international community must use all available tools to prevent these crimes. Incidents must be investigated. and perpetrators held accountable. Survivors must have access to comprehensive, trauma-informed, survivor-centered support, including health care, sexual and reproductive health services, psychosocial assistance, and justice, including reparations. We urge the Security Council to combat impunity, including through the application of CRSV as a designation in UN sanctions regimes. We emphasize the role of the International Criminal Court and welcome the creation of the CRSV Prosecution Network earlier this year. Third, commitments must be resourced. National and regional action plans must be financed, implemented, monitored, and reviewed. We recall the 2023 New Agenda for Peace, which recommends at least 1% of ODA to directly support women's organizations. especially grassroots groups mobilizing for peace. Their work is essential to local peace building and violence prevention, and requires sustainable, predictable, and flexible funding as organizations face critical funding shortfalls. Preventing conflict saves lives and avoids far greater public costs of war and recovery. We call on Member States to implement all of their relevant disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control obligations, including taking into account when making an export assessment the risk of the arms being used to commit or facilitate serious acts of sexual and gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children. We must also protect civic space and address the growing threat from technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including the targeting of women and girls in disinformation campaigns. These are investments in democracy, security, and prosperity. As we look ahead, we call upon Member States to appoint a champion of human rights and gender equality as the next Secretary-General of the UN. The challenge is not commitment, but results, meaningful participation, justice for survivors, and lasting peace and security for all. Women and girls affected by conflict cannot wait for our promises to be fulfilled. Mr. President, if I may, Canada would like to use its remaining time to briefly refute two misconceptions that we are increasingly seeing. The first misconception is that there is no room for the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in this complex time of record high levels of armed conflict, fast evolving threats to security, and polarization. In fact, the opposite is true. Integrating WPS helps us better anticipate, understand, and respond to threats. It reduces blind spots. It is also crucial for societal resilience, one of the most important security capabilities of the 21st century. We need to look no further than the Canadian Arctic, where Indigenous women's deep knowledge of the land and connections to people support early warning of threats and practical planning for disasters and crises. Ultimately, none of us can achieve our goals of enduring security and sovereignty without meaningfully integrating WPS. It is not optional, nor does it compete with defence or economic priorities. It is a fundamental enabler. Sir.


Canada [2:50:28]:

The second false idea is that WSP is a source of division. Canada's experience has shown quite the contrary. Shared learning, learning humbly from one another and sharing our experiences has helped to build relationships with people throughout the world, sharing challenges, addressing emergent threats head on together, and having innovative approaches that are a benefit to all of us. There are so many opportunities to build significant links with each other. Canada, thanks to the ELSI initiative for women's participation through WSP networks that has more than 100 members. and many other partners involved, we've seen this. The Peacebuilding Fund has helped indigenous people and LGBTI+ people has further enhanced our understanding of what helps these communities. Their points of view are often taken into consideration in the considerations of the Peace Building Commission and need to be taken into consideration throughout the whole of the United Nations, including here in the Security Council, and these perspectives are not separate from our own national and international perspectives, and they should be taken on board. I thank you.


Greece · President [2:52:00]:

Of Canada for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Bulgaria.


Bulgaria [2:52:08]:

Thank you, President. Bulgaria aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and the Group of Friends for Women, Peace, and Security. I would add some remarks in my national capacity. We thank Greece for the insightful debate and the Secretary General for his report, which makes clear the widening gap between our commitments and the realities facing women and girls. In 2025, an estimated 756 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of armed conflict. Yet women accounted for just 5% of negotiators across 57 peace processes. These figures are not merely a measure of exclusion. They are a warning that peace efforts risk overlooking the experiences and needs of those most affected by conflict. Bulgaria believes that ceasefires are less likely to develop into lasting peace if women are excluded from shaping what follows. We must ensure their meaningful participation in negotiations, mediation, and post-conflict recovery while tackling structural inequalities that undermine stability. We are equally concerned by the growing use of online harassment, misogyny, and artificial intelligence-enabled disinformation to intimidate women leaders and peacebuilders. The report also exposes a troubling imbalance in global priorities. Military expenditure reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, while women-led peacebuilding initiatives face severe funding shortages. We must invest more consistently in conflict prevention, local peacebuilding, and the organizations supporting women on the ground. We also underline the indispensable role of UN Women and reiterate our support for the agency's mandate and predictable funding. We highlight that conflict-related sexual violence must never be met with impunity. The Secretary-General report on conflict-related sexual violence documents too many cases of conflict related sexual violence around the world, including very near to Bulgaria, in Ukraine, which since 2022 has been subject to Russia's military aggression. Survivors in Ukraine and all parts of the world deserve comprehensive support, while perpetrators must be held accountable. Bulgaria contributes to these efforts through its national security, national strategy for promoting equality between women and men for the period 21-2030, and its national action plan on women, peace, and security, which is currently undergoing an update. We have also established a National Council for Prevention and Protection from Domestic Violence and launched a comprehensive national program to 2024-26, expanding legal support, strengthening victim protection, and broadening the scope of individuals eligible for aid with the aim to exceed the international legal standards. My country supported financially the work of UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. on the implementation of Women, Peace and Security Agenda in 23 and 25. During our 24-26 membership of the Human Rights Council, as well as here in New York, we have continued to advocate gender equality and women's full participation in public and political life. We take pride that women make up half of our diplomatic service, with 40% in senior positions. As we look ahead, Bulgaria reaffirms its commitment to a women, peace and security agenda that delivers measurable progress, protects women's rights, and places inclusive diplomacy and prevention at the centre of international efforts to sustain peace. I thank you.


Greece · President [2:56:49]:

I thank the representative of Bulgaria for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Timor-Leste.


