The 16th Anniversary of the landmark UNSCR 1325 is underway! WILPF International and PeaceWomen, alongside our special delegation of women leaders from Syria, Libya and Yemen, are excited to participate in civil society efforts to boost a global move from commitments to accomplishments, especially in the areas of conflict prevention and disarmament.
On 24 October 2016, WILPF held an internal workshop to welcome the special delegation. The participants discussed advocacy opportunities for each delegate and coordinated key messages for engaging with governments and civil society activists in the week to come.
Subsequently, the importance of assessing the current status of the national implementation of the UNSCR 1325 was underlined. Ensuring accountability and follow up on commitments made by Member States in previous international and national settings was reaffirmed as significantly important for upcoming advocacy opportunities. Especially, the lack of accountability for follow-up actions to commitments made by Members States of the UN Security Council was stressed as vital for strengthening the WPS agenda.
The WPS financing tool kit and the WPS Scorecard project launched on 19 October 2016 were highlighted as useful advocacy tools for all participants in addressing country-specific and collective WPS messages to the various audiences.

The discussed tools and strategies will be utilised by the special delegation throughout the week to share their experiences and deliver their recommendations for action, including during the following events focused on gender equality and strengthening of the WPS agenda:
- Wednesday, October 26th: “Closing the Gap: How to Connect Grassroots and International Efforts to Enhance the WPS Agenda” (Closed Roundtable);
- Wednesday & Thursday, 26th and 27th October: “Masculinities, Youth and Violence in Crisis Settings“;
- Thursday, October 27th (1:15-2:30PM): “Financing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: Good Practice and Lessons Learned for Accountability and Implementation.”
Don’t forget to read our Open Letter to the Permanent Representative to the UN with Recommendations on the Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security.
Get a quick overview of the UN Secretary-General’s 2016 Report on Women Peace and Security (WPS) by reading the WILPF summary of the report.
Stay tuned for more news on events, highlights, and actions around the 16th Anniversary of 1325!
Be sure to follow WILPF PeaceWomen online: we will be posting updates on Facebook, Twitter, and the webpage on the 16th Anniversary of the UNSCR 1325.