In focus: Women, peace and security

On 20 October, 2022, the UN Security Council will convene for the Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security (watch it live at 10 AM EST). Guided by briefings from the UN Secretary-General, the Executive Director of UN Women and representatives from civil society, this annual event provides a forum for reviewing the women, peace and security agenda—a key part of UN Women’s mandate.

This year’s debate comes at a moment in which global security—and the role played by women in promoting and maintaining it—is deteriorating. Military spending has reached an all-time high of USD 2.1 trillion; at the same time, funding for women’s organizations in conflict-affected countries is shrinking. So is the percentage of women in peace negotiations—now at a measly 19 per cent in UN-led processes. 

Indeed, as the intersecting crises of rising conflict, COVID-19 and climate change threaten global well-being, recent progress on gender equality has already been a casualty. This global regression on women’s rights has been coupled with heightened violence against women human rights defenders—including those involved in UN peace and security processes: since 2018, more than a third of briefers at the Security Council assisted by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security have been subjected to reprisals and intimidation.