The UN Secretary-General’s annual report on the women, peace, and security agenda cites PeaceRep research to highlight the stagnation of women’s participation in peace processes, noting that none of the peace agreements in 2023 included women’s representatives as signatories.
The report informed the Security Council’s meeting on advancing women’s roles in peacebuilding amid rising global conflicts.
Read more: Gender, Peace Agreements, and Fragmentation
UN Report Cites PeaceRep Research on Stagnation of Gender References in Peace Agreements
The UN Secretary-General’s annual report on the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda presents a sobering assessment of the lack of progress over the past decade. As in previous years, the report draws on PeaceRep research and data from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database to highlight the continued stagnation of women’s participation in peace processes.
Citing research by PeaceRep Research Fellow, Laura Wise, the report notes on page 9, point 22:
The data show little progress over the past decade. None of the peace agreements reached in 2023 included a women’s group or representative as a signatory.
PeaceRep’s research is also referenced on page 11, point 29, where the report discusses the rise in global conflicts:
The rise in the number of conflicts worldwide has not been followed by a similar rise in the number of peace agreements. Multiple active conflicts in 2023, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, and Gaza, remain unresolved and have contributed to the devastating harm experienced by women and girls, and civilians at large. Out of 31 agreements reached in 2023, only 8 (26 per cent) included explicit references to women, girls, gender, or sexual violence—a slight drop from 28 per cent in 2022.
The report also includes a chart from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database (V8) illustrating the percentage of peace agreements with provisions referencing women, girls, and gender issues from 1990 to 2023.
The Secretary-General’s report, delivered by António Guterres, informed the Security Council’s annual open debate on women, peace, and security (WPS), held on 24 October 2024. This year’s debate, titled “Women Building Peace in a Changing Environment,” focused on advancing the WPS agenda amidst global instability.
The report offers a stark warning:
Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence, progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes. Generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world.
The annual debate, part of the ongoing efforts since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, aims to drive forward the WPS agenda, reinforcing the urgent need for greater inclusion of women in peace processes.
Read the research behind the report:
Gender, Peace Agreements, and Fragmentation (this blog is a publicly available version of the analysis referenced in the report)
Read the full UN Security Council report:
Report of the Secretary-General: Women, peace and security