Resilient Futures: Empowering Women to Influence Peace in Europe and Central Asia

The Issue

One in six people worldwide are estimate to be affected by conflict. War, conflicts, and humanitarian crisis undermine women’s security, economic development, and rights, exacerbating existing gender discrimination. The geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have led to widespread displacement and unresolved conflicts. Notably, nearly one-third of Ukraine’s population has fled due to the ongoing Russian full-fledged invasion, with women and children disproportionately affected. Armenia and Azerbaijan made limited progress toward peace, but deep-seated mistrust remains. Protracted conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and the Western Balkans also persist. Türkiye struggles with internal instability and still large refugee population.

Women and girls are confronted with forced displacement, sexual violence, and poor access to decision making, resources and income generation opportunities. In 2023, women’s representation in UN-led peace processes dropped to just 14%, down from 18% in 2022. In the ECE region, women’s participation remains low despite some progress – in the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia, women made up 27% of negotiators in 2024. However, women still have limited involvement in formal negotiations, especially on Karabakh, where they lead informal initiatives but are underrepresented in official talks.

Our Solution

• Breaking down silos by applying integrated solutions where conflict analysis directly informs participatory peace processes, post-conflict economic interventions combine emergency support and skills development, and protracted crises demand conflict transformation addressing shared needs (environment, health, education).
• Next-generation capacity building - launching university programs on WPS & gender-responsive security reform and systemic integration of backlash mitigation across all interventions to strengthen capability to prevent and respond.
• Funding revolution - directing resources to regional feminist networks as first responders; shifting from project funding to core institutional support for women’s organizations; demanding accountability through funding targets.

UN Women envisions flexible and adaptive WPS programming as a core pillar of its upcoming four-year Strategic Note. This approach is designed to respond to the evolving nature of conflict, supported by predictable financing and stronger institutional mechanisms for implementing and monitoring WPS policies. What sets this approach apart:

• Systems-based – addresses both root causes and structural barriers, not just symptoms.
• Crisis-adaptive – Tailors interventions to the different phases of conflict and recovery.
• Future-oriented – Invests in cultivating the next generation of women leaders while safeguarding existing progress.

Why is UN Women best placed to tackle the issue

As the UN’s lead agency on WPS, UN Women leverages its unique position to drive systemic change by addressing root causes of conflict through women’s leadership in disarmament, demilitarization and peacebuilding; bridge policy gaps between local women activists and national/regional decisionmakers; pioneer inclusive security approaches that shift from traditional paradigms to sustainable, gender-responsive solutions; and protect civic space for women peacebuilders to influence agendas on violent extremism and human security.

Our comparative advantage lies in transforming WPS commitments into concrete action through technical expertise and grassroots connections. Leveraging its triple mandate - normative support, coordination, and operational activities - UN Women is well placed to advance women’s participation, protection, and leadership in peace and security processes and institutions, while promoting accountability and systemic change.

This strategic shift moves beyond fragmented interventions toward strengthening the broader WPS ecosystem, delivering sustainable, long-term impact.