Concept Note

2025 AWP

WPS@25 & YPS@10

<WPS@25: Priorities and Innovation for the Future>

  • INTRODUCTION

The Republic of Korea is committed to promoting the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda through its “Action with Women and Peace” initiative. This initiative is built on two pillars: i) convening an annual conference that amplifies women's voices in the field of international peace and security; and ii) providing humanitarian and development assistance for women and girls in conflict-affected countries.

This November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea will host the 7th Action with Women and Peace (AWP) Conference under the theme “WPS@25: Priorities and Innovation for the Future.” This year, the international community marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) amidst a backdrop of escalating conflicts and militarization, shrinking civic spaces, narrowing avenues for mediation, and growing resistance to the WPS agenda. In this challenging context, the AWP conference, which has served as a vital platform for dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and innovation, seeks to contribute to the broader international dialogue on how to protect and advance the WPS agenda beyond the 25th milestone.

Specifically, the 7th AWP conference will bring together diverse actors for: exploring innovative approaches to advancing WPS in an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber technologies; exchanging insights on intergenerational leadership and learning; and reinforcing the crucial role of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in peacebuilding, recovery, and justice. Through a rich and varied program, the AWP conference aims to celebrate key achievements over the past 25 years while also identifying strategic priorities and innovative pathways to shape the WPS agenda for the future.

  • BACKGROUND

In October 2025, the international community will commemorate the 25th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 (2000). Over the past quarter-century, the WPS agenda has evolved into a robust normative and policy framework, supported by the nine subsequent resolutions and hundreds of national action plans. Significant progress has been made in integrating the WPS perspectives into peace operations, humanitarian responses, and accountability mechanisms. These achievements are the result of decades of steadfast advocacy and collective work by women’s organizations and women peacebuilders across all regions.

Despite these normative gains, implementing the WPS agenda is becoming ever more elusive in today’s rapidly changing world. Even in the face of rising conflicts and mounting humanitarian needs, avenues for meaningful dialogue and mediation are shrinking due to geopolitical contestation and polarization. From the climate crisis to hybrid warfare, threats to peace and security are becoming more complex than the framers of UNSCR 1325 could have anticipated. New and emerging technologies, including AI and digital platforms, are transforming the landscape of warfare and peacebuilding at a pace that exceeds the capacity of policymakers to respond. Meanwhile, women peacebuilders, human rights defenders, and humanitarian workers on the front lines are struggling to deal with declining funding, shrinking civic space, and a growing backlash against the WPS agenda itself.

Against this backdrop, the 25th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 presents a pivotal moment to safeguard hard-won gains and ensure the agenda remains responsive and forward-looking. The 7th AWP conference aims to provide a space for strategic reflection and collaborative dialogue, with a focus on two core priorities.

The first priority is to explore innovative pathways to promote the WPS agenda in an era increasingly shaped by new and emerging technologies. While AI and digital tools have the potential to enhance women’s protection and peacebuilding efforts, they also carry risks that need to be mitigated – including digital surveillance, disinformation, algorithmic bias, and online gender-based violence. These new dynamics call for a rethinking of how best to implement the WPS agenda in today’s evolving landscape across the four pillars of participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery.

The second priority is to promote intergenerational leadership and learning in advancing the WPS agenda. An intergenerational approach capitalizes on hard-earned experiences of older generations and fresh perspectives and digital fluency of younger ones, all of which are essential skills and knowledge for tackling today’s challenges. Meaningful engagement of younger generations and investment in young women peacebuilders are critical to ensuring that WPS remains relevant and has a lasting impact for the next quarter-century.

  • OBJECTIVE

Take stock of past achievements and lessons learned in implementing the WPS agenda in the Asia-Pacific region, including effective practices of local women’s organizations, and identify ways to sustain and scale up such efforts in the face of evolving peace and security challenges

Examine the implications of new and emerging technologies on conflict dynamics and peace processes and explore forward-looking strategies to embed the WPS perspectives into technology development, application, and governance

Showcase the aspirations and demands of youth to promote the WPS agenda for the next 25 years and share good practices for fostering intergenerational leadership and learning to advance the agenda

Exchange good practices in taking a survivor-centered approach to conflict-related sexual violence and discuss strategies to support survivors’ agency and leadership in peacebuilding, recovery, and justice efforts