Timor-Leste [2:56:58]:

Mr. President, Timor-Leste thanks Greece for convening this important debate and appreciates the valuable briefings delivered. Nearly 26 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security agenda remains essential to building inclusive and sustainable peace. Despite important progress, significant gaps persist between our commitments and their implementation. As has been referred to by previous speakers, In 2025 alone, millions of women and girls live within the vicinities of armed conflict, while they represent only 5% of negotiators across 57 processes reviewed. These figures highlight a troubling reality: women continue to bear the consequences of conflict while remaining underrepresented in decisions affecting their own future. Timor-Leste's history, Mr. President, demonstrates women's vital contributions to peace and national resilience. Despite of various form of challenges during our journey towards independence, Timorese women sustained families and communities, supported the resistance, and defended human dignity, often under extremely difficult circumstances. After independence, they continued to contribute to reconciliation, democratic institution building, and community peace building. Our experience reminds us that sustainable peace requires more than ending violence. It depends on inclusion, mutual trust, and meaningful opportunities for all to participate. Building on these lessons, Timor-Leste is implementing its second National Action Plan of on Women, Peace, and Security for 2024-2028. The plan promotes women's leadership in conflict prevention, security institutions, peacebuilding, and humanitarian response. Effective implementation requires adequate resources, institutional coordination, and continued partnership with civil society, particularly women organizations. Mr. President, looking ahead, Timor-Leste wish to highlight three priorities. First, on meaningful participation, women must have equal, safe, opportunities to influence peace negotiation, mediation, and post-conflict recovery. Representation must translate into genuine participation in decision making. Second, on sustainable financing, commitments must be matched by predictable resources for women-led organizations, local peacebuilders, and gender expertise within the United Nations operations. Third, on effective protection and accountability, preventing conflict related sexual violence, ensuring survivor-centered assistance and access to justice, and protecting women peacebuilders and human rights defenders must remain central to our collective efforts. Mr. President, the next quarter century of Women, Peace, and Security agenda must be measured by both renewed commitments and by tangible improvements in women’s lives and their ability to shape peaceful societies. Timor-Leste remains committed to translating these principles into action through national implementation, regional cooperation, and international partnership. Our shared responsibility is to ensure that women are not only protected from conflict, but fully empowered to build and sustain peace. Thank you.


Greece · President [3:00:34]:

I thank the representative of Timor-Leste for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Yemen.


Yemen [3:00:46]:

President, the Republic of Yemen would like to reiterate that the full and effective participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as peacebuilding, is an essential pillar if we are to achieve lasting peace in keeping with the UNSCR The government of Yemen is determined to empower women and to strengthen their effective participation through their assumption of leadership positions within the state in decision making and peace building. Practical measures have been taken to bolster their presence in leadership roles, executive roles, and roles in the judiciary. The most recent is the nomination of two female ministers in the latest government, as well as the establishment of the Minister of State tasked with women's affairs. These measures attest to the importance attached to women's participation in state institutions and the strengthening of their role in decision-making on the basis of competencies and equality of opportunity. These measures also attest to the national partnership. The national partnership is being translated into a tangible reality, which sees women as partners. Yemeni women have been and remain essential partners in peace efforts, despite the serious challenges owing to the coup d'etat. waged by the terrorist Houthi militias against state institutions, and on the basis of the national consensus and the aspirations of the Yemeni people. Women have contributed to promoting community dialogue, supporting local initiatives, and bolstering social cohesion. Our government would like to underscore that women's empowerment is not circumscribed to just recognizing their role, but helps to ensure their full, targeted, and effective participation in the crafting of Yemen's future. Against this backdrop, the Yemeni Women's Summit was held on an annual basis. This is an important national platform for dialogue and consultations, bringing together female leaders from civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders, and this in the provincial capital, Aden, so as to look at the priorities regarding peace, recovery, and women's empowerment, the goal being to come up with a common vision so as to strengthen women's participation in political processes and peace building, the building of a lasting peace, the Government would like to reiterate its commitment to strengthen coordination with the relevant national bodies and monitoring and follow-up of the recommendations of the Summit, factoring them in to the design of policies and national programmes so as to promote the implementation of the WPS agenda. President, the Government would like to highlight that the protection of women's rights and the upholding of their fundamental freedoms is a vital precondition for their active participation in public life as well as in peace efforts. On this note, we would like to draw the attention of this august Council on the restrictions and serious violations which women and girls are being exposed to in areas controlled by the terrorist Houthi militias. These violations include online defamation campaigns, threats, abductions, and arbitrary detentions of activists, and this owing to their activities in the legal and social spheres. These practices are not only a violation of rights and fundamental freedoms of women, but also compromise the opportunity for them to participate in public life and to contribute to peace efforts. The Yemeni government would like to reiterate its call for an immediate cessation of these violations, for the release of all women arbitrarily detained. for information about the fate of those forcibly disappeared, as well as for documentation of violations so that we can prosecute the perpetrators and help victims to ensure the protection of women and girls in keeping with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. We condemn the siege imposed by the Houthi terrorist militia on the city of Taiz and the resulting suffering of the local population. In particular, the deprivation of key supplies, access to food, water, medicine, and health care. This situation imperils the lives of civilians, in particular pregnant women, children, and the most vulnerable groups in our society. Despite these very taxing conditions, the women in Tez are exhibiting exceptional resilience. They are playing an active role in their local communities. We call on the United Nations and the international community to take pressing measures so as to put an end to these unjustified attacks waged by the Houthi militias against residential areas, to lift the siege, and to condemn them, ensuring there is safe and unfettered delivery of aid. We must condemn the targeting of ambulances, This is a generalized punishment that is banned under international law. These violations are war crimes. And who is responsible? The terrorist Houthi militias. This has had the following impact: many people dead, many people injured, including women, civilian women, girls, children. We call on the international community, and specifically the United Nations, to take urgent measures so as to lift the embargo of Tayyeh and to create safe corridors so that civilians can receive the assistance they require, to ensure that aid can be delivered, whether that be to hospitals or other facilities. Protecting humanitarian workers is an obligation, a non-negotiable obligation. Civilians cannot be deprived, this includes women and children, they should not be deprived of their livelihoods due to political extortion and the status quo. The Yemeni government reiterates its resolve to continue its constructive cooperation with the National Commission tasked with investigating allegations of human rights violations, with a view to allow it to fully discharge its duties and to continue its monitoring, investigative, and documentation work, all with a view to promote human rights, to protect the rights of victims, and this in accordance with our national legislation as well as international law. The Republic of Yemen would like to reaffirm its willingness to protect women's rights and their dignity, we will hold the perpetrators of these crimes to account. We will bring them to justice and to ensure that they do not enjoy impunity, thereby strengthening the rule of law and the principle of justice and accountability. The Republic of Yemen would like to reiterate that we are proud of Yemeni women, who we believe are fully-fledged partners as we seek to restore our state and to build peace. The empowerment and the strengthening of the role of women across all areas will remain an national commitment, underpinned by our faith in their ability to contribute to the edification of a safe and secure Yemen. I thank you.


Greece · President [3:08:23]:

The representative of Yemen for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Trinidad and Tobago.


