War Takes Toll on 600 Million Women, Says UN Report

A recent UN report highlights that over 600 million women are impacted by war, stressing the need for immediate global efforts to support and protect them. Discover the UN’s findings and recommendations.

Over 600 million women and girls are currently impacted by war, marking a 50% increase from ten years ago. They worry that the world has overlooked their plight amid growing resistance to women’s rights and gender equality, according to leading U.N. officials.

According to a recent report by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the advances made for women over several decades are disappearing due to unprecedented levels of armed conflict and violence. He stated that “generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance worldwide.”

The U.N. leader was evaluating the status of a Security Council resolution passed on October 31, 2000, which called for equal participation of women in peace negotiations—a goal that is still as elusive as achieving gender equality.

Guterres stated that recent data and findings indicate the “transformative potential of women’s leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace” is being diminished, as men predominantly hold power and decision-making roles concerning peace and security issues.

He warned that peace will remain elusive as long as oppressive patriarchal social structures and gender biases continue to hold back half of our societies.

The report indicates that in 2023, the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled compared to the previous year. Additionally, U.N.-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence rose by 50%, and there was a 35% increase in the number of girls affected by grave violations during conflicts.

During a two-day U.N. Security Council meeting that concluded on Friday, Sima Bahous, the head of UN Women—the United Nations agency dedicated to promoting gender equality—highlighted the insufficient attention given to women’s perspectives in peace efforts.

She referred to the concerns of millions of women and girls in Afghanistan who are denied education and a future; displaced women in Gaza “awaiting death”; survivors of sexual violence in Sudan; as well as the diminishing dreams of women in Myanmar, Haiti, Congo, the Sahel region, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and other places.

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Bahous stated that 612 million women and girls impacted by war “are left questioning whether the world has already forgotten them, fearing they may have been overlooked in an international community overwhelmed by increasingly frequent, severe, and urgent crises.”

She expressed that the world should counter its fears with hope, yet acknowledged a harsh reality: “Half of all women and girls in conflict-affected areas are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity, and 61% of all maternal deaths occur within just 35 countries affected by such conflicts.”

Regarding women’s involvement in decision-making and politics in conflict-affected countries, Bahous stated that progress has stalled.

“The proportion of women involved in peace negotiations has remained stagnant over the past decade, averaging below 10% across all processes and under 20% in those led or supported by the United Nations,” she stated.

Amina Mohammed, the U.N. Deputy Secretary-General, announced the introduction of a “Common Pledge on Women’s Participation in Peace Processes” and called on governments, regional organizations, and other parties involved in mediation to collaborate with the U.N. by taking tangible actions toward this goal. The commitments involve appointing women as chief mediators and team members; endorsing women’s direct and significant participation in peace processes; engaging with female leaders at every stage; and incorporating women experts to ensure gender-sensitive peace processes and agreements,” she stated.

Numerous U.N. ambassadors who addressed the council meeting emphasized the absence of “political will” to advance women’s roles in the peace process.

Panama’s U.N. Ambassador, Eloy Alfaro de Alba, remarked on Friday that “the absence of political will remains a barrier to the complete fulfillment of commitments made by member states.”