PeaceRep: 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security - Assessments and future perspectives
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of Resolution 1325 by the United Nations Security Council, which gave birth to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, PeaceRep - Rethinking peace & transition processes in a changing conflict landscape offers an insight into the progress made and the challenges still to be faced in implementing the Agenda, which remains incomplete.
Regarding the implementation of a gender perspective in peace agreements, it is highlighted that a mere 21% of peace agreements signed between 1990 and 2016 include provisions relating to women, their inclusion and their rights, most of which focus on women's participation and equality. However, these are often generic references, lacking concrete mechanisms to ensure their effective realization. Crucial issues such as the creation of new institutions for women or their involvement in the implementation of agreements still receive little attention.
Concerning agreements that provide for the sharing of political power, these are more likely to include provisions in favor of women and also show higher rates of effective implementation.
Gender-based violence continues to represent a significant obstacle to women's participation in peacebuilding processes, and despite this, only 3% of peace agreements explicitly address this issue. In conflict contexts, the phenomenon proves to be particularly entrenched, fueled by pre-existing social norms that normalize and perpetuate it. In particular, domestic violence emerges as a concrete brake on women's engagement in public political life, significantly limiting their possibilities of taking active roles in peace processes and post-conflict political institutions.
On the international law front, progress has been made in defining, monitoring, and enforcing women's rights in conflict situations. International norms have proven to play an important role in defining national agendas for conflict resolution, supporting the mobilization of women's movements, and shaping the content of peace agreements. However, several critical areas still require targeted interventions. Priorities include strengthening specific legal protections for women's rights, better implementation of existing guarantees by international institutions, and more effective coordination between key bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Criminal Court, and the UN Security Council.