Finland supports UN Women initiative to strengthen women’s participation in peace processes

Finland is providing EUR 200,000 to a UN Women initiative aimed at promoting women’s participation in mediation and peace processes. Finland is strongly committed to promoting human rights and gender equality through its foreign policy and has long supported the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security agenda.

The initiative aims to strengthen women’s opportunities to participate in peace processes by improving access to data, tools and expert support that can help advance their work. The initiative seeks to strengthen collaboration and create a platform for political dialogue, peer exchange, and collective action through direct engagement with mediating Member States, Regional Organizations and their mediation teams.

”Our joint goal is clear: the full, equal, safe, and meaningful participation of women in peace processes leading to more sustainable peace and increased ownership of negotiations," said State Secretary Pasi Rajala in New York.

Women’s participation is essential for sustainable peace

In recent years, progress on increasing the participation of women has been challenged by the weakening of the multilateral international order, a transactional approach to mediation, and the growing influence of anti-gender equality movements.

According to the UN Secretary-General’s recently published report on Women, Peace and Security, more and more women and girls are living in close proximity to conflict. Although the UN Security Council adopted its landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security more than 25 years ago, women’s participation in peace processes has declined. In 2025, women accounted for only five per cent of negotiators across 57 peace processes.

Wars and conflicts increase violence against women and girls and undermine the security of societies. Women play a key role in maintaining essential societal functions, including food security and education, during times of crisis. The full participation of women in peace processes and reconstruction is essential to achieving lasting peace.

Finland promotes gender equality in conflict and peacebuilding contexts through international forums, bilateral cooperation and collaboration with international organisations. Finland is one of the largest core contributors to UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, and has also supported UN Women’s work on the Women, Peace and Security agenda at the local level, including in Kenya, Nepal and Afghanistan, as well as through regional initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa.