By Ramesh Jaura* – rjaura.substack.com
A landmark UN report sounds the alarm.
When we think about war and peace, we often picture men in uniforms, generals in strategy rooms, and presidents at podiums. But around the world, it’s women who are bearing the brunt of war — and fighting to build peace.
A landmark new report from the United Nations is sounding the alarm: the world is experiencing the highest number of armed conflicts since 1946, and it’s women and girls who are suffering the most. This is not a distant problem, but a pressing issue that demands our immediate attention and action.
The 2025 UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace and Security paints a devastating picture. Released to mark the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 — a commitment to women’s full participation in peace and security — the report warns that decades of hard-won progress are being undone.
· 676 million women now live within 50 kilometres of deadly conflict — the highest number since the 1990s.
· Civilian deaths among women and children have quadrupled in just two years.
· Conflict-related sexual violence has surged by 87%.
“Women and girls are being killed in record numbers, shut out of peace tables, and left unprotected as wars multiply. Women do not need more promises — they need power, protection, and equal participation,” said Sima Bahous, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.
The numbers are staggering. But they aren’t just statistics — they represent shattered lives, silenced voices, and missed opportunities for lasting peace.
War Prevails Over Peace
One of the most striking revelations in the report is the stark imbalance of global priorities. In 2024, global military spending soared past USD 2.7 trillion — a new record. At the same time, women’s organizations working in conflict zones — often the first and last line of defence for communities — received just 0.4% of international aid.
Many of these frontline groups are now on the verge of closure.
“These are not isolated data points,” said Bahous. “They are symptoms of a world that is choosing to invest in war instead of peace — and one that continues to exclude women from shaping solutions.
The report underscores the need for immediate action — not just from governments and the UN, but from the global public. The heart of the issue is not only underfunding, but also systematic exclusion. The time for change is now.
A Broken Pledge
Back in 2000, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was hailed as a turning point. For the first time, the world’s top security body recognized that women are not just victims of war — they are key to peace. This resolution represents not merely a document, but an essential obligation that we are required to honour and maintain.
Resolution 1325 committed governments to four core goals: Participation – Women must be included in peace talks and decision-making; Protection – Women and girls must be shielded from sexual and gender-based violence; Prevention – Gender equality must be part of preventing conflict; Relief & Recovery – Women must receive equal support after conflict.
But today, the gap between those promises and reality is wide — and growing.
In 2024: 9 out of 10 peace processes had no women negotiators, only 7% of negotiators and 14% of mediators were women, gender-based violence continues to rise, with few consequences for perpetrators.
Despite the creation of over 100 National Action Plans to implement 1325, most remain underfunded, unmonitored, or symbolic.
Where the Crisis is Deepest
The 2025 report makes it clear: the crisis is global — from Gaza to Sudan, Ukraine to Myanmar — but it is especially severe in regions where conflict is long-standing, state systems have collapsed, and women’s rights are under direct attack.
Afghanistan: Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghan women have faced a brutal crackdown. Girls have been banned from schools, women driven out of public life, and peacebuilding networks dismantled.
Sudan: Women are facing systematic sexual violence amid Sudan’s deepening civil war. Rape has become a weapon of war, and safe spaces for survivors have vanished.
Occupied Palestinian Territory: In the latest escalation, women and children are making up a growing share of civilian casualties. Access to food, water, and healthcare is increasingly out of reach.
Ukraine: The ongoing war has displaced millions of women, many of whom are now heads of households, caregivers, and community leaders — yet still excluded from formal peace processes.
The Cost of Silence
Sexual violence has long been used as a tactic of war — to terrorize populations, destroy communities, and humiliate victims. But according to the new report, such violence is soaring — and accountability is staggeringly low.
Between 2023 and 2024, there was a significant increase in reports of rape, forced marriage, and trafficking. Survivors often experience shame, face stigma, and have limited access to justice, while those responsible—frequently members of military or armed groups—rarely face consequences for their actions.
As a result, the UN urges: the implementation of tougher laws to safeguard women and girls in conflict areas, international probes into war crimes, ensuring justice and compensation for survivors, and increased backing for local women’s shelters, legal assistance, and trauma recovery services. Inaction will allow these offences to persist and prevent lasting peace.
Women’s Participation Makes Difference
The tragedy is not just that women are suffering — it’s that they are excluded from the very decisions that could protect them. This exclusion is not just a matter of policy, but a grave injustice that perpetuates inequality.
And yet, the evidence is overwhelming: peace processes that include women are more likely to succeed and to last.
Studies show that agreements with women’s participation are 35% more likely to endure over 15 years, women bring broader priorities to peace talks — from education to healthcare to justice, communities where women lead, recover faster from war.
Still, most peace talks remain closed to women. Often, cultural norms, lack of political will, and security risks are cited as barriers. But the real obstacle is power. As Sima Bahous said: “Women do not need more promises. They need power, protection, and participation.”
The Funding Gap
As military spending continues to grow, women-led peace organizations struggle to sustain themselves. These groups are often small and rooted in local communities, offering services such as mediation for local disputes, support for survivors of violence, leadership training for young people and women, legal assistance, and documentation of human rights violations.
Yet in 2024, these groups received less than half of one per cent of aid.
The report warns: unless funding improves, many will shut down — leaving communities more vulnerable, and peace even further out of reach.
A Gender Data Revolution
Another key finding in the report: the world is failing to collect basic data on women in conflict. Without gender-disaggregated data, women’s realities remain invisible. This includes:
1. How many women are killed or injured
2. How conflict impacts women differently than men
3. Who receives aid — and who doesn’t
4. What support services women actually need
UN Women is calling for a “gender data revolution” — a shift to ensure that women’s experiences are not erased or ignored. “Without data,” the report says, “there is no accountability.”
The 2025 report doesn’t just lay out the problem — it issues a clear call for urgent, global action. UN Women is demanding:
1. Inclusive political solutions to conflicts, with women at the table
2. More women in security and recovery leadership roles
3. Concrete accountability for violence against women, including justice and reparations
4. Long-term funding for local women’s peace groups
5. Investment in data systems to track gender in conflict zones
In short, the WPS agenda must move from words to results.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
The Women, Peace and Security agenda is not a side issue. It is central to building a more peaceful, just, and equal world.
As wars multiply and extremism grows, women are under threat — but they are also leading change. From local ceasefire negotiations in Colombia to climate resilience in the Sahel, women are showing up — and stepping up.
But they can’t do it alone. Governments, international institutions, media, and citizens all have a role to play.
Will the World Finally Listen?
Twenty-five years ago, the international community made a promise with Resolution 1325: that women would no longer be sidelined in matters of war and peace.
Today, that promise is hanging by a thread.
Conflict is at record highs. Violence against women is soaring. Men still lead peace processes in suits, while the women most affected are kept out of the room — or buried under rubble.
This year’s UN report should be a wake-up call not just for diplomats and policymakers, but for everyone who believes in justice.
Because if peace is to be lasting, it must be inclusive. If we want a safer world, we must invest in the people most committed to peace — and most ignored.
Women don’t just deserve a seat at the table. They’ve earned it.
*Ramesh Jaura has worked as a professional journalist for nearly sixty years. His career includes roles as a freelancer, head of Inter Press Service, and Editor-in-Chief of International Press Syndicate and IDN-InDepthNews.