Trinidad and Tobago [3:08:31]:

I thank you, Chair. Trinidad and Tobago thanks the Presidency of Greece for convening this important open debate on women, peace, and security. We also wish to thank all previous contributors and briefers. 26 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security agenda remains one of the United Nations' most groundbreaking achievements in efforts to advance inclusive and sustainable peace. Its adoption fundamentally transformed our understanding of international peace and security by recognizing that women are not merely victims of armed conflict, but indispensable actors in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and peace building. Whilst considerable progress has been achieved in establishing a comprehensive normative framework, significant challenges persists in translating commitments to meaningful outcomes for women and girls affected by armed conflict. including in my own hemisphere, where the security instability ravaging Haiti continues to affect the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, as well as other prominent conflicts around the globe, namely in Africa and the Middle East. The Secretary-General’s report reminds us of these challenges, including the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls, their continued under-representation in peace processes and the persistent financing gaps affecting women-led peacebuilding efforts. Mr. President, Trinidad and Tobago, and for us, the promotion of women's participation in international peace and security is a long-standing foreign policy priority, particularly within the fields of disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control. In fact, as we mark the 26th anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 1325, Trinidad and Tobago also reflects on nearly 16 years since the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 6569, entitled "Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation, and Arms Control." Introduced in 2010 under the leadership of Trinidad and Tobago's first and current Prime Minister, Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, resolution 65/69 was inspired by the principles of resolution 13/25 and sought to extend the application in the fields of disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control. Through this initiative and its subsequent resolutions, Trinidad and Tobago has consistently championed the full and effective participation of women in disarmament and arms control processes, recognizing their important contribution to policy making, negotiations, and decision making at all levels. Our leadership in this area reflects a fundamental conviction: Women must have an equal voice in shaping the policies and decisions that determine international peace and security. Mr. President, As Trinidad and Tobago prepares to assume its seat as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, women, peace, and security, and small arms and light weapons will constitute two important priorities for our membership. We recognize that the particular consequences of the illicit proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in situations of armed violence and armed conflict, including their role in exacerbating insecurity, facilitating conflict-related sexual violence, and undermining prospects for sustainable peace. Our approach will emphasize the importance of inclusive conflict prevention, the protection of civilians, and women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in peacebuilding and recovery. It is against this background that Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to announce its decision to join the shared commitments on women, peace, and security. We regard this initiative as an important mechanism for strengthening the Council's collective engagement on the women, peace, and security agenda and promoting greater consistency, the integration of gender perspectives across its work. Mr. President, as we look towards the next quarter century, Our collective task is not to redefine the promise of Resolution 1325, but to fulfill it. The true measure of our progress will not be the commitments we reaffirm in this chamber, but the extent to which women are empowered and able to shape the decisions upon which lasting peace depends. I thank you.


Greece · President [3:13:52]:

I thank the representative of Trinidad and Tobago for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Ecuador.


Ecuador [3:14:03]:

Mr. President, for women and girls living amid armed conflict, the effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is an imperative. Their lives and physical integrity are under constant threat. sexual and gender-based violence does not cease. Human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation and the risks associated with forced displacement are so frequent that they tend to become normalized. For this reason, I must thank Greece for bringing this issue up for discussion, which, together with the other matters that it has raised for its presidency, illustrates its commitment to giving sufficient attention to issues that the international community cannot afford to overlook. Because all of these threats require comprehensive responses that, in addition to preventing violence and protecting women, recognize their fundamental role in the security of their communities and in the building of sustainable peace. Building a peaceful society in which women and girls live safely and fully develop their potential is a fundamental aspiration that, in Ecuador, has gained greater urgency due to the threat that transnational organized crime poses to democratic institutions and the social fabric. Accordingly, the national government is firmly combating criminal organizations while also guaranteeing women's rights and promoting their participation in state actions aimed at achieving social peace. The National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, adopted in 2024, is structured around the four pillars of Security Council Resolution 1325. Firstly, With regard to participation, it ensures that women take part fully, equally, meaningfully, and safely in decisions related to security and peacebuilding. Their leadership contributes to strengthening social cohesion and preventing violence. Secondly, regarding prevention, Ecuador is advancing measures to track and freeze illicit financial flows of criminal networks. establish a permanent intelligence-sharing platform among prosecutors and police, and promote the recognition of transnational organized crime as a preventive priority within the framework of the UNAT initiative. Thirdly, regarding protection, it seeks to strengthen reporting mechanisms and response services for all forms of violence against women and girls. International cooperation and coordinated investigations are essential to reducing impunity, protecting victims, and guaranteeing their effective access to justice in the face of transnational criminal structures. Fourth, the relief and recovery pillar requires accessible services, comprehensive care, opportunities for economic empowerment, and sufficient resources for women and communities most affected by violence. President, the effective implementation of resolution 1325 requires political will, predictable resources, and sustained action to bridge the gap between commitments made and the reality faced by women and girls. Ecuador reaffirms its commitment to an agenda that places their rights, participation, and security at the center of efforts to build lasting peace. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [3:17:47]:

I thank the representative of Ecuador for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Maldives.


Maldives [3:17:56]:

Thank you, President, for convening this important debate.

In Gaza, a mother wakes each morning uncertain whether she can feed her

children, find clean water, or keep them safe.

She knows what her family needs. Yet, women like her are rarely part of the decisions on humanitarian assistance, recovery, or reconstruction.

They must have a voice in shaping what comes next.

Earlier this year, the Maler spoke before this council

about a young Palestinian woman documenting the realities of war through her phone.

Women should not have documented their sufferings to be heard.

They must have a meaningful role in building peace. 26 years after the adoption of the resolution 1325, the challenge is no longer recognizing the role of women. It is turning that recognition into real influence. Women must have a central role in conflict prevention, mediation, negotiation, and recovery. Consultation alone is not enough. Their priorities must shape peace agreements and the decisions that follow.

The MOLD therefore calls for more women mediators and negotiators, stronger support for

women-led organizations, and measures that assess women's influence within peace processes. UN mediation teams should report not only on how many women participated, but whether their participation actually changed outcomes.

The Maldives approaches this from its own experience.

When women's representation in our local councils increased from around 6% to almost 40%, their participation helped strengthen community trust and accountability. Our work on women peacebuilding has reached the same conclusion. Women must be part of prevention and decision making, not only recipients of assistance.

But influence means little if participation comes at personal risk. Then women peacebuilders and human rights defenders must be protected from threats, intimidation, and reprisal.

