The United Nations has raised concerns over the declining representation of women in peace negotiations, revealing that they accounted for just five per cent of negotiators across 57 peace processes reviewed in 2025. This represents a drop from seven per cent recorded in the previous year. UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous, disclosed the figures while presenting the Secretary-General’s annual report on Women, Peace and Security during an open debate at the UN Security Council headquarters. She warned that the decline was happening at a time when women’s leadership was increasingly important, particularly amid rising military expenditure and reductions in humanitarian assistance.
Bahous noted that women made up 22 per cent of participants in the three peace processes led or jointly led by the United Nations, although this remained below the minimum one-third representation target. She added that nearly 80 per cent of active peace negotiations in 2025 took place without any woman at the negotiating table, despite more than two decades of commitments under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. According to her, institutional obstacles, unequal power structures and deeply rooted gender expectations continue to limit women’s opportunities to influence decisions on peace and security.
The UN official also highlighted the growing risks facing women and girls in conflict zones, disclosing that almost 40 per cent of women and girls living in extreme poverty were in areas affected by conflict. Displacement and the breakdown of essential services, she said, have increased their exposure to gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Bahous further expressed concern about the financial difficulties confronting women-led organizations in crisis-hit communities. A survey found that 61 per cent of the organizations were in a worse financial position than the previous year, while 45 per cent had less than six months of funding remaining. She warned that inadequate financial support could undermine their efforts to protect rights, support communities and promote peace.
To reverse the trend, Bahous called on UN member states to ensure that women make up at least one-third of participants in peace processes they support. She also urged donors to direct at least 15 per cent of official development assistance allocated to conflict-affected countries towards gender equality, with a minimum of one per cent specifically reserved for women’s organizations. In addition, she called for stronger action against crimes targeting women and girls, including killings, rape, sexual violence and gender persecution.
Bahous urged governments to improve protection for women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers, particularly those facing attacks and reprisals. She also called for consistent enforcement of international law and the UN Security Council’s Women, Peace and Security framework. Stressing that repeated commitments were no longer enough, she said governments and the international community must demonstrate stronger political will and take practical steps to ensure women have a meaningful role in decisions that shape peace and security.
