On 31 October 2000, following decades of lobbying by civil society organizations, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was unanimously adopted. It is the first United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) to focus on empowering women as active agents of peace and security. The 25th anniversary of this landmark resolution provides an opportunity to reflect on the WPS agenda.
Recognizing that women are disproportionately affected by conflict and war, the resolution emphasizes that they are not solely victims in need of protection. They also have an important role to play in advancing peace processes.
UNSCR 1325 calls for incorporating a gender perspective into peace negotiations, humanitarian activities, peace operations and post-conflict peacebuilding. It also brings to light the need to have women in decision-making roles. In so doing, it helps to address the pervasive barriers to women’s meaningful involvement in peace and security matters, and sets the stage for more inclusive policies and practices.
Focus of the Resolutions
The WPS agenda, set out in UNSCR 1325 and subsequent UN resolutions, is based on four pillars:
- the participation of women in peace processes and in peace and security institutions;
- the protection of women and girls in situations of armed conflict;
- the prevention of violence against women and girls; and
- the need to ensure that a gender lens is applied to post-conflict relief and recovery efforts.
Nine additional WPS resolutions have been adopted since 2000, the most recent of which – UNSCR 2467 and UNSCR 2493 – were adopted in 2019. These nine resolutions, like UNSCR 1325, are binding on UN member states and have strengthened the WPS agenda by implementing additional measures, targets, reporting mechanisms and reviews. Underscoring the importance of these resolutions, the UN’s September 2024 Pact for the Future, adopted by consensus by the 193 member countries of the UN General Assembly, includes Action 19 which focuses on accelerating the implementation of WPS commitments.
Several WPS resolutions focus on sexual violence. For example, UNSCR 1820 indicates that rape and sexual violence can be war crimes and UNSCR 1888 calls for the rapid deployment of women protection advisors to conflicts with high rates of sexual violence. UNSCR 1889, UNSCR 2106 and UNSCR 2122 reference sexual and reproductive health and rights as contributors to international security.
However, as noted in a November 2019 article published by the Security Council Report, during negotiations for the two WPS resolutions adopted in 2019, disagreement among UNSC members resulted in resolutions that do not include references to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Collectively, the 10 WPS resolutions shown in the timeline below have helped to frame advocacy for women’s involvement in issues of peace and security in international affairs.
Figure 1 – Timeline of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security
Source: Figure prepared by the Library of Parliament using data obtained from United Nations, Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security.
Global Progress and Remaining Barriers
In the 25 years since the adoption of UNSCR 1325, various measures have been taken to promote the implementation of the WPS agenda.
For example, in 2004, the UN Secretary-General requested that member states develop national or regional action plans for implementing the WPS agenda. As of October 2025, 115 countries or regions have national action plans, and slightly more than half of those plans include commitments on women’s participation in peace processes.
However, barriers to implementation continue to exist. The UN Secretary-General’s September 2025 report on WPS acknowledges that
25 years into our collective work on the issue of women and peace and security, the halls of government, peace tables and security institutions remain overwhelmingly dominated by men, too often with limited accountability for the outcomes of these decisions.
A 2015 report published by the International Peace Institute found that when women participate in processes for peace agreements, the resulting agreements are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years.
However, research conducted jointly by UN Women and the Council on Foreign Relations indicates that women continue to be underrepresented in peace processes. Worldwide, in major peace processes occurring between 1992 and 2019, women accounted for 6% of mediators, 6% of signatories and 13% of negotiators. In 2025, the UN reported that, on average, women accounted for 14% of mediators, 20% of signatories and 7% of negotiators.
UNSCR 2242, introduced in 2015, aimed to increase the proportion of women participating in police and military contingents in UN peace operations from 4.2% in October 2015 to 8.4% by 2020. While this target was not reached, incremental progress was made, as women accounted for 6.5% of those contingents in June 2020.
New gender equality targets for UN peace operations were set out in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018–2028. According to the Secretary-General’s report, by the end of 2024, the targets for justice and corrections personnel, police officers, military experts and police units had been met or exceeded. For military contingents, the target has not been reached, although progress is steady.
A 2016 analysis published in the journal International Affairs points out that, while important, a proportion does not provide a complete picture of gender equality. Information is also needed about where female peacekeepers are sent, what roles they take on and how an increase in their participation affects operations.
Conflict-related sexual violence remains a persistent issue and is frequently under-reported. In his most recent report about conflict-related sexual violence, the United Nations Secretary-General stated:
In 2024, proliferating and escalating conflicts were marked by widespread conflict-related sexual violence, amid record levels of displacement and increased militarization. Twenty-five years after the adoption by the Security Council of its resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, conflict-related sexual violence continues to primarily affect women and girls.
Canada’s Women, Peace and Security-related Activities and Progress
The Government of Canada characterizes the implementation of the WPS agenda as a “foreign policy priority.” Published in 2024, Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, the government’s third such plan, focuses on increasing women’s participation in peace and security efforts, empowering women and girls, and upholding human rights in fragile and conflict‑affected states.
As well, Canada’s international development policy, Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), and its defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, incorporate aspects of the WPS agenda.
For example, the FIAP’s sixth action area focuses on the impact of women’s participation in peacebuilding and post‑conflict reconstruction, while the defence policy update references the goal of applying Gender-based Analysis Plus to deepen our understanding of crises and promote more refined solutions to address security challenges.
