Women, Peace and Security Research Digest: May 2025

WPS in the US 

WPS Alert: Latest Developments on Women, Peace and Security (Our Secure Future) 

“In light of last week's actions and statements about Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in US foreign and defense policy circles, Our Secure Future has put together content on these developments, including bipartisan Congressional and Executive Branch statements and initiatives on Women, Peace and Security since President Trump’s first term in office. Below are links to fact-checked resources on this issue.” 

Secretary Hegseth Ends WPS Program Despite Joint Staff Support (Lawfare Media Journal)  

“Hegseth justified his decision by pointing to the military’s own preferences: “Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it,” he wrote. But according to a recent unclassified Joint Staff memorandum sent to the defense secretary’s office and obtained by Lawfare, nearly every combatant command in the U.S. military recommended maintaining the WPS program and touted its benefit to national security. “WPS ultimately contributes to a more secure Homeland,” the memorandum concluded.” 

Women’s Participation Has Proven Worth in Bringing Peace (Human Rights Watch) 

“WPS is anything but divisive. . . In a 20 year review of resolution 1325, UN Women wrote that research “comprehensively demonstrates that the participation of women at all levels is key to the operational effectiveness, success and sustainability of peace processes and peacebuilding efforts.” With conflicts raging in many parts of the globe, effective peacebuilding is urgently needed, and the United States has a powerful influence. In the past, Trump understood that women’s participation was essential to peace. Let’s hope he still does.” 

AfP Urges Continued Implementation of the WPS Act at the U.S. Department of Defense (Alliance for Peacebuilding) 

“Since its enactment, DoD has made important strides in implementing the WPS Act by elevating women’s voices and leadership in peace and security processes and partnerships—all of which advanced U.S. national interests while promoting peace and stability globally. . . At less than $5 million annually, the WPS Act provides DoD significant returns on investment toward preventing and resolving violent conflict, strengthening security alliances, and delivering a low-cost, high-yield uncontested advantage over U.S. competitors.” 

Busting Myths About Women, Peace & Security (Women in International Security) 

“The Trump administration demonstrated global leadership in 2017 with the passage of the WPS Act. Subsequent strategies operationalizing the WPS framework were moving forward as understanding of intent and value expanded. . . WPS maximizes America’s potential to “win” against its enemies, now and in the future. Dismantling serves no national security purpose. Indeed, it puts the nation at risk.” 

Women’s Role in Security and Peace: A Look at Recent Developments in the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (International Business Times) 

“Recent statements concerning Women, Peace and Security (WPS) programs in the US government have sparked debates across political lines. While the Trump administration codified these efforts into law in 2017 through the US WPS Act, recent statements by key officials have drawn scrutiny.” 

Trump signed the law creating ‘Women, Peace, and Security.’ Why destroy it now? (The Hill)  

“WPS is not some fringe initiative, it’s the law of the land. It was created with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed by President Trump in 2017. Republicans backing it included then-Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) (now secretary of Homeland Security) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) (now secretary of State) championed the law in Congress. It also had strong Democratic leadership with prime sponsors Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).” 

The Pentagon is Ending its Women, Peace and Security Program. America’s Security Will be Impacted (Ms. Magazine)  

“This attack on WPS efforts at the DOD undermines the safety and security of America and its troops, at home and abroad... Today over 100 countries have WPS National Action Plans. The world knows what we know: that the WPS framework helps to effectively prevent conflict, to protect women from the use of sexual violence as a purposeful tool of war by combatants, and to engage women in peace negotiations and post-conflict recovery in order to have a better chance at creating lasting peace. This has been backed up by research and data for decades. There’s a reason why WPS has been part of the DOD’s work for well over a decade and across administrations: It works.” 

Economic Empowerment 

The Role of the Private Sector in Advancing Women, Peace and Security (Our Secure Future) 

“This policy brief examines the vital importance of the private sector's engagement with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Exploring the intersection of WPS and the private sector, this publication highlights policy frameworks for private sector engagement, women’s contributions to economic development, and the potential to achieve a greater global GDP when women fully participate in their nations' economies. The brief examines lessons learned and best practices for private sector participation and provides recommendations for private institutions on how to effectively collaborate with governments, civil society, and international organizations on an operational and strategic level to advance WPS.”  

