Equality means women’s rights belong at the negotiation table

27 October 2026 — At the Security Council meeting on women, peace and security, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that peace processes are more likely to endure when women participate meaningfully. Stability is more achievable when women have equal opportunities to shape their communities’ future. Peace must reflect the leadership, aspirations and contributions of all people, including women and girls.

Women’s exclusion and its consequences

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council open debate on women, peace and security, UN Women Executive Director — Sima Bahous emphasized that women remain systematically excluded from global peace processes despite long-standing commitments. Women’s participation in negotiations fell to just 5% in 2025. She highlighted three urgent challenges:

The cost of None of the 13 ceasefire agreements reached in 2025 included substantive references to women or prohibited sexual violence. Meanwhile, verified cases of sexual violence doubled in one year.
An escalating humanitarian crisis. A record 756 million women and girls live near armed conflict. In these settings, women are five times more likely to die from preventable maternal causes, and girls are two-and-a-half times more likely to be out of school.
Systemic A survey of women-led organizations in crisis zones found that 61% were in a worse financial position than a year earlier, while 45% had less than six months of funding remaining.

Calls to action from UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Restore funding and ensure accountability. All countries must meet their official development assistance commitments and urgently restore funding to organizations supporting women and girls in conflict settings. Those responsible for violence against women and girls must be held fully accountable.
Make every peace effort inclusive. All peace processes, dialogues, ceasefires and peace agreements must reflect the diverse needs of women and girls, without exception.
Protect humanitarian workers and pursue justice. The United Nations will continue securing commitments to end violence, documenting violations and advocating for justice. It will also call for all restrictions on women humanitarian workers to be lifted and for their full protection as they carry out lifesaving work.