On 13 and 14 May 2025, global leaders, policymakers, and peacebuilders gathered in Oslo to reaffirm and advance commitments to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The meeting, held under the banner “Deepening WPS Commitments for Action: Innovating and Adapting to Deliver on Peace and Security”, was part of the WPS Focal Points Network (WPS-FPN) and co-hosted by Norway and Japan as the Network’s 2025 Co-Chairs.
Taking place at a critical juncture—just months before the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which first established the WPS agenda—the meeting brought together representatives from over 50 countries and regional organisations, including the African Union, ASEAN, ECOWAS, the European Union, IGAD, NATO, the OSCE, and the UN system. Also present were women peacebuilders, local leaders, and members of the academic and research community.
In his opening remarks, Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, State Secretary of Norway, emphasized the importance of collective action and multilateralism, highlighting the need for cooperation built on dialogue and shared international values.
Participants reflected on recent progress while also addressing the urgent challenges facing the WPS agenda today, including rising global militarization, protracted conflicts, and shrinking civic space. Katsuhiko Takahashi, Japan’s Ambassador for International Economic Affairs and WPS, stressed the importance of integrating women’s leadership into responses to emerging security issues, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and disaster risk reduction.
Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy at UN Women, underscored the need to sustain momentum: “We must hold the line for the women, peace and security agenda. It is critical to support local women’s leadership, especially young women, and to continue choosing peace.”
Civil Society Voices Brought to the Fore
A key moment in the meeting was the reading of a statement from civil society representatives, adopted at the Women, Peace and Security Anniversary event in Oslo earlier in May, which PRIO co-hosted together with partners. The statement captured the collective demands and perspectives of civil society actors working on the ground to advance women’s participation in peace processes and decision-making. By bringing this statement to the attention of WPS-FPN members, the meeting reinforced the importance of ensuring that local voices and lived experiences shape the international WPS agenda.
Torunn L. Tryggestad, Director of the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security, participated in the meeting as a facilitator in the breakout sessions, contributing to discussions that helped identify concrete pathways for advancing the WPS agenda in the years to come.