Women’s health is a $1 trillion opportunity that demands greater investment (World Economic Forum)  

“Investing in women’s health enables us to unlock better outcomes, increase productivity and secure longer lives for half the world's population. It therefore seems staggering that women’s health, which has long been underrepresented and underinvested in, is so often described as being a niche space.”  

Digital inclusion: How to unlock the $5 trillion opportunity for women entrepreneurs (World Economic Forum)  

“Women entrepreneurs are critical drivers of economic growth and poverty reduction in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). They own nearly half of the businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean (47%), 44% in East Asia and the Pacific and 30% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their ventures contribute significantly to job creation and GDP. However, despite their ambition and resilience, women entrepreneurs face systemic barriers that hinder their business success and slow down economic progress. One of the most significant obstacles is digital exclusion.” 

Technology 

Gender, race, and intersectional bias in AI resume screening via language model retrieval (Brookings Institution)  

“The results of the research showed clear evidence of significant discrimination based on gender, racial identities, and their intersections. Out of 27 tests for discrimination across three LLMs and nine occupations, gender bias was evident: Men’s and women’s names were selected at equal rates in only 37% of cases. In the rest, resumes with men’s names were favored 51.9% of the time, while women’s names were favored just 11.1% of the time.” 

Women’s participation in peacebuilding: strengthening digital safety against cybercrime in Yemen (Saferworld) 

“In Yemen, Saferworld and partners The National Organisation for Community Development (NODS), PASS Foundation Peace for Sustainable Societies and Youth Without Borders Organization for Development (YwBOD) have been running locally led initiatives that protect communities. At the heart of this work is Yemeni-led hubs that are forums for dialogue, decision-making and coordinated action. Two of these are dedicated women’s hubs – the Noon Women’s Hub in Aden and the Wahag Women’s Hub in Taiz – that support women leaders, amplify their voices, and advocate for their participation in peace processes and civil society spaces.” 

AI fashion show highlights how digital access can empower women in Pakistan (World Economic Forum)  

“Pakistan ranks among the leaders in mobile penetration in South Asia, with 196 million subscribers driving a mobile telephone density approaching 80%. Yet, beneath this promising statistic lies a stark reality: millions of women remain digitally invisible, unable to access the very services that can empower them. The gender gap in mobile ownership and internet use in Pakistan is among the widest in the world, limiting women’s participation in education, finance, and the workforce. Bridging this divide isn’t just about connectivity; it’s about unlocking economic growth, social mobility and a more equitable future.” 

Atrocity Prevention 

Nuclear Risk Reduction: A Feminist Foreign Policy Perspective (Peace Research Center Prague)  

“Nuclear risk reduction and Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) might, at first glance, seem fundamentally at odds. Nuclear risk reduction operates within existing security frameworks, focusing on incremental diplomatic and technical measures to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. FFP, on the other hand, seeks to disrupt power hierarchies and reframe security through justice, inclusivity, and human-centered approaches. However, these frameworks are not contradictory— with its focus on communication and cooperative approaches, FFP can support present operational and technical nuclear risk reduction efforts while facilitating a shift from a reliance on deterrence and coercion to cooperative peace.” 

Climate 

Climate crisis driving surge in gender-based violence, UN study finds (United Nations)  

“Without urgent action, climate change could be linked to one in every ten cases of intimate partner violence by the end of the century. That is the warning from a new issue brief by the UN Spotlight Initiative, which finds that climate change is intensifying the social and economic stresses that are fueling increased levels of violence against women and girls...Every 1°C rise in global temperature is associated with a 4.7 per cent increase in intimate partner violence (IPV), the study cites.” 

Leading the Way: Women Navigating Climate Change, Mobility, and Resilience in Africa (UNDP)  

“Considerable attention has been given to understanding the intersections between gender and climate dynamics, as well as the relationships between gender dynamics and displacement. However, new evidence underscores the necessity of examining gender, climate and mobility as an interconnected nexus. This approach is crucial due to the increasing frequency, intensity and severity of climate-related crises, such as recurrent floods and droughts and desertification. These slow- and sudden-onset environmental disasters disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls, often resulting in displacement.” 

