From Beijing's promises to Gaza's ruins: women facing war (By UN News)
New York, US (PANA) - At the UN on Monday, the scene was ritualistic: solemn speeches, alarming figures, calls to action. But behind the gravity of the words, one observation was clear. A quarter of a century after the adoption of a founding text promising to place women at the heart of peace efforts, the world remains more violent than ever—and women are more often victims than decision-makers.
"Too often, we gather in rooms like this, full of conviction and determination, without ultimately achieving a real change in the lives of women," lamented the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, before the Security Council, acknowledging that the ambitions displayed in his resolution 1325 “have not truly changed the lives of women and girls caught in conflict”.
This text, adopted in 2000, marked a historic turning point: for the first time, the organisation affirmed that peace could not be sustainable without the active participation of women . It paved the way for a vast programme called Women, Peace and Security, intended to transform the way the international community conceives of war – no longer simply as a military confrontation, but as a human crisis, where gender inequality fuels violence and hinders reconciliation.
This new approach built on the momentum created five years earlier by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the first global framework for gender equality. But three decades later, the promise has eroded. By 2024, according to the United Nations, 676 million women were living within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict, the highest level since the 1990s.
While political commitments are increasing, the realities on the ground are a reminder of their fragility. "Women continue to build peace," stressed Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, the UN agency responsible for defending women's rights. From humanitarian workers in Yemen to peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, the former Jordanian diplomat praised those who “reduce community violence”. She also denounced the "budget cuts without long-term vision" that undermine field work: "They close clinics, compromise girls' education, and erode the chances of peace."
Her words of concern were echoed by cries of anger. Noura Erakat, an American human rights lawyer of Palestinian origin, spoke "on behalf of her Palestinian sisters", deprived of the opportunity to speak. Describing the war in Gaza as "genocide", she painted an unbearable picture: "In 2024, the miscarriage rate has increased by 300% in Gaza," she said, also citing attacks on maternity wards and clinics, forcing pregnant women in the enclave to “give birth in public restrooms”.
Two interventions, two tones, but one idea: women are not only victims of war, they are also its witnesses – those who refuse to abandon the link between life and peace.
Alongside war stories, another battlefield is emerging: digital technology. Olga Ouskova, founder of Cognitive Technologies, a Moscow-based IT company, warned the Council of the dangers of a world where technology precedes morality. "The development of AI and social media has paved the way for massive manipulation of minds," she warned. According to her, women and children are "the first victims" of these new forms of violence—whether symbolic or physical, media-based or military.
For this pioneer of agricultural robotics, the threat is twofold: digital dehumanization on the one hand, lethal automation on the other. "We need new international rules on the conduct of wars using weapons based on artificial intelligence," she argued, also calling for the creation of a UN body responsible for detecting deepfakes and manipulated content intended to stir up hatred .
His technological warning, coming from Russia, strangely responded to Noura Erakat's warnings from Gaza: two universes, two experiences, but the same sense of urgency in the face of a war that is reinventing itself, escaping law, morality and reason.
These multiple voices point to a paradox: never has the discourse on equality been so present, and never have the setbacks been so evident. António Guterres has reminded us: "Women are leaders of peace for all." Yet the facts belie this conviction. In several regions, authoritarian regimes restrict women's rights; elsewhere, budgets dedicated to their empowerment are being cut in favour of military spending.
For UN Women, the time has come not for statements, but for action: imposing binding quotas for women in negotiations, punishing sexual violence, and directly funding local organisations led by women. Only then can the spirit of 2000 be revived.
But as the UN chief summed up, "our world does not need this truth repeated, but results that embody it".
Since the Beijing Declaration in 1995, the UN has made gender equality a pillar of peace. Yet, the world has never seen so many women displaced, raped, or murdered. The early idealism has clashed with realpolitik and the erosion of multilateralism.
It is now clear that for the Women, Peace and Security agenda to survive, it is no longer enough to convene periodic meetings, such as the traditional annual Monday debate at the Council. The initial commitment must be given meaning again – not as a tribute to women victims, but as a mandate of power for those who refuse to be erased.
-0- PANA MA 6Oct2025
