06.10.2025 Denmark's statement for Open Debate on Women and Peace and Security
Checked Against Delivery
Thank you, Madam President,
Let me also thank the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of UN Women and today’s civil society briefers for their briefings and their commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Denmark recognises the indispensable participation of women civil society in the Council, and we draw attention to the Open letter to UN Member States on behalf of 661 civil society signatories published ahead of today’s meeting.
Madam President,
Twenty-five years ago, this Council took a momentous step.
One that recognised that peace is inextricably linked to gender equality and women’s leadership.
In the past 25 years, we have witnessed remarkable strides.
Women have enabled sustainable peace in Colombia, Liberia and the Philippines.
More than a hundred countries have adopted National Action Plan for WPS.
A growing number of perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict have been brought to justice.
The number of uniformed women in UN peace operations has increased drastically.
But the promise of Resolution 1325 remains far from fulfilled.
Peace negotiations remain dominated by men, despite clear evidence that women’s participation leads to more durable agreements.
Decisions that shape the lives of millions are made without those most affected and those most equipped to respond - women, survivors, grassroots leaders.
And women and girls continue to suffer horrific and rising levels of sexual and gender-based violence, both in and outside of conflict contexts.
In short: we still have very far to go.
Madam President,
Between 2023 and 2024, the number of women and girls killed in conflict quadrupled from the previous two-year period.
7 out of 10 were killed in Gaza, where Palestinian mothers and their children are denied food and maternal healthcare, in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
In Sudan, women are wounded, displaced, raped and killed as markets, hospitals, schools, and homes are targeted by the RSF and SAF alike.
In Afghanistan, women and girls have been erased from public life, stripped of education, freedom, and dignity by the Taliban.
Around this table, let us recall that at the core of the WPS agenda lies the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
And is that not why we’re here in this Council?
Madam President,
Against this dire backdrop, victims and survivors, however resilient they may be, require relief and support.
Yet, the current context is one of deliberate denial of humanitarian assistance, of rapidly declining funding for life-saving services, and sometimes, even the purposeful killing of the very actors trying to bring relief.
This is both unacceptable and illegal.
Denmark’s view is clear: the rights of women and girls, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights, are non-negotiable.
Protecting humanitarian space is critical to fulfil these rights, and it is not optional – it is a legal obligation and an urgent imperative to save lives and empower solutions.
Madam President,
Today, we pay tribute to the women’s rights movement who led the charge to establish this agenda.
They were rightly demanding that women have a seat at the table. That there should be nothing about women, without women.
Yet 25 years later, their voices are side-lined or silenced, their lives threatened or attacked.
So, as we mark this milestone, we must move beyond rhetoric and commit to concrete actions:
Protecting women human rights defenders.
Ensuring their safe participation in decision-making.
And funding grassroot women-led organizations.
We further echo the Secretary General's call for women to constitute at least one-third of all participants in UN-led or co-led peace processes. We urge all stakeholders, including the UN, to make women’s participation the norm at every stage.
Madam President, in closing,
Denmark remains as committed as ever; not least financially.
We renewed this commitment in our 5th National Action Plan for WPS launched this year, with new dedicated funding for WPS initiatives to support the participation of local women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.
But we are not here to celebrate rhetoric. We are here to demand results. The next 25 years must not be about more commitments - they must be about action.
About power shared. About resources delivered. About protection ensured.
I thank you.