In June 2019, Canada appointed Jacqueline O’Neill as its first ambassador for Women, Peace and Security. Her role was to advise federal ministers on the WPS agenda, assist in implementing Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and represent the country concerning national and international initiatives relating to the WPS agenda. Her term ended in 2025; a successor has not yet been appointed.
Canada also works with other countries on WPS-related initiatives. For example, in 2017, Canada launched the multilateral Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, now extended until March 2027. The initiative is named after Elsie Muriel Gregory MacGill, an aeronautical engineer who, among other accomplishments, headed the domestic production of a Canadian-made fighter jet during the Second World War and advocated for the rights of women and children.
Among other activities designed to increase women’s participation in peace operations, the Elsie Initiative provides training to uniformed women, establishes a global fund to support countries’ efforts to achieve this goal and conducts relevant research.
As well, Canada chairs the 63-member Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, an informal network that comprises representatives from the UN’s five regional groups. Its work includes urging member states to increase the number of women protection advisors deployed to peacekeeping missions.
Finally, Canadian Clare Hutchinson served as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security from 2018 to 2021. During her tenure, she stated that she was particularly proud of The NATO Policy on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, endorsed in 2019 by the NATO ministers of foreign affairs, which demonstrates the alliance’s commitment to the WPS agenda.
Additional Resources
Basu, Soumita, Paul Kirby and Laura J. Shepherd, eds. New Directions in Women, Peace and Security, 2020.
Government of Canada, Progress Report for Canada’s National Action Plan 2017–2022 for the Implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security Fiscal Year 2018–19.
Haastrup, Toni. “Resisting the Tide: Reclaiming the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.” Politics and Gender, Vol. 21, No. 3, September 2025, pp. 696–703.
Tryggestad, Torunn L. “Trick or Treat? The UN and Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.” Global Governance, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2009, pp. 539–557. [Subscription required]
UN Women. Facts and figures: Women, peace, and security. 20 October 2025.
By Marie Dumont, Library of Parliament
The United Nations Security Council’s Women, Peace and Security Resolutions: Selected Salient Elements
| UNSCR 1325 (2000)
Recognizes that women’s contributions to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding have been undervalued and underutilized. Calls for gender perspectives to be incorporated throughout the UN’s policy architecture, as well as in conflict and post-conflict processes. Urges increased participation and representation of women at all levels of decision making. |
| UNSCR 1820 (2008)
Recognizes rape and sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of war and as a grave crime, and demands that all parties to armed conflict cease acts of sexual violence. Calls for more women to be deployed to peacekeeping operations, as well as for troops to be trained to prevent and respond to sexual violence. |
| UNSCR 1888 (2009)
Reiterates that sexual violence in armed conflict, as well as violence against women and children, continue to occur despite calls for them to cease. Establishes women protection advisors within peacekeeping missions, with these advisors rapidly deployed in situations of sexual violence. Calls for the deployment of a team of experts to assist national authorities with their efforts to strengthen the rule of law in cases where sexual violence occurs. |
| UNSCR 1889 (2009)
Establishes the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Recognizes the importance of women’s economic rights in the context of peace and security. Requests that country reports provided to the United Nations Security Council include information about the needs of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations, and that data be collected on these needs. Calls for the development of measurement indicators to monitor implementation of UNSCR 1325 and subsequent Women, Peace and Security resolutions. |
| UNSCR 1960 (2010)
Notes that sexual violence during conflict remains widespread and reiterates the call for it to end. Establishes a “naming and shaming” mechanism that monitors conflicts worldwide. Requires the Secretary-General’s annual reports and referrals to United Nations Sanctions Committees and to the International Criminal Court, to contain a list of parties suspected of having engaged in conflict-related sexual violence. |
| UNSCR 2106 (2013)
Recognizes the need to implement current obligations designed to address sexual violence in conflict situations. Encourages further deployments of women protection advisors and their proper training. Calls for the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for sexual violence. |
| UNSCR 2122 (2013)
Commissions a global study on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 for its 15-year anniversary. Recognizes the need to address the root causes of armed conflict and the security risks faced by women in conflict situations. Stresses the importance of conventional arms control to reduce violence against women, and of the adoption and implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty for this purpose. |
| UNSCR 2242 (2015)
Addresses implementation gaps in relation to the Women, Peace and Security agenda by calling on the United Nations to take two actions: enhance its gender architecture, and prioritize women’s rights and access to justice in conflict situations. Integrates gender as a cross-cutting issue with the United Nations’ countering violent extremism and counterterrorism strategies. Calls on United Nations member states to double the number of women in military and police peacekeeping roles by 2020. Encourages United Nations member states to increase funding for the Women, Peace and Security agenda in their conflict and post-conflict aid. |
| UNSCR 2467 (2019)
Advocates for the adoption of measures that aim to reduce sexual violence in conflict situations, and calls for a survivor-centred approach for victims of sexual violence. Recognizes that structural gender inequality and discrimination are root causes of sexual violence, and notes that United Nations member states have a national responsibility to address these root causes. |
| UNSCR 2493 (2019)
Emphasizes the need to move from commitments to accomplishments as the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action take place in 2020. Encourages regional organizations to convene meetings to review progress on the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to identify steps to improve its implementation. Urges United Nations member states to increase their funding allocated to the Women, Peace and Security agenda through aid provided for conflict and post-conflict situations. |
Categories: Gender Equality, International affairs and defence, Social affairs and population