Milestones: 2020 20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, aimed at addressing the situation of women in conflict. Despite ten resolutions as part of what has come to be known as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, we still live in a world with war and violence, where women are disproportionately impacted. 

The lack of political will to holistically implement the WPS agenda as well as the staggering pushback against women's rights at a global scale clearly demonstrate that the impending anniversary of the WPS agenda must not be a cause for celebration, but a call to action that addresses the gendered impact of conflict, reaffirms the rights of all women and girls, and urgently propels much-needed action towards conflict prevention, disarmament, and demilitarization. 

In preparation for the upcoming anniversary of 1325, WILPF has prepared a series of initiatives to amplify women's voices on the progress and gaps of WPS implementation and to reclaim the radical potential of the WPS agenda for feminist peace. 

 

Upcoming Events:

  • 27 October 2020, 7:30-8:45pm (ET) - The Past, Present and Future: Women's Role in Advancing Peace in Korea - On 27 October, join Madeleine Rees, WILPF Secretary-General; Suzy Kim, Professor, Rutgers University; Hyun-Sook Lee, Honorary representative, Women’s Forum for Peace and Diplomacy; Christine Ahn, Executive Director, Women Cross DMZ; and Ambassador Youngsook Cho, ROK Ambassador of Gender Equality for a roundtable discussion on the role of women in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula hosted by the Korea Peace Now! campaign. Register on Zoom.
  • 3 November, 4:00pm CET (Berlin time) - WILPF Germany: National Action Plans of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. This webinar is organized by WILPF Germany and the Civic Solidarity Platform Working Group of Gender and Women’s Realities. It aims to provide a platform for civil society and women’s rights activist that have been part of NAP writing processes in the OSCE region or who try to push for NAPs in their countries, to exchange experiences, find best practices and create mutual learning effects. Register on Zoom.

  • 6 November, 4.30 pm CET (Madrid time) - WILPF Spain: Balance de la agenda Mujeres, Paz y Seguridad en el ámbito internacional / Taking stock of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the international sphere. WILPF Spain is organizing a series of three webinars for the anniversary. The first webinar is titled “Taking stock of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the international sphere” and it will analyse the main contributions and proposals for the implementation on 1325 and discuss how to incorporate them into the Spanish National Action Plan (NAP). Speakers will include: Manuela Mesa, Director of CEIPAZ and Vice-President of WILPF Spain, Maria Villellas, Researcher of the Escola de Cultura de Pau and International Representative of WILPF Spain, and Madeleine Rees, WILPF Secretary-General. The discussion will be moderated by Carolina Jiménez, member of WILPF Spain. The webinar will have simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation.

 

Past Events:

  • 21 October 2020, 9:00-10:30am, (US EST) - UNSCR 1325 at 20 Years: Perspectives from Feminist Peace Activists - There are ten Women, Peace and Security resolutions, many frameworks for gender equality, and countless commitments by member states, but we still live in a world with war and violence, where women and girls are disproportionately affected. Women are leading the way for peace in their communities, whether through early warning systems, peace processes, or advocating for human rights to education and livelihood. Join women leaders and peace activists from Australia, Colombia, Libya, Nigeria, and Sweden as they share their experiences advocating for peace and human security in their communities. Their reflections are also part of WILPF’s upcoming report about the past 20 years of WPS implementation, from the perspective of women peace activists. 
  • 28 September 2020, 10-11:30AM EDT (NY time) -​ How Feminist Peace Can Transform Power, People, and Our Planet​ -  On 28 September, join feminist peace activists and WILPF leaders Joy Onyesoh, Amani Beainy, Jamila Afghani, Melissa Torres, and Madeleine Rees for a frank discussion and critical analysis of how feminist peace can transform the systems of power within our societies that generate inequality, violence, and environmental degredation. Register on Eventbrite.
  • WILPF Australia Webinar Series
    • 29 September 2020, 5:30-6:30 (AEST) - Women, Peace and Security: Civil Society’s Role in Building UNSCR 1325.
    • 8 October 2020, 5:30-6:30pm (AEST) - Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2012-19): Gender Equality, Human Security and Sustainable Development

 

2020 Open Letter to Permanent Representatives to the United Nations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1325 (2000)​

We are proud to be one of 558 civil society organisations around the world to sign on to the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security 2020 Open Letter, calling on the UN and Member States to prioritize women’s participation and fully implement the WPS agenda. Read our collective calls in Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish: wps.ngo/oct2020letter

 

Upcoming WILPF Report on 20 Years of Women, Peace and Security Implementation

WILPF will be publishing a landmark global report for the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, which will assess the priorities and commitments on WPS implementation by states, and reflect on the state of accountability for the overall agenda. The report is grounded in research and consultation with partner organisations and WILPF National Sections and Groups. 

To inform the report, WILPF convened a three-day online consultation through Platform4Dialogue, to hear from WILPF members, partners, peacebuilders, and other relevant WPS practitioners on their assessment of the WPS agenda implementation.  The online consultation took place over the course of three days, from September 15-17, 2020. 

The report is also informed by key interviews and a global survey of WILPF members and partners.