Survivors of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence must have access to justice, healthcare, psychosocial support, and long-term assistance. In Gaza, that means protecting Palestinian women not only as civilians, but also as humanitarian workers, community leaders, and participants in recovery. Without that safety, they cannot help shape what comes next. Commitments must also be matched by resources. Women-led organizations often work closest to affected communities, yet many operate with limited funding. Financing should be predictable, flexible, and reach them directly. For the Maldives, the same principles matter beyond traditional battlefields. Climate-related disasters can deepen insecurity. Women must therefore be part of preparedness, resilience planning, and recovery.

This is especially important for small island developing states.

Over the next quarter century, women should be central to the decisions that shape peace.

From the outset and must remain central as those decisions are carried forward.

The test, Mr. President, is simple: Do women have the protection, resources, and decision-making power?

To shape the future that follows conflict.

I thank you.


Greece · President [3:21:46]:

I thank the representative of the Maldives for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Mauritania.


Mauritania [3:21:59]:

President, at the outset, I wish to thank Greece for its presidency in October and for convening this open debate on this very important issue. President, we reiterate the important role of women, and we have adopted a national strategy to strengthen women's role in public political life. Mauritanian women are an essential partner in all walks of life. Our society gives priority to women in their households and in public life and society. Women participate in leadership and decision-making positions in all government institutions. We have attached great importance to the participation of women. Women represent 30% of cabinet members. There are 41 women parliamentarians out of 176 parliamentarians, and a department for women affairs has been established to strengthen the advancement of women. Women's role is central in our communities and in their households. The protection of women from conflict-related violence is a collective responsibility, and based on this conviction, we have supported UN efforts for peacebuilding and peacekeeping. We have been contributing to peacekeeping missions in conflict-affected areas, and our contingents play an important role in the protection of civilians, including women and girls, preventing violence against them. President, our world today witnesses compounding conflicts and crises across the world. Innocent civilians are the biggest victims of these crimes and crises. Women constitute the highest share of victims. They are constantly targeted by disputing parties at an unprecedented level. The United Nations, since its inception, has made important strides for the protection of women and girls, namely through the adoption by the Security Council of Resolution 1325, the first resolution which acknowledged the role of women in peacebuilding, and which reiterated the need for their equitable and meaningful participation in peacebuilding. The resolution focused on the importance of women's participation at all decision-making levels, including peace processes and conflict prevention, to prevent violence against women and girls, including gender-based violence. It also stressed the need to uphold women's rights and provide humanitarian assistance and ensure women's participation in the recovery and relief efforts. Dozens of other resolutions have been adopted, including Resolution 1889 to ensure women's participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, alongside other important resolutions on the protection of women and the prevention of conflict-related violence, as well as sexual violence, to end impunity, provide assistance and psychosocial support for survivors. the important efforts made by the UN to strengthen the participation of women in peacebuilding and the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as SDG 5 and recommendation 30 of CEDAW, as well as the Pact of the Future. We need to focus further on the participation of women in decision-making at the national level. We need to address the root causes of conflicts and their drivers. We need to ensure alignment of national legislation with international resolutions, and civil society organizations and community organizations must be engaged in order to address hate speech and extremism. And women must be engaged in early recovery efforts to benefit from their local expertise and their capacity to identify hotspots for tension. President, the role of women or women are not mere victims and survivors. They are rights holders. They are architects for peace. A peace to which women contribute constitutes a real and durable peace that can pave the way for the participation of women and the provision of necessary health care and humanitarian assistance so that our society can benefit from harmony. I thank you.


Greece · President [3:27:07]:

I thank the representative of Mauritania for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Uruguay.


Uruguay [3:27:18]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. This open debate is at a critical time for women, peace, and security. We are seeing with great concern a regression in gender equality and women's rights globally, in a context where we're seeing growing militarization and armed violence that disproportionately affects women and children in situations of conflict. Resolution 1325 for the first time, included women, peace, and security in the work of this organization, recognizing the vital role of women in actions related to peace and security. Uruguay reaffirms its unwavering commitment to this agenda, fully in consonance with our multilateral obligations, our defense of human rights, and our peaceful settlement of disputes. In this regard, Uruguay participates actively in regional networks that promote feminine leadership since June 2018. On 26, we have chaired the Ibero-American Mediators Network, RIMA. This is a fundamental initiative to strengthen effective participation with real power in prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as peace processes and rebuilding the social fabric. We are also involved in the Connoisseur Mediation Network, sharing our experience in conflict resolution. This year, we're launching our second National Action Plan for Women, Peace, and Security with the aim of deepening the gender perspective in actions of the state linked to peace and security, both nationally as well as internationally. This plan aims to guarantee that strategies for building and maintaining peace, as well as security policy, will promote the full, meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes. We pay particular attention to their needs and rights in situations of conflict and disasters, particularly In the triple environmental crisis and its socio-environmental aspects, which disproportionately affect women and children. Cybersecurity, organized crime, human trafficking are also current problems, as well as geopolitical tensions. We attempt to strengthen regional cooperation, sharing experiences with countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in order to empower women in their leadership and resilience capabilities. Regionally, this vision can be seen in Uruguay's program of action as the pro tempore chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. that includes peacebuilding as one of its main pillars. Uruguay would stress the importance of strengthening preventive diplomacy, facilitating mediation, because we are convinced that this is more inclusive if we include women as mediators with all of their abilities. President, it’s alarming to see the erosion of language on gender in decisions and mandates of the Security Council, as well as the significant reduction in the participation of women in civil society in these sessions as briefers. This is incompatible with the need to guarantee the full, secure, and meaningful participation of women in political processes and decision-making processes. These are indispensable elements to bring about inclusive and just lasting peace. For example, resolution 2814 that in January renewed the Office in Haiti's mandate had the "with peace and security" in the previous mandate. That had references to the link between gender violence and the flow of weapons. as well as encouraging the mission to guarantee and ensure that gender equality would be dealt with across the board in all of its mandates, including through support to the political participation of women. Resolution 2820 in April this year renewed the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS. That also omitted references to gender issues. but the gender issues are particularly applicable to the situation in that country. We do value the report 2025, 540, published by the Secretary General, highlighting the need for us to continue these perspectives, the importance of advisory functions in the Peacebuilding Commission, the need to include and increase the position of women under Article 39 as speakers, and the protection of women's rights in situations of conflict, and the regular participation of representatives of civil society in the deliberations of this Council. Uruguay also repeats its commitment to inclusive, sustainable, and just peace within and beyond our borders. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [3:32:26]:

I thank the representative of Uruguay for the statement. I now give the floor to.


