The United Nations has raised fresh alarm over the worsening impact of global conflicts on women and girls, revealing that a staggering 676 million women now live within 50 kilometres of active war zones — the highest figure recorded since World War II.
According to the 2025 UN Secretary-General’s Report on Women, Peace and Security, civilian casualties involving women and children have quadrupled within the last two years, while cases of conflict-related sexual violence have soared by 87 per cent.
The report, released ahead of the UN Security Council’s annual open debate on Resolution 1325, paints a grim picture of the gendered cost of modern warfare. Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, mandates all warring parties to protect women and girls during conflicts and to ensure their full participation in peace processes.
Speaking on the findings, Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, lamented that despite over two decades of advocacy, women remain largely excluded from decision-making in global peacebuilding efforts.
“Women and girls are being killed in record numbers, shut out of peace tables, and left unprotected as wars multiply,” Bahous said. “Women do not need more promises — they need power, protection, and equal participation.”
Bahous disclosed that in 2024 alone, nine out of every ten peace processes worldwide had no women negotiators, with women accounting for only 7 per cent of negotiators and 14 per cent of mediators globally.
She expressed frustration that while global military spending exceeded $2.7 trillion in 2024, women’s organisations in conflict zones received a mere 0.4 per cent of international aid.
“These are not isolated statistics. They are symptoms of a world that invests in war instead of peace — a world that continues to silence and sideline women,” she said.
Bahous also warned that many grassroots women’s groups working in war-affected areas were on the brink of collapse due to dwindling funding and lack of political recognition.
The UN Women chief called for what she described as a “gender data revolution” to ensure that the realities of women in war zones are visible, documented, and used to drive accountability among global leaders.
“We need concrete, measurable results — conflicts resolved through inclusive political solutions, more women leading security reforms and recovery efforts, and stronger accountability for violations,” Bahous stressed.
The report underscores a disturbing trend of gender inequality amid escalating wars, underscoring the failure of the international community to prioritise women’s safety and leadership in peacebuilding.
(Source: NAN)
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