Twenty-five years after the United Nations adopted a groundbreaking resolution to ensure women's equal participation in peace and security efforts, global leaders are sounding the alarm: progress is stalling, and in some cases, reversing. On October 7, 2025, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the Security Council with a message that was as impassioned as it was sobering. "Too often, we gather in rooms like this one — full of conviction and commitment — only to fall short when it comes to real change in the lives of women and girls caught in conflict," Guterres said, according to Xinhua news agency.
His words marked the anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted on October 31, 2000. This landmark resolution called for equal participation of women in all peace processes and the protection of women and girls from violence during conflict. Yet, as Guterres made clear, the world is still far from meeting these goals. "We speak of inclusion, yet far too frequently women remain absent from negotiating tables. We speak of protection, yet sexual violence persists with impunity. We speak of leadership, yet women peacebuilders are underfunded, under threat, and under-recognized," he observed during the annual open debate on women, peace, and security.
The statistics paint an unsettling picture. Last year, 676 million women lived within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict events—the highest number in decades, and the highest since the 1990s, as reported by the Associated Press. Incidents of sexual violence against girls surged by 35 percent, with girls making up nearly half of all victims in certain regions. Maternal mortality is rising in crisis zones, girls are being pulled from school, and women in public life—including politicians, journalists, and human rights defenders—face escalating threats, violence, and harassment.
Guterres warned that the gains made since the adoption of Resolution 1325 are "fragile and—very worryingly—going in reverse." He cited troubling global trends: increased military spending, more armed conflicts, and shocking brutality against women and girls. "And we all lose—women and men, girls and boys," he said, emphasizing that the consequences of these setbacks ripple far beyond just those directly affected.
Despite these grim realities, there have been some notable achievements. Since 2000, the number of women in uniform as UN peacekeepers has doubled. Women have taken the lead in local mediation efforts, advanced justice for survivors of gender-based violence, and played a key role in promoting recovery and reconciliation in war-torn communities. UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous highlighted these successes, pointing to the Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan and the Central African Republic, where women have helped reduce community violence. In Haiti, women have achieved near parity in the provisional electoral council, and women's representation in Chad's National Assembly has doubled. Syria's interim constitution now guarantees rights and protections for women, and in Ukraine, women have succeeded in codifying national relief efforts aimed at helping women into law.
But Bahous, like Guterres, cautioned that these gains are under threat. She lamented the "renewed pushback against gender equality and multilateralism," a trend worsened by what she described as "short-sighted funding cuts." According to Bahous, these cuts are having a devastating impact: "They are undermining education opportunities for Afghan girls, curtailing life-saving medical care for tens of thousands of sexual violence survivors in Sudan, Haiti and beyond, and limiting access to food for malnourished women and children in Gaza, Mali, Somalia and elsewhere."
The financial distress facing women-led organizations is especially acute. A recent UN Women survey found that 90 percent of local women-led groups in conflict settings reported financial distress, with nearly half expecting to shut down within six months. These organizations are often lifelines for millions of women and girls in crisis, providing support where formal systems fall short. Guterres stressed the urgent need for "measurable change: more women shaping peace agreements, security reforms and recovery plans; more survivors accessing services and justice; more communities drawing from the vitality and strength of all their people."
Guterres did not mince words about the need for action. "Resolution 1325 is clear: women are leaders of peace for all. The world does not need more reminders of that truth—it needs more results that reflect it," he declared. He called on the UN’s 193 member nations to increase their commitment to women caught in conflict, not only through new funding but also by ensuring women’s participation in peace negotiations, accountability for sexual violence, and their protection and economic security.
Bahous echoed this call, stressing that while the normalization of misogyny and the rise of anti-equality rhetoric might seem unstoppable, "it is not. Those who oppose equality do not own the future, we do." Her remarks underscored a key theme: progress is possible, but only if the international community recommits to the principles of Resolution 1325 and backs those commitments with resources and political will.
There is, however, a stark warning embedded in these appeals. The world is witnessing "more armed conflicts, and more shocking brutality against women and girls," as Guterres put it. The stakes are high—not just for women and girls, but for the prospects of peace and stability globally. When women are excluded from peace processes, when their voices go unheard and their needs unmet, the resulting agreements are less durable and less just. Conversely, when women are included, research consistently shows that peace agreements are more likely to last.
Looking forward, the challenges are daunting. The reversal of gains in women’s participation and protection threatens to unravel decades of hard-won progress. Yet, the stories of women peacebuilders from Abyei to Ukraine, and the tireless work of local organizations—often underfunded and under threat—offer hope and a blueprint for what’s possible when the world chooses inclusion over exclusion, and action over rhetoric.
As the UN marks a quarter-century since Resolution 1325, the message from global leaders is unmistakable: the world cannot afford to let the women, peace, and security agenda slip further from reach. The time for reminders has passed; now is the time for results that reflect the vital role women play in building and sustaining peace.
