Welcome to Our Secure Future’s monthly Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Research Digest, “the done for you” newsletter on WPS. Read on for a selection of articles and reports from February focused on women’s rights and international peace and security matters.
Welcome to Our Secure Future’s monthly Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Research Digest, “the done for you” newsletter on WPS. Every month, we curate the latest articles and reports on cross-cutting issues related to women’s rights and international peace and security. In February, we searched the web for you, and here’s what we found . . .
WPS in the US
Aid cuts for women and girls lead to instability that reaches us all (Devex)
“A year of aid cuts will lead to generational harm among women and girls and worldwide effects on peace and stability. In humanitarian crises, women and girls face disproportionate risks of violence and harm, but they also form the foundation of resilience and recovery.”
Top Gender Pay Gap Statistics (Forbes)
“The Center for American Progress projects that gender pay equity won't become a reality until 2056. Despite attempts to narrow the gap, women still earn 16% less than men on average, earning just 84 cents for every dollar a man makes.”
Defense and Security
Saudi Arabia puts women on frontlines? KSA Interior Ministry graduates 328 female security recruits (Msn)
“This graduation event is part of a broader trend in Saudi Arabia toward expanding opportunities for women in national security and defence roles, aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative. Women were first permitted to join certain security and military roles in the late 2010s, and the establishment of the Women’s Training Institute under the Ministry of Interior has acted as a central hub for developing Saudi female security professionals.”
Why the WPS Agenda is Critical to Ensuring Sustainable, Just Peace in Ukraine (New Lines Institute)
“From a long-term perspective, agreements are 35% more likely to endure for 15 years when women participate in their design, as women are more likely to expand the agenda with concrete, otherwise overlooked issues. The gendered dimension in the defense sector is not only about the number of women, but about the institutional development of the structures... able and willing to incorporate the WPS agenda into their activities.”
Economic Empowerment
“The initiative seeks to enhance their institutional and technical capacity while equipping conflict-affected women and girls with practical economic and digital skills. By strengthening grassroots women’s organizations and leveraging digital innovation, the pilot addresses immediate recovery needs while laying the foundation for a broader, regionally scalable approach to economic empowerment and peacebuilding.”
Nigeria for Women Programme Scales Up with Launch of Happy Woman App to Digitally Empower 25 Million Women (TechAfricaNews)
“The expanded initiative is set to reach 25 million women across the country, reinforcing the Federal Government’s commitment to women’s economic inclusion and national development. A key component of the programme is the introduction of the Happy Woman App, a digital platform designed to connect women to finance, markets, skills development, essential services, and government support. The programme also integrates Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, placing Nigeria among a select group of countries globally to achieve this milestone.”
Indian women’s labor participation rises from 23% to 42% in last six years: Minister Annpurna Devi (The Tribune)
“Minister Devi emphasized that women’s safety at the workplace is not merely a statutory requirement but a reflection of the nation’s commitment to justice and equality. With rising women’s workforce participation, building secure, sensitive, and opportunity-rich workspaces is essential to unlocking India’s full growth potential.”
Technology
In the hands of innovators from the Global South, AI can transform lives (United Nations)
“The applications for the Global South, in areas ranging from health to agriculture and industry, are having a transformative effect on people’s lives. The UN is focused on bridging the growing ‘AI divide’ – between wealthy and developing economies, as well as the rich and poor within countries – and making AI more accessible to people everywhere.”
From rural margins to media trailblazers: India’s women journalists are rewriting the news (UN News)
“Khabar Lahariya is an all-women media organization run since 2002 by rural reporters, many of them Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim, dispatching fresh stories from some of the most marginalized regions. In today’s context of backlash against gender equality, the exclusion of women in news is not only a gender issue, it is a democratic deficit.”
Women in tech and finance at higher risk from AI job losses, report says (The Guardian)
“Women working in tech and financial services are at greater risk of losing their jobs to increased use of AI and automation than their male peers, according to a report that found experienced females were also being sidelined as a result of 'rigid hiring processes'. It is estimated that about 119,000 clerical roles in tech and the financial and professional service sectors, predominantly carried out by women, will be displaced by automation over the next decade. By investing in people and supporting the development of digital skills within the workforce, employers can unlock enormous potential and build stronger, more resilient teams.”
Women in the remote hills of Nepal use technology to harness change (UNDP Nepal)
“In Nepal’s remote hills, digital energy systems are doing more than powering homes; they are empowering communities, strengthening local institutions, and placing women at the center of a cleaner, more inclusive energy future. As trained meter readers and frontline service providers, women are bridging technology and trust—supporting households to adopt digital payments, explaining new systems, and ensuring that elderly users and women are not left behind.”
Climate
Strengthening Climate Adaptation Through Gender-Responsive Action in Bangladesh (Global Center on Adaptation)
“Gender inequality, social norms, and unequal access to resources continue to influence who benefits from adaptation interventions—and who is left behind. As one participant reflected, gender analysis is not just about numbers. It’s about understanding who has access, who decides, and who benefits. As one participant summed it up, 'gender evaluation is not a box-ticking exercise—linking gender and climate resilience is essential.”
Indigenous Women: Guardians of Biodiversity, Leaders of Peace (United Nations)
“Indigenous women in particular bear the brunt of these overlapping crises, even as they lead the way in advancing climate and peace initiatives. Only a fraction of bilateral aid in conflict settings targets gender equality, and funding for initiatives that link climate action with Women, Peace and Security is exceedingly rare. This gap severely limits the scale and impact of Indigenous women’s grassroots initiatives.”
