Women's participation in peace agreements makes them more sustainable - study

The Conversation reports that women's involvement in post-conflict reconstruction reduces the likelihood of conflict recurrence by an average of 11 per cent. If women are involved under the auspices of the UN, this figure rises to 37 per cent.

Thestudy was published to mark the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, adopted on 31 October 2000. The document recognised the key role of women in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction of affected societies.

Despite the proclaimed goals, the situation is far from ideal. In an October report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern: women are still rarely included in peace talks, their protection from sexual violence remains inadequate, and women's peace initiatives are chronically underfunded.

According to the UN Women 2025 report, cuts in overseas aid are having a negative impact on women's organisations involved in peace initiatives. The situation is also compounded by a funding crisis for UN peacekeeping missions, with nearly $2.7 billion in arrears in mid-2025. The share of unpaid funds has risen from 13 per cent in 2015 to 41 per cent in the current budget.

Researchers from the UK analysed 286 peace agreements concluded after armed conflicts, and took an in-depth look at cases in Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Philippines. They found that UN collaboration with women's organisations helps build broad coalitions to negotiate and implement peace agreements. In addition, women's participation enables the needs of vulnerable and previously excluded groups to be included in peace agreements.

For example, in Burundi in 2000, with the support of UNIFEM (now UN Women), a women's conference was organised alongside the main negotiations. As a result, the final agreement included provisions for women's economic and social inclusion in post-war society.

In Liberia, the UN supported the establishment of so-called "peace huts" - spaces for dialogue, mediation and information dissemination. This experience has proven that women's involvement not only helps cement peace agreements, but also prevents the escalation of new conflicts through early warning and fieldwork.

The authors emphasise that sustainable peace is possible, but only if the people who can sustain it are not excluded from the processes. Leaders who claim to want peace must back up their words with action - by funding women's initiatives and strengthening the UN's role in peace negotiations.