Zimbabwe [3:32:34]:

Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation commends you for convening this important debate and thanks the Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Women for their insightful briefings yesterday. Twenty-six years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, the women, peace and security agenda remains as relevant as ever. Yet, despite significant commitments and progress in establishing normative frameworks, implementation continues to fall short of expectations. As highlighted in the Secretary General's 2025 report, women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate burden of armed conflict, while their participation in decisions concerning peace and security remains limited. The challenge before us, therefore, is not one of insufficient commitments, but of translating these commitments into meaningful and measurable results. Mr. President, Zimbabwe reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and to advancing its implementation through national action, regional cooperation, and international solidarity. In this regard, We continue to work within the Southern African Development Community and the African Union to mainstream gender perspectives in peace and security frameworks, while strengthening South-South cooperation. Against this background, allow me to highlight three points. First, women's meaningful participation is indispensable to sustainable peace. Women play vital roles as leaders, mediators, and agents of peace. Their meaningful participation in conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding, and post-conflict recovery strengthens the legitimacy and sustainability of peace processes. This requires sustained political commitment, adequate investment in women-led peacebuilding initiatives, and the removal of barriers to their participation in decision-making. In Zimbabwe, our constitution promotes women's participation in all spheres of life. This commitment is further reinforced by the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security for 2023 to 2027, which provides a framework for strengthening women's leadership and representation in peace and security institutions, preventing violence against women and girls, and deepening partnerships with women civil society organizations. Reflecting these efforts, women now constitute nearly 50% of Zimbabwe's military and police personnel deployed in United Nations missions. Second, meaningful participation must be underpinned by protection and accountability. Women cannot participate effectively in peace processes when their safety and dignity remain under threat. Zimbabwe is particularly concerned by the persistence of conflict-related sexual violence. and the insecurity confronting women and girls in conflict-affected communities. Such violations not only inflict immense suffering on survivors, but also undermine social cohesion and prospects for lasting peace. The Security Council must therefore strengthen efforts to prevent these violations, promote accountability, and ensure that survivors have access to protection, support, and justice. At the same time, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, present both opportunities and risks. We must ensure that these technologies advance women's participation and women's empowerment and participation rather than facilitate harassment, disinformation, and gender-based violence. Third, sustained implementation must remain our collective priority. The enduring relevance of Resolution 1325 will ultimately be determined by its implementation. This requires moving beyond declarations of intent towards practical action, supported by adequate resources, effective partnerships, and measurable outcomes. In this regard, national ownership remains essential. Implementation must respect national sovereignty. and take into account the different circumstances and priorities of member states. Regional and international cooperation should complement and reinforce nationally driven efforts. At a time of growing financial constraints, we must ensure that available resources are directed towards interventions that deliver improvements in the lives of women and girls, particularly those affected by conflict. Mr. President, As we look towards the next quarter century of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, our success must be measured not by the number of commitments we make, but by the difference those commitments make in the lives of women and girls. We must move from declarations to implementation, from exclusion to meaningful participation, and from promises of support to sustained investment. Ultimately, There can be no sustainable peace without women's meaningful participation, and no credible women peace and security agenda without the political will and resources necessary to translate its commitments into reality. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [3:38:18]:

I thank the representative of Zimbabwe for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Cambodia.


Cambodia [3:38:28]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Cambodia sincerely thanks Greece for convening this vital debate and commends the briefers for their insights. History has shown that women and children are often the most affected by wars, conflicts, and confrontation that they neither create nor control. For Cambodia, advancing the women, peace, and security agenda is not merely a policy commitment. but a live experience. It has long been an integral part of our political, economic, and social development efforts, including under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Against this backdrop, Cambodia would like to highlight three points. First, at the national level, Cambodia continues to advance the region’s peace and security. in short, WPS, agenda as an integral part of its political, economic, and social development. The strategic roadmap for Cambodia National Action Plan on WPS, developed through consultation led by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, identifies five priority areas: women in defense, security, peacekeeping, and diplomacy. combating transnational crime, especially trafficking in persons, digital security and media, climate and disaster security, and economic and human security. This comprehensive approach reflects Cambodia's commitment to translating WPS commitments into concrete action. Second, At the regional level, Cambodia underscored the importance of strengthening ASEAN cooperation in advancing the WPS agenda. Through sharing best practices, building institutional capacity, and promoting women's leadership, ASEAN member states can reinforce regional efforts to implement their respective national plans and their national action plan and address emerging security challenges. Third, at the international level, Cambodia reaffirms the indispensable role of the women in United Nations peacekeeping. Since 2006, Cambodia has deployed more than 10,000 peacekeepers. to 12 UN missions, including over 1,000 women peacekeepers. Their contributions in de-mining, medical assistance, and engineering demonstrate that women are not merely beneficiaries of peace, but active contributors to its achievement and sustainability. In closing, Cambodia calls for stronger international partnerships, capacity building, and predictable funding to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes. Cambodia remains committed to working with all partners to turn the promise of the WPS agenda into lasting results. Thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [3:42:10]:

I thank the representative of Cambodia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Turkmenistan.


Turkmenistan [3:42:18]:

Thank you. Mr. President, let me express our gratitude to the President of Greece and the Security Council for convening this open debate. The adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 marked a historical milestone in recognizing the indispensable role of women in preventing and resolving conflicts. participating in peace processes, and building sustainable peace. For Turkmenistan, this agenda is closely linked to our long-standing commitment to peace, neutrality, and preventive diplomacy. We believe that lasting peace cannot be achieved through political and security arrangements alone. At the regional level, Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to the Central Asian Women Leaders Dialogue Platform, established in December 2020 with the support of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. Turkmenistan welcomes the continued development of this platform. In this context, I would also like to highlight the International Women’s Dialogue held in Turkmenistan on 7 October 2026 under the theme “The Role of Women in Maintaining Peace and Achieving Sustainable Development”. Mr. President, we believe that the next phase of the WPS agenda should focus on three practical priorities: First, strengthening women’s meaningful participation in peace processes. Women must be represented at all stages of conflict prevention, mediation, negotiations, peacekeeping, post-conflict recovery, and reconciliation. Second, strengthening preventive diplomacy and regional cooperation. Women leaders and women-led organizations can make important contributions to early warning, community-level dialogue, confidence building, and the identification of emerging tensions. Turkmenistan attaches importance to the experience of the format known as the 6+2, which brought together Afghanistan's six neighboring countries alongside the Afghanistan and Russian Federation. In this regard, Turkmenistan is planning to convene a ministerial meeting in the 6+2 format at the March of 2027. On the margins of this meeting, we plan to organize the first dialogue of Afghan women representatives and from the countries participating in the sixth platform in Ashgabat. This initiative would provide a valuable platform for women from Afghanistan and regional countries to exchange views, strengthen mutual understanding, and explore their contributions. Third, ensuring that international commitments produce tangible results. The WPS agenda should be integrated more systematically into the work of UN Peacebuilding Commission, the relevant bodies dealing with gender equality, and regional preventive diplomacy mechanisms. Mr. President, Turkmenistan remains committed to working with all Member States, the UN system, and regional partners to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda through dialogue, preventive diplomacy, and practical cooperation. I thank you for your attention.