New project to boost climate resilience across 17 cities in Somalia (UNDP Arab States)
“The initiative is expected to directly benefit more than 850,000 people, improving the lives of vulnerable communities across Somalia, including women, youth, internally displaced persons (IDPs). The initiative will also strengthen local institutions and empower micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including women-led businesses, through training, technical assistance, and access to financing to integrate nature-based solutions and green entrepreneurship.”
General WPS
Reimagining African Governance: Women and Youth at the Center of Inclusive Peacebuilding (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
“Africa’s governance, justice, and peace lie not in numbers alone but in the imagination and agency of its empowered youth and women. Inclusive governance that engages all members of society—including often marginalized groups such as women and youth is essential for achieving sustainable peace and growth.”
Naming the moment without despair: Women mediators in a shifting global order (The Peace Research Institute Oslo)
“Across the world, we see a rise of authoritarianism and a clear backlash against gender equality. Some governments now openly reject feminist agendas, while others quietly step back from commitments they once proudly endorsed. Women mediators, especially at community level, usually operate in informal, relationship-based spaces over long periods of time, which is exactly where trust is built and conflicts are stopped before they turn violent.”
African Women Mediators Still Pushed to the Margins of Peace Processes (Peace News)
“For many African women, entering mediation spaces means navigating environments that are openly patriarchal, where conflict resolution—particularly when it involves land, power, or political authority is still widely viewed as a male domain. For peace processes to be truly effective and sustainable, these voices must be recognized not as exceptions, but as central to building lasting peace.”
Venezuela’s Democratic Transition Needs Women, Including Machado (Council on Foreign Relations)
“Without the leadership, inclusion, and sustained mobilization of women, Venezuela’s chances to return to democracy after decades of repression will be far dimmer. The status of women and the stability of nations are inextricably linked: higher levels of equality make countries more prosperous, secure, and democratic. Transition agreements are 64 percent less likely to fail and 35 percent more likely to endure at least fifteen years when women are meaningfully involved in their conception.”
Upcoming and Past Notable Events
February 4, 2026 - Afghan Women Demand Their Rights (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
This event by GIWPS featured a private screening of “The Sharp Edge of Peace”, a documentary following Afghan women negotiators who risked their lives to advocate for peace and women’s rights during talks with the Taliban. It also continued with a panel discussion with Afghan women leaders and experts examining the deterioration of women’s rights since the U.S. withdrawal and explored pathways to advance women, peace, and security in Afghanistan.
February 20, 2026 – What World Are We Building: A Women, Peace and Security and Technology Futures Symposium - Event Recording: Part 1 and Part 2 (Our Secure Future and the McCain Institute)
Our Secure Future, in partnership with the McCain Institute, hosted What World Are We Building? A Women, Peace and Security & Technology Futures Symposium convening policymakers, technologists, civil society leaders, and security practitioners to examine how emerging technologies and artificial intelligence are reshaping peace, security, and democratic governance through a Women, Peace and Security lens. The symposium focuses on policy blind spots, democratic resilience, and practical innovations that can inform responsible technology governance.
February 24, 2026 – Oslo Launch of the Fifth Edition of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index (PRIO Center on Gender, Peace and Security and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
GIWPS and the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security hosted the Oslo launch of the latest Women, Peace and Security Index, which ranks 181 countries and paints a sobering picture: global progress on women's wellbeing has largely stalled, with an estimated 676 million women exposed to conflict in 2024. Presentations covered regional trends, a closer look at Ukraine, and how the Index can be used as a practical tool for policymakers and advocates.
March 5, 2026 – International Symposium on Women’s Leadership for Peace and Security (Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation co-hosted an international symposium examining the critical role of women in advancing peace and security worldwide. Taking place 25 years after the landmark adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the event explored both the progress and the mounting challenges facing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda - from escalating global conflicts and rising authoritarianism to persistent cultural barriers that limit women's leadership.
Discussions drew on historical and contemporary examples of women's decisive contributions to peace negotiations, from Northern Ireland and Liberia to Colombia and the Philippines, while addressing how women leaders can navigate today's volatile geopolitical landscape. The symposium also reflected on Japan's own milestone moment as the country welcomed its first female prime minister.
March 18, 2026 – Addressing the laws and practices that criminalize women due to poverty and status worldwide (CSW70 side event schedule)
Speakers from Member States, UN entities, civil society, and women with lived experience will discuss key recommendations for gender-transformative, rights-based justice reform. They will emphasize the need for robust, disaggregated data, participatory research methods centered on women’s expertise, and comprehensive legislative reforms, including the decriminalization of offences disproportionately affecting women due to poverty, caregiving burdens, or social marginalization. Reforms must align with international standards such as the UN Bangkok Rules and be reinforced by public awareness efforts to counter stigma, discrimination, and harmful gender norms.
April 25-26, 2026 – Second Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding (The Global Network of Indigenous Peacebuilders, Mediators, and Negotiators)
Two years after the inaugural gathering, the Second Global Summit on Indigenous peacebuilding in New York City will convene to reflect, strengthen, and operationalize this transformative agenda. It aims to advance a global movement where Indigenous Peoples are not only peace recipients but recognized as peace architects and guardians of our planet's balance.