Blog by Alice Paola Pomè. SI Youth Representative.
Participation of Women and Girls in Peace and Security
Why is it essential to include women and girls at peace and security negotiation tables? Cooperation is identified as the primary requirement to ensure international peace and security. As emphasised by Cecilia Piccione, Director General for Political and Security Affairs at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in her opening remarks, “empowering young women in peace and security is not only right but a smart long-term investment in our collective future”. Moreover, the inclusion of women and girls in these negotiation tables represents a long-term investment aimed at building sustainable peace, which, as highlighted by Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva, Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations (UN), “cannot be achieved without dismantling structural barriers that limit participation and leadership.”
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2807 (2025) underscores the importance of the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of youth, particularly young women, in advancing peace and security.
How can such partnerships among diverse stakeholders be effectively built? During the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) side event, Luca Fratini from the Directorate General for Political Affairs and Security of Italy facilitated a dialogue with civil society, raising key questions to explore how commitments can be translated into practical support, partnerships, and investments that enable young women peacebuilders to actively shape peacebuilding and governance processes.
Several key insights emerged from the discussion, highlighting the need for cohesion and innovation as foundational elements of collaborative strategies involving governments, academia, and civil society. Each element discussed in the panel stemmed from a guiding question:
• Which approaches have proven most effective in strengthening women’s roles in peace and security?
Lara Scarpitta, Senior Gender Adviser at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), shared examples demonstrating how regional cooperation and intergenerational dialogue contribute to reducing tensions and fostering shared growth. Safe spaces, strong networks, and medium- to long-term investments ensure continuity, while international visibility strengthens and amplifies the voices of young women.
• What types of partnerships are needed to ensure meaningful participation?
Sophia Dianne Garcia, Programme Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific at the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), emphasised the crucial role of young women as leaders of today, not just of the future, as they are already “active agents, partners, and innovators in peacebuilding”. Investing in young women is therefore essential, as it “creates ripple effects—movements, communities, and policy change”.
• How can the UN system support this process?
In a global context where military spending continues to rise, Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, stressed that referencing Resolution 2807 is not sufficient. Stronger institutional commitment is needed, alongside increased investment in youth as agents of peace. He also highlighted the importance of engaging the private sector to ensure sustained, rather than sporadic, funding.
• What are the remaining gaps that hinder the participation of young women?
Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy, Programme, and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, identified key structural barriers, including shrinking civic space, democratic backsliding and harassment; digital and online violence targeting young women human rights defenders and peacebuilders; and severe underfunding of young women’s peace initiatives, despite their critical roles in conflict prevention, mediation, climate-related security, and digital threats.
• Which strategies support effective multi-stakeholder engagement?
Francesca Passudetti from the Young Ambassadors Society (Italy) explained that existing platforms aim to transform participation into real influence within decision-making arenas, such as structured engagement in the G20 and G7 processes. Achieving this requires moving beyond siloed approaches and strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• How can connections with broader stakeholders be ensured?
Avazkan Ormonova, Representative of the Public Foundation “DIA” (Kyrgyzstan), emphasised the importance of including those with lived experience. Women are not only victims but key agents of peace, and sustainable, inclusive peace can only be achieved through partnerships among states, international organisations, and civil society.
Bridging Gaps and Strengthening Systems
The discussion leads me to reflect on the urgent need for a structured system capable of facilitating interaction and collaboration among diverse stakeholders. However, what remains unclear is who is responsible for enabling such cooperation and, more importantly, who finances leadership and mentorship programmes for girls and young women. While the debate highlighted the need to move beyond fragmented funding models towards more systemic and diversified approaches, it did not fully clarify how the activities of civil society and implementing organisations are integrated into the financial planning of the private sector.
In response to my question regarding private sector engagement, the speakers emphasised the importance of establishing innovation funds, impact investing mechanisms specifically targeting young women, and intergenerational knowledge transfer programmes. A concrete example discussed was the UN Youth Peacebuilding Fund, which has demonstrated impact but still requires structural integration with private sector financing to achieve greater scale and sustainability.
Participating in this discussion reinforced my understanding of the critical role that civil society can play in connecting different actors. If we are to ensure that young leaders and women have access to peace and security decision-making spaces, ultimately enabling societies to move towards a more peaceful future, we must invest in these connections. This includes creating opportunities for those who have directly experienced conflict to share their knowledge and contribute to education and awareness. Only in this way can we move beyond purely theoretical discussions and translate shared commitments into concrete action. Once again, the central role of education emerges as a fundamental response to the challenges that global societies are currently facing.