General WPS 

From Resolution to Revolution: Lessons Learned from 25 Years of the Women, Peace & Security Framework (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)  

“Conflicts around the world are unfolding with disproportionate impacts on women. Rates of violence have reached historical heights, with nearly one in three countries experiencing armed conflict and an estimated 15 percent of women living within 50 kilometers of these hostilities. These troubling trends are occurring amidst growing backlash against women’s inclusion in politics, widespread rollbacks of women’s rights, and cuts to overseas development assistance (ODA).” 

Media Factsheet Haiti: Impact of ongoing violence on women and girls (UN Women)  

“Haiti’s escalating gang violence has pushed the country to the brink of collapse, with armed groups controlling key neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince and carrying out mass atrocities.  Ongoing gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than a million people, nearly a tenth of the population, and the security breakdown is landing hardest on women and girls, eroding their safety, health, and basic human rights.” 

Towards Gendered Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs)  

“This article explores the gendered dynamics of armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), shifting the focus from women’s victimhood to their often overlooked yet critical role in peacebuilding. Drawing on both formal and informal processes, it highlights how women contribute to conflict transformation and durable peace, despite being largely excluded from official negotiations. The article calls for revitalizing existing peace frameworks through a gender-responsive approach that recognizes women’s agency and integrates their voices at all levels of peacebuilding.” 

Progress on Addressing Violence Against Women in Africa (Human Rights Watch)  

“The [African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’] ACHPR now faces a critical opportunity to push for transparency and action on these two major advances in women’s rights. The resolution on obstetric violence, adopted in March, marks progress toward preventing and addressing this harmful practice, which violates women’s and girls’ rights to life, health, dignity, education, and physical integrity. Obstetric violence, mistreatment, disrespect, and abuse exercised against women and girls in health care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum contribute to high rates of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity in Africa, including by dissuading women and girls from seeking necessary health services, further compromising their health and well-being.” 

The 69^th Commission on the Status of Women: Not as Bad as Some Predicted (International Peace Institute Global Observatory)  

“In a closed-door roundtable hosted at the International Peace Institute (IPI), some member-state representatives gathered ahead of the negotiations and discussed the need to strike a balance between ambition and caution amid the need to push forward on gender equality at a time of heightened pushback on women’s rights. Despite initial concerns going into the negotiation process, the CSW adopted a political declaration that was stronger than anticipated, and while there are some key omissions, it includes language that marks a step forward for women’s rights.” 

Humanitarian funding cuts threaten women’s rights: What’s at stake and how to help (UN Women) 

“A new global report from UN Women reveals a dire warning: half of women-led and women’s rights organizations in humanitarian crisis zones may shut down within six months due to funding cuts. This would have devastating consequences for millions of women and families who depend on their services. In a global survey conducted by UN Women, 90 per cent of 411 women’s organizations across 44 crisis-affected countries reported being impacted by reductions in foreign aid. More than 60 per cent have already reduced their services, disrupting critical, life-saving support – from emergency health care and gender-based violence services to economic assistance and shelter.” 

Exploring Women, Peace and Security in Japan (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)  

“We sat down with Japan’s Former Foreign Minister and current head of Japan’s Parliamentary Caucus on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), H.E. Yoko Kamikawa. She explained why WPS had become a priority issue for Japan and how she raised this issue in all her bilateral meetings with other government counterparts during her tenure as foreign minister. She also discussed the progress that has been made to integrate WPS across government, especially in disaster risk reduction. H.E. Kamikawa spoke of her hopes for the future, including getting a WPS law through the Diet and expanding the parliamentary network on WPS globally.” 

Combatting gender apartheid through networked and community-based peacebuilding initiatives (Peace Insight) 

“Discover the work of an anonymous organisation in Afghanistan that has found creative, integrated ways to address gender apartheid. . . to tackle gender apartheid in Afghanistan, we need much more international support and investment, and greater collaboration. There is an urgent need for coalition, coordination, and collective action to save lives and preserve the dignity of Afghan women and girls.” 

