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 intersectional, cross-cutting issues focused on women’s rights, and international peace and security matters. This July, we searched the web for you, and here’s what we found…
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Defense & Security
Hegseth reassigns first female Naval Academy head (The Hill)
“Navy Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first female to serve as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy is being reassigned, the Defense Department announced Friday. Davids was instead tapped to serve as deputy chief of naval operations, plans, strategy and warfighting development, according to a press release.”
Pentagon suspends participation in think tank events (Politico)
“The Pentagon has suspended participation in all think tank and research events until further notice, according to an email sent Thursday to staff and obtained by POLITICO, a major shift in engagement from the country’s largest federal agency.”
Joint Statement by the Foreign and Defence Ministers of Australia and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries of the United Kingdom on Women, Peace and Security (Australian Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
“We, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of Australia and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries of the United Kingdom, reaffirm our shared commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda as a cornerstone of our foreign and defence policies.”
Women can be drafted into the Danish military as Russian aggression and military investment grow (AP)
“The Scandinavian country is seeking to increase the number of young people in the military by extending compulsory enlistment to women for the first time. Men and women can both still volunteer, and the remaining places will be filled by a gender-neutral draft lottery.”
Economic Empowerment
How women are transforming tourism in India (UN Women)
“Women are the backbone of the tourism economy. Of the entire global workforce in tourism, more than half is female. But due to gender stereotypes, the pressures of care work and other challenges, public-facing positions don’t always reflect that majority. Within this USD 11 trillion industry, women are often in the background, making things work, but are rarely visible. But when women are given access to more prominent roles – backed by the appropriate training, investment and mentorship – the entire industry benefits.”
Empowerment in Action: Unlocking Women’s Economic Opportunities in Europe and Central Asia (World Bank)
“Across Europe and Central Asia, the World Bank is opening doors for women to access better jobs and launch their own businesses. The World Bank’s support ranges from expanding employment pathways in low-opportunity settings to helping women develop the skills and networks needed to access better jobs.”
Technology
AI Without Women Is a Risk: A Benchmark for Peace and Security (Our Secure Future)
“Examining the risk of blind spots in generative AI models, this blog piece discusses the benefits of a dedicated Women, Peace and Security specific benchmark in achieving more effective AI tools and better security outcomes.”
The Digital War on Women Peacemakers (Council on Foreign Relations)
“Women are under siege—not just in the streets or in parliaments, but in the information space. Divisive discourse and conspiracies are pumped out in high volume meant to deny the clear evidence of women’s impact in negotiating and sustaining peace in the world.”
Western Balkans stakeholders unite to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence (UNDP)
“In a demonstration of regional cooperation and knowledge exchange, an online validation workshop was held on 25 June 2025 to address the growing challenge of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF GBV) in the Western Balkans . . . The workshop brought together legal experts, law enforcement, civil society, and digital rights advocates from across the region to discuss the findings of a regional assessment of legal, institutional, and technological frameworks addressing TF GBV.”
Climate
UN Women launches Women, Peace and Climate Security guide for Asia and the Pacific (UN Women)
“A new UN Women Guidance Note offers practical ways for policy and decision-makers, women’s organizations and diverse peacebuilding stakeholders to embed climate change considerations into Women, Peace and Security (WPS) efforts. The Guidance Note is the first comprehensive resource to address the linkages between climate, peace and security through the WPS framework.”
Women’s Resistance to War, Injustice and Environmental Crisis (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom)
“This policy brief sheds light on the urgent and underexplored intersections between climate justice and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Drawing on feminist peacebuilding frameworks and case studies from Zimbabwe, Togo and Colombia, it examines how climate and ecological crises are deeply gendered, disproportionately affecting women, especially in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.”
General WPS
Hope, power, action: Women reclaiming peace (UNDP)
“As we navigate a world marked by conflict, climate disruption and democratic backsliding, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is more urgent than ever. It is our blueprint for transforming power relations and placing women’s leadership at the heart of crisis response and recovery.”
Women, Disabilities, Peace and Security: Unlocking the Power of the WILD Women (Our Secure Future)
“Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Executive Director of Mobilizing Allies for Women, Peace, and Security (MAWPS), reflects on his experience as a delegate for the Women's International Leadership and Disability (WILD) seminar hosted by Mobility International USA.”
