Peace and Security

Conflicts affect women, men, girls and boys differently. Each group has specific priorities and needs that must be addressed through targeted approaches.Over recent decades, the nature of conflict has changed. Today the majority of conflicts in the Asia Pacific region are sub-national, localized, and protracted - leaving deeply rooted and long lasting effects.

UN Security Council resolution 1325, unanimously adopted in 2000, acknowledges the importance of the participation of women and the inclusion of gender perspectives in peace negotiations, humanitarian planning, peacekeeping operations, post conflict peacebuilding and governance. Since its adoption, a body of internationally agreed upon norms and standards that relate to women, peace and security (WPS) has emerged and been advocated by the UN for implementation by Member States.

Despite this framework and the milestones achieved, obstacles and challenges persist that prevent the full implementation of the WPS Agenda, including Asia and Pacific. Women and girls in the region continue to be excluded from peace processes, conflict prevention initiatives, and relief and recovery efforts. A prevalence of sexual violence, low participation rates of women in formal peace processes, limited political will to fully implement National Action Plans on WPS and a lack of financing for the WPS agenda all significantly inhibit progress.

UN Women’s Approach and Solutions

UN Women recognizes that peace is only sustainable if women are fully included, and that peace is inextricably linked with equality between women and men. Women bring different perspectives and capacities to conflict prevention, peace-making, peace keeping, peace building, recovery and reconstruction. In addition to women’s meaningful participation being critical to the stability and formation of inclusive governance and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, women’s engagement also strengthens gender justice through the reform of laws, judicial systems and political processes. Furthermore, women’s participation in peace process mediation and negotiation efforts dramatically increases the likelihood that peace agreements reached through those processes will be sustainable.

UN Women’s role in the Asia Pacific region includes mainstreaming gender in peace and security operations at all times, raising awareness, supporting women’s capacity building on peace mediation and advocating for gender-sensitive policies and programmes. In addition, UN Women has been actively promoting women’s participation in conflict resolution dialogues and peace and security processes, and the integration of gender equality perspectives in all aspects of informal and formal peace building efforts across the region.

Partnerships for Peace: Commemorating 25 Years of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

The Government of Japan and UN Women are partnering to forge partnerships to accelerate the meaningful participation of women in peace and security decision-making and processes at all levels in Asia and the Pacific, and globally.

The “Partnerships for Peace – Commemorating 25 Years of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda” programme is timely as the global community’s commitments under UN Security Council resolution 1325 come under heightened scrutiny in 2025. This cooperation aims to advance collaborative efforts among Member States at the global and regional level, and to support the advancement and implementation of the WPS agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific component is being implemented by the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

UN Women’s support on the WPS agenda is guided by a five-year Regional Framework Towards Peaceful, Inclusive Societies, which outlines strategies to effectively meet traditional and emerging peace and security challenges across Asia and the Pacific. 

Updates

30 June 2025 | Announcement

Japan and UN Women to forge partnerships for peace

See Also

• Governance, Peace and Security
• In Focus: 25 Years of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Asia and the Pacific in 2025
• National Action Plans: Women, Peace and Security