Upcoming and Past Notable Events 

April 22 - 23, 2025 – U.S., Japan host Women, Peace and Security Workshop (Yokota Air Base)  

“U.S. and Japan military and defense personnel convened for the third annual Women, Peace and Security in Military Operations Workshop at Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 22-23. Spanning two days, the workshop featured multiple panels, discussions and presentations from both the U.S. and Japan, leveraging the expertise of trained WPS advisors to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore meaningful dialogue on how to further expand collaboration on WPS topics in defense sector operations.” 

April 24, 2025 – Voices of Resilience: The Struggles and Strengths of Sudanese Women Refugees (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)  

“The ongoing conflict and instability in Sudan have forced millions to flee their homes, with a disproportionate impact on women and girls. As refugees in neighboring countries, Sudanese women face numerous challenges, including gender-based violence, lack of access to healthcare, legal barriers to employment, and social marginalization. While humanitarian organizations and host governments have made efforts to provide support, the gaps in protection, aid, and advocacy remain significant.” 

May 5-7, 2025 – NATO 2025 Annual Conference on Gender Perspectives (NATO)  

“Opening the conference, the Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, underscored the operational importance of integrating gender perspectives across the Alliance: ‘Over the past quarter-century, we have witnessed undeniable progress. Consider this: what was once a marginal idea — that peace and security are not gender-neutral — is now integrated into NATO’s strategic outlook, operational conduct, and institutional policy.’” 

June 2 – 3, 2025 – International Forum for Women, Peace and Security (WPS Forum)  

“The International Forum for Women, Peace and Security (WPS Forum) brings leaders, experts, academics, civil society representatives, influencers, youth and others groups of interest together in the heart of the Western Balkans to discuss current global challenges posed to the WPS Agenda during these uncertain times, as well as, to elaborate on the underlying importance of this agenda for enduring, equitable and sustainable peace.” 

June 4, 2025 – Women's Leadership in Rethinking Security: Beyond Fear, Force and Deterrence (Open Nuclear Network)  

“As global tensions rise and militarisation accelerates, traditional security paradigms rooted in fear, force and deterrence are becoming increasingly unfit for today’s complex challenges. How can we reimagine security to reflect a more inclusive, cooperative and sustainable future? This public panel brings together leaders in nuclear diplomacy and international security to explore what rethinking security means in the 21st century... At the heart of this conversation is the essential role of women’s leadership—and broader diversity—in shaping forward-thinking, resilient and human-centered security frameworks.” 

June 17, 2025 - Cultural Diplomacy in Concert: Women Conducting Change on the World Stage (Women’s Foreign Policy Group)  

“Please join the Women's Foreign Policy Group, The Embassy of France, and Washington Performing Arts on Tuesday, June 17th, from 8:30-10:30 AM ET for a for a morning of conversation, culture, and celebration of pioneering women in the male-dominated profession of conducting. This program underscores the importance of music diplomacy during times of international tensions and will offer a powerful look at gender dynamics in the classical music industry.” 

June 25, 2025 – 2025 Celebration of Women Diplomats (Women’s Foreign Policy Group) 

“This keystone event, which commemorates and celebrates the accomplishments of women ambassadors and deputy ambassadors in Washington, DC, will serve as a wonderful opportunity to network and engage with like-minded, inspiring women and men in the fields of foreign policy, journalism, academia, business, and government.” 

Opportunities  

President/Chief Executive Officer (Women in International Security) 

“The President/Chief Executive Officer is responsible for developing a strategic vision for the organization, overseeing its overall management, maintaining and expanding membership and the global network of affiliate organizations, establishing research priorities, and securing funding for operational and project support. The President/Chief Executive Officer leads the organization, overseeing day-to-day management and ensuring that WIIS accomplishes its mission. Working with the Board of Directors, they will set priorities, realize programs, and evaluate policies in support of the mission. The President/ Chief Executive Officer oversees the hiring and supervision of staff. “ 

Gender and Peacebuilding Advisor (Conciliation Resources)  

“The role of the Gender and Peacebuilding Advisor is to help deliver CR’s Gender Strategy, support Programme teams and partners to develop and deliver on gender responsive and gender transformative objectives, and bring contextual advice and guidance on integrating gender into conflict analysis, programme design, funding proposals and project implementation. They are also responsible for identifying specific funding opportunities and developing concepts for gender related peacebuilding initiatives.”