Greece · President [3:45:28]:

I thank the representative of Turkmenistan for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Cote d'Ivoire.


Côte d’Ivoire [3:45:39]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, my delegation would like to congratulate you on convening this debate, which is so relevant to the challenges of our times. So 26 years after Resolution 1325 was adopted, the founding text of the Women, Peace and Security International Agenda, it's clearer than ever that peace is not sustainable when it is built without half of humanity, women. Still today, however, women remain insufficiently involved in peace negotiations, while conflicts continue to expose them to violence, forced displacement, and instability. For Côte d'Ivoire, The challenge is not just to reiterate our commitments, but to ensure they are translated in concrete, measurable, and sustainable ways. So, buoyed by our own post-conflict experience and national reconciliation, Côte d'Ivoire has made the participation of women a pillar of its peace-building policy. The first African country to have adopted in 2008 a national action plan to implement 1325, Côte d'Ivoire has renewed its commitment through its second national action plan, 2024-2027. This new instrument seeks to bolster women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, to consolidate their protection and to promote their leadership in peace and security mechanisms. Its implementation is accompanied by efforts to mobilize partners and also initiatives involving women's organizations in conflict prevention and social cohesion. My country is also continuing its work to combat gender-based violence with a spirit of zero tolerance and to protect human dignity. So, in the light of this experience, Cote d'Ivoire calls for effective representation of women within decision-making bodies, within early warning systems and mediation processes. This full inclusion should be accompanied by ongoing support for Conflict related sexual violence prevention, guaranteeing increased protection for survivors, whilst reiterating the need to be intransigent against impunity. Seeing these commitments come to fruition involves implementing a predictable and sustainable financing plan, crucial for following up national plans of actions and for supporting women's organizations engaged in peace work. The resilience and courage of African women teaches us that they're not just the first to be subject to the wounds of war, but they are also often the first to forge peace anew. This is why, Mr. President, our collective responsibility is to give them their proper role, not only around the negotiation table, but also where they make decisions that shape the future and those of our nations. Thank you.


Greece · President [3:48:35]:

Thank you for Cote d'Ivoire for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco.


Morocco [3:48:44]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to thank Greece for convening this open debate. I'd also like to thank the Secretary General, the Executive Director of UN Women, and the representatives of civil society for their briefings. Sir, more than 25 years after the adoption of 1325, the normative framework has expanded significantly. The challenge now is to ensure implementation. The data in the SG's report really strikes each and every one of us. For example, in 2025, women were only 5% of the main negotiators and 14% of mediators, whereas so many cases, or rather the reported cases of CRSV has more than doubled. So we need to focus on three areas. Firstly, prevention through empowerment. Experience shows that improving women's rights, or rather, and trampling of human rights, is a precursor to conflict, and rather involving women in decision making bolsters the resilience of our societies. Therefore, the Kingdom of Morocco has extended in 2025, published its national plan for WPS. the protection and fostering of rights on the ground. His Majesty the King conferred upon Ms. Fatima El Skouri the leadership of work in this area. Moroccan women are involved in decision making and in action, even in theatres of operations, we have a significant amount of women involved as Blue Helmets and in headquarters as well. They also serve in peacekeeping operations as experts in training jobs and working in liaison with local communities. Their presence bolsters trust in the missions As well, it's important, thirdly, mediation and partnership. Morocco pays particular attention to conflict resolution and involves women at the national level. Women, the Mouchidat, the religious women, are involved in community. mediation and negotiation, and the prevention of extremism. This experience is shared with several international partners, including in Africa. We are training electoral observers as well. In between 2022 and 2025, we trained several African observers, over 180 women, female observers. This WPS agenda should not just hinge on women, it is men as well, leaders, members of the security forces, religious leaders. These are key allies. Their commitment really shapes how we move forward. The next 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security agenda will be measured by specific implementation of these, especially in the lives of women affected by conflict and Morocco is prepared to share experience because each society with its own values needs to uphold this. I thank you.


Greece · President [3:52:26]:

Representative of Morocco for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Myanmar.


Myanmar [3:52:34]:

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, at the outset, I wish to congratulate

Greece on assuming the presidency this month and express our appreciation to you for convening this open debate.

I also thank the Secretary-General, Executive Director of UN Women, and a civil society briefer for their remarks. Mr. President, Myanmar joined the WPS joint statement initiated by Greece and commend your leadership in this regard.

As a country undergoing armed conflict

instigated by the military coup in 2021, Myanmar reaffirm our commitment to uphold the WPS agenda and strengthen its implementations. In this regard, I wish to underscore the following points in the context of Myanmar. First, protect the lives of women.

More than 8,600 people, including 2,391 women, have been murdered.

by the military since the coup.

Around three quarters of the women were killed in military airstrikes and heavy weaponry fire.

Unfortunately, these atrocities are enabled, facilitated, and emboldened by the transport of arms and weapons by Member States to the military junta, as well as by their hasty and unwarranted engagement with this military junta. Therefore, I appeal to all Member States to cut the flow of arms, weapons, jet fuel, other dual-use

items, and related technologies to the military junta to protect the people of Myanmar, including women and children. Second, preserve civic space for women.

At least 6,659 women have been arbitrarily arrested on political grounds since the military coup. The imposition of restrictive policies and heightened surveillance by military junta has sharply deteriorated civil space in the country.

Restoration of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women requires restoration of democratic norms, institutions,

and rule of law in my country.

Third, prevent recurrence of violations against women. The military junta has systematically use conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence as a deliberate tactic to intimidate women and repress their political participations. The Council can therefore enforce accountability measures for human rights violations

committed by the military junta in Myanmar, including follow-up resolution to the Security Council Resolution 2669, to address impunity, prevent recurrence of violations against women, and achieve justice for victims.

Fourth, promote participation of women in peace process. The Secretary-General stressed in his report that the

military-controlled sham elections offer no credible pathway for women’s political inclusion and further entrench male-dominated political structures in Myanmar. Women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in peace and political process is contingent upon the eradicating of military dictatorship and building a federal democratic union. Last but not least, pledge effective and appropriate support to women. The WPS agenda cannot be sustained without adequate resources and funding to our courageous women leaders in Myanmar.

