25 Years of Women, Peace and Security

2025 marked the 25^th anni­versary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Rooted in the efforts of civil so­ciety and women’s rights activists, UNSCR 1325 laid the foun­dations for one of the most visible frame­works for promo­ting gender equality in global peace and security insti­tutions – the WPS agenda: The reso­lution was followed by over ten UNSCR resolutions, more than 100 national action plans (NAPs) guiding states’ imple­mentation, and widespread uptake by regional organi­zations such as the EU, NATO, and the African Union.

Today, however, the agenda finds itself at a cross­roads: In a currently shifting global order character­ized by democratic back­sliding, the rise of far-right govern­ments, and growing anti-­feminist movements, gender equality norms are increa­singly under attack. At the same time, the inter­national peace­building agenda is facing significant set­backs, as Western govern­ments prioritize global militari­zation over multilateral co­operation.

Against this back­drop, PRIF has dedicated a PRIF Blog series to the WPS agenda – exa­mining its current state, chal­lenges and possible futures from diverse per­spectives. Bringing to­gether the conributions of the Blog Series, the E-Book offers diverse per­spectives and reflec­tions by 19 scholars, practi­tioners and contributors on the achieve­ments, struggles, and future of the WPS agenda. It explores the know­ledge systems that have evolved around WPS, from postcolonial critique to questions of institu­tionalization. It also addresses the backlash against the WPS agenda and considers how it can be rei­magined to realize its trans­formative potential in a rapidly changing world.