Global Petition “no peace without women”

Link to petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/global-petition-no-peace-without-women

The petition is to be handed over to the UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council and regional representations (African Union, EU, Arab League, OAS, ASEAN) in the run-up to the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) in New York in March 2027. Our common goal: 10,000 signatures by December 2026!

We, the undersigned, call on the UN Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, Heads of State and Government, Governments, the United Nations and regional organizations to take immediate and measurable action to fully implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and General Recommendation No. 40 of CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women = Commission on the Status of Women).

Resolution 1325: A legal framework, not a recommendation! 26 years ago, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 in 2000. This is the first binding legal instrument to recognise that women’s protection, participation and rights must be at the heart of conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction as a fundamental right and an essential part of the solution.

For 26 years, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 has affirmed that women must be at the decision-making table on peace and security. But promises without action change nothing.
Data shows that when women are included peace has 35% more chance to last longer: 15 years longer! Yet today 9 out of 10 peace processes are with 0 women at the negociation table!

Resolution 1325 and its subsequent resolutions (1820, 1888, 1889 and others) established a four-pillar framework:

• Prevention of conflict and gender-based violence
• Protecting the rights of women and girls in conflict situations
• Participation and equal representation of women in peace processes and decision-making processes
• Aid and reconstruction, including legal, economic and psychosocial support.

Let us implement Resolution 1325:
• Real seats for women at every table where the fate of nations is decided, from capitals to communities.
• Funding and protection for women peacebuilders, young leaders, and human rights defenders.
• Real accountability through independent monitoring mechanisms, with measurable indicators and annual reports to the UN and regional bodies.
• Inclusion of young women, who are already actors of peace and development and represent the future.
• Engagement of men as allies, because sustainable peace is a collective endeavor that requires balance and shared responsibility.

Why this matters:

From Africa to the Middle East, from Latin America to Asia, women are already on the front lines mediating conflicts, rebuilding trust, protecting natural resources, and building peace from the community level. Their leadership is not symbolic, it is vital.
Peace without women is fragile.
Development without women is incomplete.
Humanity needs women’s leadership, not as symbols, but as equal decision-makers shaping our shared future.

From a legal point of view, these resolutions are not optional. They are based on the obligations of States under:

• The UN Charter (Art. 1 & 55),
• International humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions)
• international human rights law, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• And customary international law, especially with regard to crimes of sexual violence in armed conflict, which is now enshrined in the Rome Statute of the ICC (Articles 7 and 8).

However, despite these frameworks, underrepresentation and impunity persist. For over 20 years, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 has recognised women’s equal and meaningful participation as essential for peace and security. GR 40 reinforces this commitment by obliging States to ensure the full inclusion of women in all decision-making systems, in particular in prevention, conflict resolution, peacebuilding and reconstruction.

During one of the Security Council’s annual Open Debates on Women, Peace and Security, held on 24 October 2024, the Secretary-General’s “Joint Pledge for the Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation of Women in Peace Processes” was officially presented.

But today:

• Under-representation: only 10% of peace negotiators are women.
• Trends suggest that this underrepresentation is continuing.
• Underfunding: Less than 1% of global peacebuilding funding is allocated to gender equality.
• Targeted attacks: Women human rights defenders and peacebuilders face increasing threats, surveillance, and even killings in conflict zones.

We call on all states and relevant organizations to:

1. Ensure equality by 2030 in all peace negotiations, mediation teams and post-conflict governance structures.
2. Allocate at least 15% of peace and security funding to gender equality and women’s empowerment, as pledged in global frameworks.
3. Create NEW mandatory accountability mechanisms with annual public reporting on progress, in line with the requirements of GR 40.
4. Protecting women human rights defenders and peacemakers from threats, reprisals and gender-based violence.
5. Ensuring the equal participation of women in all disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration processes, as well as in security and defence sector reforms.

Our call: no peace without women!

We oppose another decade of symbolic resolutions without enforcement. Equal representation of women is not optional – it is vital for sustainable peace, human rights, and security.

Act now: Join us, sign and share the petition in your network!

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/global-petition-no-peace-without-women

Supporting Organisations / Networks / NGOs:

• Women’s Federation for World Peace International (UN offices, NewYork, Geneva, Vienna)
• G100 Mission Million (Global)
• Soroptimist International (Global)
• NGO CSW Geneva (Global, Switzerland)
• NGO CSW New York (Global, New York)
• NGO CSW Vienna (Global, Vienna)
• NGO CSW Africa (Global, Africa)
• NGO CSW Asia Pacific (Global, Asia Pacific)
• NGO CSW Latin America (Global, Latin America)
• CSR Dialogforum – Kompetenzzentrum für integrierte Nachhaltigkeit in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft (Linz- Austria)
• International Alliance of Women (IAW) (Global- Switzerland)
• International Association of First Ladies for Peace (Global)
• National Human Rights Commission of Democratic Republic of Congo
• Regard de Femmes (France)
• 2GAP – Gender and Governance Action Platform (France)
• UAP-ZLECAF (Île Maurice)
• PAXAFRICA (Yaoundé Cameroon)
• Peace Women Partners International (Philippines)
• Le Cercle Mandela (France)
• Solidarité Active France (SAF) (France)
• Réseau Afrique-Europe (France)
• International Women’s Peace Group, IWPG (Global, South Korea)
• Mouvement Mondial des Femmes Leaders Panafricaines MMFLP, (Global, Guinea)
• Association Lakota Nouvelle Vision (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Universal Truth CIC (Scotland, UK)
• Loubnaniyoun (Lebanon)
• Peace Partner & Miracle “T”s Movement, LLC (TAPN2U)(Global- USA)
• International Network for Liberal Women, INLW (Global, UK)
• Chirico Consulting Brx (Belgium)
• Alyn Ware, Global coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament
• Phenomenal Women Global, (Uganda & Switzerland)