A UN report paints a bleak picture of women in areas of deadly conflicts news

A UN report issued on Monday painted a bleak picture of the conditions of women in the world due to conflicts, revealing that 676 million women live within 50 kilometers of areas of deadly conflict, which is the highest level recorded since the 1990s.

The 2025 report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on “Women, Peace and Security” recorded that the world is witnessing the highest number of active conflicts since 1946, stressing that this creates unprecedented risks and suffering for women and girls.

The report also indicated that the number of civilian victims of women and children has quadrupled compared to the previous two-year period, and conflict-related sexual violence has increased by 87% in two years, and warned that two decades of progress in this field are disintegrating.

The report coincided with the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution No. 1325, which obligated the international community to ensure the full participation and protection of women in peace and security issues.

“Women and girls are being killed in record numbers, excluded from peace tables and left unprotected as wars increase,” said Sima Bahouth, Executive Director of UN Women, stressing that women “do not need more promises, but rather they need strength, protection, and equal participation.”

The report also recorded that despite the overwhelming evidence that women’s participation makes peace more sustainable, women remain largely excluded from decision-making, according to the United Nations, as in 2024, 9 out of every 10 peace processes were devoid of women, with the percentage of negotiations not exceeding 7% and the percentage of female mediators being 14% globally.

The report also revealed a serious imbalance, as while global military spending exceeded $2.7 trillion in 2024, women’s organizations in conflict areas received only 0.4% of aid, and confirmed that many women’s groups working on the front lines face imminent closure due to financial constraints.

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzai Gumbunzvanda said the Secretary-General’s report shows the world is moving in the “wrong direction”, noting that military spending has reached record levels, at a time when gender-based equality and pluralism are under increasing attack.

In countries affected by wars, maternal deaths and girls’ dropout from school have steadily decreased, more women hold positions in parliament and government, thousands of survivors have received compensation, and 115 countries now have national action plans on women, peace and security, according to the UN official.

Nyaradzai Gumbunzvanda stressed the need for the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action to be a turning point. She said, “The message of women in conflict areas is clear: stop wars, support international law and disarm.” She stressed that women’s leadership “is not symbolic, but rather what makes peace possible and lasting.”

For her part, Director of the Division of Policies, Programs and Intergovernmental Support at UN Women, Sarah Hendrix, said that the numbers contained in the report reflect wars that are increasingly being waged against the bodies of women and girls, in shocking disregard for international law.

She added, “Behind these numbers are women giving birth in shelters under bombs, girls forced to leave school, survivors who are silenced, and peace builders who risk their lives every day.”

Hendricks confirmed that over the past two years, “women and girls have been killed in Gaza at a rate of approximately two every hour,” in reference to the extent of the suffering and great losses suffered by the women of the Strip, which faced a war of extermination over the course of two years.