WPS Focal Points Network
Thematic Meeting
13-14 May 2025 | Oslo, Norway
Joint Communiqué
We, the members of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Focal Points Network,
in attendance at the Thematic Meeting on Inclusive Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
in Oslo, Norway from 13 to 14 May 2025, and representing Argentina, Austria,
Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Namibia, Norway,
Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South
Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom,
Uruguay, the African Union Commission (AUC), the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),
European Union (EU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),
Hosted by Norway and Japan as the 2025 Co-Chairs of the Network, with UN
Women serving as the Secretariat, and recalling the Network’s theme, “Deepening
WPS Commitments for Action: Innovating and adapting to deliver on peace and
security,” to commemorate the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution
1325 (2000),
Building on the joint communiqué and outcomes of the Seventh Capital-Level
Meeting of the WPS Focal Points Network, held in Tokyo in February 2025, which
drew on discussions related to peace mediation and peacebuilding, disaster risk
reduction, climate change and other emerging threats, as well as national and
regional action plans on women, peace and security,
Underscoring the critical importance and central role of the women, peace and
security agenda in advancing peace efforts at the global, national, and local levels,
and affirming that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved without the
full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women, alongside men,
Welcoming the broad regional representation of WPS Focal Points present at the
thematic meeting and their expressed commitment to advancing the leadership and
participation of women in preventing and responding to escalating conflicts and
crises around the world,
Further welcoming the essential engagement and contributions of women
peacebuilders, research and academic institutions, and UN entities to the discussions
of the WPS Focal Points Network,
Recognizing the decades of progress made by governments, regional organizations,
and civil society, particularly women peacebuilders, toward ensuring that women’s
leadership and expertise are fully recognized, valued, and integrated in the shaping
and implementation of peace and security processes,
Noting with deep concern the current geopolitical landscape with increased
polarization, rising military expenditures, and the proliferation of conflicts and
crises, including conflict-related sexual violence, regretting actions that undermine
and dismantle institutional structures that have enabled the implementation and the
advancement of the women, peace and security agenda since the adoption of UN
Security Council resolution 1325 (2000),
Unequivocally committing to working with all relevant partners to sustain and
advance the women, peace and security agenda in our countries and institutions,
Recognizing our shared humanity, reaffirming the obligation of UN Member States
to uphold international human rights law and international humanitarian law to
protect civilians in armed conflict, including women and girls, and to foster peace
and stability in times of crisis,
Welcoming the opportunity for WPS Focal Points to discuss strategies to secure
women’s participation in mediation, peace negotiation, peacebuilding efforts,
humanitarian response and diplomacy, and highlighting the following
recommendations:
– Leverage the strength of this Network as a collective platform of committed
actors to uphold multilateralism and the principles of the women, peace and
security agenda at the level of decision-making, and to foster increased peerto-peer exchange and joint initiatives to strengthen impactful WPS
implementation – globally, regionally and locally.
– Increase funding for the women, peace and security agenda, which is currently
facing funding cuts, recognizing its interlinkage with global military
expenditures, which are at their highest recorded levels. Adequate, and where
relevant, dedicated and sustained financing for women, peace and security is
essential for implementation at national, regional, and global levels. This
includes direct funding for local women-led and women’s rights
organizations, and for WPS programming in peace and security processes.
– Adopt, update, and implement national action plans on women, peace and
security that are fully funded and serve as effective tools to address evolving
security challenges, including by advancing women’s participation in
mediation and negotiation, and in all stages of decision-making processes.
Ensure that the purpose and value of NAPs are broadly understood by all
stakeholders, contextualized to local realities, and supported by practical
monitoring and accountability frameworks.
– Leverage quotas and gender parity principles, when appropriate, as one of
several tools to secure a balanced and qualified team of women and men
mediators and negotiators who can work together collaboratively to advance
inclusive peace processes. These measures should be tailored to specific
contexts and complemented by policies that foster capacity building,
leadership development, and sustainable resourcing, including support to
women mediators and negotiators, to transform attitudes, behaviors, and
institutional cultures that exclude women.
– Utilize national action plans and other appropriate means to institutionalize
women, peace and security across ministries, departments and agencies, and
engage men as partners to make women, peace and security a shared
responsibility across governments and institutions, rather than a siloed agenda
perceived as relevant only for women. Further integrate WPS into terms of
reference, performance indicators, and funding allocations for all relevant
personnel, including in political, mediation, and gender teams.
– Support survivor-centered efforts to pursue justice and accountability for
international crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence, through
national and international legal mechanisms. Invest in the timely and secure
documentation of evidence in conflict-affected settings to safeguard future
access to justice and reparations.
– Strengthen data strategies for the women, peace and security agenda by going
beyond quantitative indicators to prioritize meaningful and qualitative data
collection and analysis. Beyond headcounts of women at decision-making
tables and in peace processes, invest in data systems, including, when
possible, through NAP monitoring mechanisms, that capture the impact of
participation, changes in attitudes, power dynamics, and social norms.
– Strengthen intergenerational collaboration and co-leadership to advance the
women, peace and security agenda that respects the distinct contributions and
experiences of young people. Establish mechanisms that elevate youth voices
without displacing experienced women leaders, and address overlapping
barriers such as ageism and underfunding.
– Center the lived realities of conflict-affected communities, particularly
women, in humanitarian diplomacy, and to implement international
humanitarian law. Ensure that local women’s organizations are treated as
equal partners, not just beneficiaries, in shaping responses, and have access to
direct, flexible and multi-year funding, and organizational capacity
strengthening. Further ensure the meaningful inclusion of women in all stages
of decision-making and peace processes.
We urge all Member States and regional organizations to recommit their strong
support and commitment to the women, peace and security agenda in all peace
and security fora, including during the upcoming 80th session of the United
Nations General Assembly in September 2025 and the UN Security Council Open
Debate in October 2025, commemorating the 25th anniversary of UN Security
Council resolution 1325 (2000).
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