I urge the international community and donor countries

to provide direct, flexible, and predictable financing to women’s civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and frontline peacebuilders.

At the same time, comprehensive mental and psychosocial support should be extended to survivors of CRSV and GBV.

In conclusion, Mr. President,

Women of Myanmar across different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and all

walks of life are doing their part to save their lives, protect their community, and implement the WPS agenda.

Their voices are loud and clear about what needs to be done to address the root

cause of the conflict in Myanmar and ultimately advance the WPS agenda. It is up to the international community, particularly this Security Council to listen to their voices, support them effectively, and take effective action immediately.

They need you.

They need your help.

Please do not fail them anymore.

I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [3:57:27]:

I thank the representative of Myanmar for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Bangladesh.


Bangladesh [3:57:36]:

Mr. President, Bangladesh is proud of its role as one of the co-sponsors of Resolution 1325. We remain fully committed to its effective and full implementation. We have joined the statement issued by the Presidency yesterday. As a major troop contributing country, Bangladesh has prioritized enhancing women's capacity in its military and police contingents in UN missions. We have adopted a national plan on women, peace, and security. Consultations with stakeholders, particularly civil society and women's groups, is a key feature of the plan. At the national level and in local communities, the empowerment of women and girls in all aspects of public life and in community leadership, as well as the prevention of gender-based violence, are major objectives of our government. Mr. President, the evidence is clear that women's participation makes peace and security more durable. When women's rights are better protected, social gains are better assured, peace dividends are higher. And yet, the report of the Secretary-General on Women, Peace and Security this year is sobering. The percentage of women negotiators have fallen in non-UN-led contexts. The level of violence against women and girls has spiked in conflicts globally. The pushback on international norms has set back the progress on women's human rights in many parts of the world. Declining humanitarian and development assistance, and the rise in military spending have taken a heavy toll on women and girls. Mr. President, while we have made progress nationally, we are disturbed by the global recession. Women must be meaningfully involved in peace processes and across all decision making structures, including in political leadership. Women leaders must be able to participate safely, free from intimidation and reprisals. Predictable, sustained financing is necessary to expand and sustain gender expertise in peace operations. and to support vulnerable communities in some of the most fragile situations in the world. Women's organizations must be supported, especially those who are working on the front lines in conflict-affected contexts. Too often, they become targets when UN missions are withdrawn. Mr. President, let me end by recalling that the underlying objective of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is to challenge the security paradigm: security for whom and at what cost? It is essential that we focus on security with a gender lens. Security Council decisions and UN mission mandates must not be silent on women’s equal and full participation and protection of their.

Rights.

An inclusive approach to peace and security has never been more urgent than it is today. Thank you.


Greece · President [4:00:49]:

I thank the representative of Bangladesh for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Burundi.


Burundi [4:01:00]:

Mr. President, my delegation would like to thank you for convening this open debate. Dedicated to the effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security, the WPS agenda. 26 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, we believe that it is no longer enough to reaffirm our commitments. We must demonstrate through concrete acts that women are not only the victims of conflicts, but they are also indispensable agents for conflict prevention, conflict resolution, as well as for peacebuilding. In order to translate these commitments into results, we must, first and foremost, recognize the progress that has been accomplished, all the while assessing what remains to be done. Burundi welcomes the normative and institutional progress that has been made in Africa, in particular through the Maputo Protocol, the Windhoek Declaration, the FemWise Africa Network, as well as the African Women Leaders Network, in addition to the national action plans dedicated to the WBS agenda. These achievements attest to genuine African political resolve. Nonetheless, the challenge remains their effective implementation, financing and follow-up. On this note, Burundi would like to welcome the launch on the 15th of September of this year of the 2026-2028 plan, strategic plan of the Office of the African Union's Special Envoy for WPS. This framework is an important step forward, a step on the way towards women's participation and leadership in peace processes towards the improvement of their protection and towards strengthening the mechanisms for conflict prevention, accountability, and sustainable financing. Burundi encourages tangible implementation of these objectives in a spirit of collective responsibility and enhanced cooperation between the African Union, the United Nations, member states, regional organizations, and civil society. As Africa's experience has shown us, the yardstick for measuring our commitments, the value of our commitments, is not the number of texts we've adopted, but rather the concrete changes these texts produce, changes in the daily lives of women and girls. In order for these commitments to translate into tangible results, women's participation should become a reality at all stages of peace processes. We cannot accept that women are mobilized to support communities in times of crises, and then for these same women to be sidelined when the accords which will determine their future are being negotiated. Women should fully participate in mediation, negotiations, ceasefire monitoring mechanisms, as well as mechanisms for the implementation and follow-up of peace accords. Their presence must go hand-in-hand with an ability to influence decisions. Burundi’s experience reminds us that peace is built within communities through dialogue, reconciliation, and restoring trust. Women are doing this work day in, day out, and they deserve recognition. With this in mind, my delegation welcomes the upcoming seventh edition of the High-Level Forum of Women Leaders to be held next year in Bujumbura, and this under the leadership of Her Excellency Ms. Angeline Ndayishimiye, the First Lady of the Republic of Burundi. This forum will contribute to promoting the empowerment of women and girls, their contribution to conflict prevention, as well as community resilience in the face of climate change, especially through the peaceful management of natural resources, access to essential services, and financing mechanisms. It is not enough to consult women. We must guarantee that women have an effective role to play in decision-making and allow them to genuinely influence the decisions which shape their future. Third, we must ensure that protection, justice and financing are priorities which are inextricably linked. The protection of women and girls should not come into play only after violence has occurred. It should be factored into crisis prevention, the design of humanitarian responses, and the assistance provided to affected communities. Conflict-related sexual violence, forced displacement, trafficking in girls, and attacks against women human rights defenders remain major concerns. We should bolster prevention mechanisms, fight against impunity, and guarantee women survivors have access to justice, care, and tailored assistance. We should also protect women mediators, activists, journalists, and humanitarian workers against reprisals, threats, and violence, including those facilitated by digital technologies and AI. No ambition can be realized without predictable, sustainable, and accessible resources for local women's organizations. Financing allocated to this agenda must be viewed as an investment in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, rather than an afterthought. Aside from commitments, it’s vital to mobilize the necessary means to implement these commitments. To this end, we would like to pinpoint four priorities: First, systematically mainstream the WPS agenda in African Union and United Nations policies and mechanisms related to conflict prevention, mediation, peace support operations, humanitarian action, as well as recovery and reconstruction. Strengthen accountability by backing up our commitments with measurable indicators, follow-up mechanisms, and the requisite financing. Third, craft lasting partnerships with women's organizations and directly support women who are working directly in affected communities. Four, bolster cooperation between the African Union, the UN, regional organizations, and member states so as to ensure coordinated, coherent, and sustainable action on the WPS agenda. Mr. President, these priorities speak to a fundamental conviction: the conviction that peace can only be forged with women. It cannot be forged without them. It cannot be forged without respecting their rights, nor if we do not recognize their leadership. We must move from representation to clout, from commitments to means, and from promises to accountability. The true measure of The effectiveness of resolution 1325 will not be the pronouncements we make today. No, it will be what women and girls will effectively see change in their lives: more security, more justice, more dignity, and more power to act. I thank you.