Civil society groups from across Indonesia discuss how to bolster women and peace efforts (UN Women Asia and the Pacific)
“Nearly 100 civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Indonesia representing women and vulnerable groups have gathered to strengthen women’s voices and their critical roles in a national peacebuilding plan . . . in 2014 Indonesia became one of the first countries in South-East Asia to launch a national action plan on women, peace and security (WPS). It is now developing its third plan.”
15th Annual Meeting of Human Rights and Gender Advisers - Highlights Progress and Commitment to Women, Peace and Security Agenda (European Union)
“The three-day conference provided a vital platform for military and civilian Human Rights and Gender Advisers to share experiences and perspectives. Discussions focused on the evolving roles of women in peace and security, as well as the integration of human rights in mission planning and execution.”
Men Are Already Writing Off Ukraine’s New Prime Minister (The Atlantic)
“This month, the Ukrainian government made an unusual choice for its new prime minister. In a rare move for the country—and indeed for most of Eastern Europe—it picked a woman. Yulia Svyrydenko, a 39-year-old selected by President Volodymyr Zelensky and approved by Parliament, will lead the government in a period of intense uncertainty, as Russia escalates its offensive, Europe revamps its security commitments, and the Trump administration waffles on the war.”
Afghanistan: ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution (UN News)
“The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken an historic step towards addressing the “unacceptable” systemic repression of Afghan women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals by the Taliban.”
Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker: July Updates (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
“Our Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker combines real-time data points and original analysis to offer gender-sensitive insight into conflict dynamics across 25 countries. The WPS Conflict Tracker is updated monthly to reflect developments for women’s participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery.”
The ICC is 23. What has it ever done for women? (The Fuller Project)
“In January, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor applied for warrants to arrest the Taliban’s supreme leader and the chief justice of Afghanistan. The grounds for the warrants: the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds. It was an overdue decision, but one that rights group Amnesty International said gave “hope, inside and outside the country to Afghan women, girls, as well as those persecuted on the basis of gender identity or expression.”
Rethinking Women, Peace, and Security in the Middle East and North Africa (Women In International Security)
“This paper critically examines the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), arguing that dominant narratives in the region emphasizing women’s victimhood obscure their agency and capacity for peacebuilding.”
How Africa's First G20 is Mainstreaming Gender (UN Women Africa)
“The G20 is a global economic forum with the potential to transform lives for women and girls globally. South Africa's G20 presidency in 2025 marks a critical moment as it is the first time an African country has led the forum. This leadership comes just five years before the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), bringing renewed urgency to accelerate progress on SDGs, particularly SDG 5: Gender Equality.”
Upcoming and Past Notable Events
June 26, 2025 – Remarks from the United Nations Human Rights Council 59th Session Side Event, “Advancing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda through Capacity Building for Conflict Prevention and Human Rights Protection” (Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada)
“On June 26, 2025, WPSN-C chair, Katrina Leclerc, spoke at a United Nations Human Rights Council 59th Session Side Event, “Advancing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda through Capacity Building for Conflict Prevention and Human Rights Protection” sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the Republics of Malawi and Sierra Leone to the United Nations in Geneva, and IWPG Switzerland.”
July 29, 2025 – Women in Sudan (PAX Christi International)
“The second session of the “Sudan Speaks” webinar series, co-sponsored by the Darfur Youth Center for Peace and Development and the Sudanese Center for Policy Studies was titled “Women in Sudan.” It centered on the experiences, voices, and leadership of Sudanese women in the context of war, displacement, and resistance.”
September 23, 2025 - 2025 Women In Defense National Conference (Women in Defense National Conference) - Women In Defense invites you to the 2025 National Conference — an essential event for leaders, innovators, and change-makers in the defense community. This year’s theme, “Winning Tomorrow: Unlocking Mission Success Through Innovation and Efficiency,” emphasizes the importance of collaboration, modernization, and agility in shaping the future of national security. The event brings together professionals and leaders across government, military, industry, and academia to share insights, foster partnerships, and elevate forward-thinking strategies in defense.
Opportunities
Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship Program (Scoville Peace Fellowship)
“The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship Program invites recent college and graduate school alumni to apply for full-time, six-to-nine month fellowships in Washington, DC. Outstanding individuals will be selected to work with nonprofit, public-interest organizations addressing peace and security issues. Applications are especially encouraged from candidates with a strong interest in these issues who have prior experience with public-interest activism or advocacy.”
Research Fellow: Gender and Climate Security (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
“The Fellow will be responsible for shaping the Institute’s climate research agenda and producing policy analysis that responds to the challenges and opportunities found at the intersection of gender, climate, and security issues.”