Marking a quarter-century since the landmark adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, United Nations entities and international partners gathered at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda.
Young women are shaping the path to lasting peace — yet they remain underrepresented in negotiations.
At UNHQ, leaders & activists came together to reaffirm the role of young women in building a more peaceful, sustainable future for all.https://t.co/4Lr0nf5mA8#ActNowForPeace pic.twitter.com/0r0tMBAcwi
— United Nations (@UN) November 8, 2025
Organized in a historic collaboration between Vienna-based partners—including the CTBTO, UNODC, UNIDO, UNOOSA—and the OPCW, the event served as both a celebration of progress and a stark call to action. The commemoration highlighted the critical intersection of gender equality with disarmament, space governance, industrial innovation, and crime prevention.
Since 2000, Resolution 1325 has shifted the global paradigm, recognizing that women are not merely victims of conflict but essential architects of its resolution. A featured multi-chapter exhibition at the VIC guided visitors through this evolution, pairing striking imagery—such as women in Peru participating in weapons destruction ceremonies supported by UNLIREC—with the stories of real-world leaders shaping peace and technical innovation.
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Despite twenty-five years of advocacy, the high-level breakfast attended by Permanent Representatives surfaced a sobering reality. Discussion centered on the Secretary-General’s description of the current era as a “moment of reckoning.” Data indicates that no country is currently on track to meet the targets of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and core barriers—ranging from gender-based violence to systemic exclusion from decision-making—are deepening in several regions.
The event underscored that the WPS agenda is not a standalone initiative but the heart of the United Nations’ mission. As the exhibition concludes, the message to the international community is clear: the year 2025 must represent more than a commemoration; it must be the catalyst for a fundamental recommitment.
“When women and girls rise, everyone thrives,” the organizers stated. “Our task now is to close the gap between the resolutions signed in New York and the realities faced by women in peace processes and security frameworks worldwide.”
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