The year 2025 marks 25 years since the adoption of the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 - a historic recognition of the critical role women play in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding. However, the realization of the transformative potentials envisioned 25 years ago remains a challenge, as the number of women negotiators, mediators, or signatories to peace processes remain low, exacerbated by the continuing systemic perpetration of serious violence against women across the world.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), as an international alliance partner of Japan’s WPS Parliamentarians Network, have been collaborating to enhance parliamentarians’ leadership in advancing the WPS agenda across different contexts. Parliamentarians have a critical role in mainstreaming gender in peace and security issues as they are in the unique position to legislate enforceable measures for the realization of WPS, ensuring necessary budget and resources, exercising oversight and monitoring, and even representing conflict/war affected women and children and communities, among others. Yet, their participation in efforts to support the WPS agenda has been variable, with many parliamentarians either unaware or not involved in national implementation efforts.
A public symposium entitled “The Role of Parliamentarians for Advancement of the WPS Agenda” brings pioneering parliamentarians from Ukraine, the Philippines, and India to share both good and emerging practices, as well as achievements in advancing WPS commitments and mainstreaming gender in their respective countries. This symposium is held at a critical time as the Focal Point Network, which is a gathering of high-level government officials and experts around the world, takes place in Tokyo, co-chaired by the Japanese and Norwegian government. The sharing of perspectives in this symposium is expected to contribute towards a more multi-sectoral collaboration among parliamentarians, governments, and civil society organizations, as well as cooperation at the local, national, and international levels.