Greece · President [4:08:29]:

I thank the representative of Burundi for the statement. I now give the floor to to the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.


Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) [4:08:44]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Venezuela would like to thank the Greek Presidency for convening this debate, which is being held only a few days before the 26th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325, adopted on the 31st of October of 2000. which recognized the fundamental role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as in the building and consolidation of peace. More than a quarter century after its adoption, a significant gap persists between the commitments undertaken and their effective implementation. The fact that in 2025, women represented only 5% of chief negotiators and 14% of those serving in mediation roles highlights the urgency of moving from commitments to results. As indicated by the theme of this debate, implementation must be the priority. Experience shows that peace agreements are more likely to endure when women participate fully, equally, and meaningfully in their negotiation and implementation. We are following with interest the active participation of women in the selection process for the next Secretary-General, man or woman, of the United Nations. A greater presence of women in decision-making and international leadership positions helps reflect the diversity of our societies. enriches the formulation of collective responses, and strengthens the management of matters relating to international peace and security. We also speak from our own experience. Venezuela today has a woman serving as both head of state and head of government, President Delcy Rodríguez. who represents Venezuelan women at the highest levels of public responsibility and leads a new political stage focused on dialogue, inclusion, peaceful coexistence, and national renewal. Venezuela is also being reborn through the leadership of its women, whose contribution is indispensable for the transformation of the country and the construction of a future of peace and well-being. Mr. President, sustainable peace requires addressing the structural causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, and exclusion. While global military spending is approaching $3 trillion annually, significant financing gaps remain for social protection, essential public services, and preventive diplomacy. The effective implementation of national action plans on women, peace and security requires predictable and sustainable financial resources, national ownership, and international cooperation based on respect for sovereignty without conditions or interference. Unilateral coercive measures, which are incompatible with the principles of the UN Charter and international law, exacerbate the vulnerabilities faced by women and girls and restrict the capacities of States to guarantee their protection and well-being. Venezuela therefore reiterates its call for the lifting of these measures. In our country, following the earthquake of 24 June, reconstruction efforts are advancing with a focus on protection, resilience and inclusion, ensuring that women, girls and families occupy a central place in the recovery process. Through this process, Venezuela is being reborn through solidarity, the resilience of its people, and the commitment to leave no one behind. Today, we raise our voice alongside every woman and every girl suffering the consequences of armed conflict, to remind them that they are not alone. Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as to the need to respond to emerging challenges that threaten the rights and participation of women, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, online harassment, online hate speech, and the risks associated with the misuse of artificial intelligence. These forms of violence can silence voices, deepen inequalities, and exclude women from public and decision-making spaces. We must strengthen prevention, protection and accountability, and act decisively to guarantee the full exercise of their rights and their effective participation in all areas of society. There will be no lasting peace without the full, equal and substantive participation of women. Let us make the next 25 years a period of concrete progress in implementing resolution 1325. so that its promise may be translated into tangible realities for all women and girls. Let peace cease to be an unfilled promise and become a shared reality. Thank you very much.


Greece · President [4:14:12]:

I thank the representative of Venezuela for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa.


South Africa [4:14:23]:

Thank you, Mr. President. South Africa welcomes this open debate as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the full, effective, and accelerated implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on women, peace, and security agenda. 26 years after its adoption, progress remains uneven. Women remain unrepresented in peace processes and decision-making. while women and girls continue to face displacement, conflict-related sexual violence, and other violations. Inadequate financing and threats against women peacebuilders further undermines implementation. Women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding, and post-conflict governance is fundamental to sustainable peace. Mr. President, South Africa's National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security for 2020-2025 and the Gertrude Shope Women's Mediation Network provides important frameworks for strengthening women's leadership and participation in peace and security. Within the South African National Defense Force, women occupy 22% of senior decision-making positions. and 27% of technical expert positions. South Africa has set ambitious target to accelerate progress, increasing women's recruitment at entry level to 40%, raising their representation in uniform, decision making, and military courses to 40% by 2030. and achieving 20% representation of women in uniform in deployment by 2028. Regionally, South Africa recognizes the contributions of South African development communities, mediation, and peacekeeping training structures, alongside continental mechanisms such as FemWise Africa, the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security, and the Continental Results Framework. Mr. President, South Africa emphasized three priorities. First, protection and accountability. We call for stronger measures to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence and all forms of gender-based violence. Survivors must have access to comprehensive survivor-centered services, and perpetrators must be held accountable. Women human rights defenders, Journalists, activists, and peacebuilders must be protected from threats and reprisals. Second, prevention and implementation. Sustainable peace requires investment in preventative diplomacy, inclusive governance, and women economic empowerment. National action plans must have measurable targets, clear responsibilities, adequate resources, and effective monitoring, with women's organization meaningfully involved throughout implementation. Third, sustainable financing. The Women, Peace, and Security agenda cannot be realized without predictable, adequate, and accessible funding. South Africa calls for greater support for national action plans, local peace builders, and women-led organizations, including through the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. We must also Mr. President, as we look forward to next quarter century, success must be measured by tangible improvement in the rights, security, and leadership of women and girls. South Africa reaffirms the importance of multilateral cooperation and calls for decisive action to translate commitment into measurable results. Sustained political will, adequate financing, and effective accountability are essential. The promise of Resolution 1325 must be fulfilled through collective responsibility and concrete action. I thank you, Mr. President.


Greece · President [4:19:14]:

I thank the representative of South Africa for the statement. There are still a number of speakers remaining on my list for this meeting. I intend, with the concurrence of members of the Council, to suspend the meeting until Friday afternoon, 30 October. This meeting is suspended.