On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, WIIS seeks to reinvigorate and advance the future of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Through the “1325@25” Initiative in 2025, our convenings, publications, and strategic communications will contribute to an in-depth evaluation of the framework and offer actionable recommendations as the WPS agenda moves forward into the next 25 years. We invite you to explore our initiative’s activities and resources below:
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Launching the “1325@25” Initiative in October 2024
On October 9th, WIIS launched the “1325@25” Initiative with the event, “The WPS Agenda – Shaping the Next 25 Years,” hosted in partnership with the Embassy of Liechtenstein. This event, moderated by former WIIS President & CEO Ariela Blätter, featured Under Secretary Dr. Bonnie Jenkins of the US Department of State, Dr. Carolyn Washington of Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, Dr. Shirley Graham of the Elliott School of International Affairs, and Dr. Marisa Ensor of Georgetown University. They assessed the WPS agenda’s future.
Hosting the Culminating “1325@25” Conference in November 2025
WIIS hosted a full-day conference event on November 12th, titled “The Future of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: Advancing Innovation, Resilience, and Collective Action,” which marked the 25th anniversary of the WPS agenda and served as the culminating event of the “1325@25” Initiative. The goals of the conference were three-fold:
- To understand the current state of play of WPS implementation in an emerging threat environment;
- To identify future pathways for adapting the WPS agenda to today’s challenging political climate; and
- To convene a diverse cross-sectoral network of WPS stakeholders in the DC community.
“1325@25” Conference Image Gallery
“1325@25” Initiative Policy Briefs
“In my more than two decades in foreign and security policy, I have seen all the patterns up close: polite nods, token meetings, and when the real talks begin, the women are ushered out. When a “real crisis” erupts, women once again disappear from the decision-making table, as if men had a flawless track record in fixing trouble. This is not inertia. It is by design. A system built on patriarchal logic will never dismantle itself. It guards privileges like a fortress. It dresses stagnation up as pragmatism. It sells regression as tradition. The only question left is: who exactly does that tradition serve? On the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325, this is not another policy paper. It is a personal reckoning with the questions our movement must confront if we are serious about peace, and about power.”
Read the full policy brief here.
“While reflecting on their successes over the past 25 years, WPS activists will have to pivot and mobilize in 2025 and the years ahead to withstand the gravest crisis the WPS movement has faced…The single most important thing they can do is launch a campaign to have a Women, Peace and Security Treaty adopted by UN member-states via the UN General Assembly. This would take formal WPS action out of the Security Council, which has become a lost cause for WPS (and many other issues) for the foreseeable future. This would take WPS leadership at the United Nations away from the fifteen members of the Council and place it in the hands of a much larger, representative coalition of willing UN member-states…This would also formalize, re-legitimize, revalidate, and elevate the WPS agenda at a precarious juncture. It would help to defend the WPS agenda from its detractors. It would give the many supporters of the WPS agenda—governmental and nongovernmental—a focal point and framework for action, a place to convene, and a platform to build on.”
Read the full policy brief here.
“Framers of 1325” Series
WIIS’ “Framers of 1325” series compiles essays from the individuals recognized as the “initiators, drafters, and strategists” of UNSCR 1325, whose determination brought about the successful adoption of the first ever UNSC resolution to address WPS issues. The series highlights their visions for the future of the WPS agenda, and their recommendations for overcoming the challenges to advancing gender equality in the decades ahead.
We acknowledge that the individuals featured here are not the sole “framers” of UNSCR 1325. Countless other people have worked to make the WPS agenda a reality and we equally celebrate their groundbreaking efforts.
Attending CSW69 in NYC
As part of the “1325@25” Initiative, WIIS participated in two high-level side events at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69):
On March 13th, WIIS co-sponsored a closed-door roundtable on “Past Reflections and Future Visioning on the 25th Anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda” with the International Peace Institute (IPI) and the Permanent Missions of Denmark, Luxembourg, Colombia, and Sierra Leone to the UN. This high-level interactive workshop convened 45 participants from across the UN, foreign ministries, civil society, and academia to develop “bold and creative” strategies for the advancement of gender equality through WPS principles.
In her opening remarks, Ariela Blätter highlighted how issues of funding, participation, and implementation hinder the advancement of the WPS agenda, and offered concrete solutions to these obstacles to ensure the future viability of the WPS agenda.
On March 10th, Blätter provided panelist remarks at a side event hosted by the World Jewish Congress (WJC) at the UN Headquarters in NYC on “Women, Conflict, and Peace: A Universal Feminist Vision.” Through expert dialogue with civil society leaders and high-level UN officials, the event highlighted the urgent need to recognize and address violence against women, while showcasing their critical leadership role in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. In line with WIIS’ mission and the theme of the event, Blätter spoke to the persistent under-representation of women in formal peace processes despite their ongoing significant contributions to peace and security efforts.
#WIISVoices Campaign
Through the #WIISVoices campaign, WIIS members worldwide share what the last 25 years of the WPS agenda has looked like in their local contexts and what they hope the WPS agenda will accomplish in the next 25 years. Discover our #WIISVoices campaign through our social media channels below!
WIIS’ “1325@25” Book Talks
Governing the Feminist Peace: the Vitality and Failure of the WPS Agenda
On October 28th, 2024, WIIS hosted a book talk on Governing the Feminist Peace: The Vitality and Failure of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda by Laura Shepherd and Paul Kirby. WIIS’ Director of Development Dr. Karin Johnston spoke with co-author Kirby, who discussed the evolution and complexities of the WPS agenda. In particular, the speakers discussed the main theme of the book, which argues that the WPS agenda should not be viewed as a singular, coherent political project that has seemingly failed, but rather as an adaptable framework or policy “ecosystem.”
Leadership in War and Peace: Masculine and Feminine Approaches
On June 10th, 2025, WIIS’ Karin Johnston sat down with WIIS senior fellow Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese to discuss Joan’s new book, Leadership in War and Peace: Masculine and Feminine. The book argues that effective leadership is all about results – and effective leaders apply different leadership styles, including using both masculine and feminine lenses, in the right measure, with the right people, at the right time–using a variety of leadership characteristics to meet the moment. Watch as Karin and Joan discuss the importance of the book’s message in this political environment and its timely relevance to the WPS agenda.
Gender, Race, and Power: Examining IR through an Intersectional Lens
On September 16th, 2025, WIIS’ Dr. Karin Johnston met with co-authors Joyce Kaufman and Kristen Williams to discuss their new book, Gender Race and Power: Examining IR through an Intersectional Lens. Today, we face an increasingly complex and shifting security environment, and the book details how we gain explanatory power by applying an intersectional analysis to emerging problems—climate, the environment—but also in more mainstream IR issues: war, peace, and security; human rights and humanitarian intervention, and the global economy and development. Watch as Karin, Joyce, and Kristen discuss the importance of the book’s intersectional approach and its timely relevance to the WPS agenda.
Women, Peace and Security Resources
