Tag Archives: women peace and security

More Reflections from the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF): A Next-Gen Voice from Peru.

14 Jul

Editor’s Note: This is the second piece we have run from Andrea Viviana Araujo Muñoa who is now with us at the HLPF in New York. As we know and as Andrea has learned, many affiliated events are taking place outside of UN headquarters. Our July 9 event was also a hybrid event outside the UN building, designed in part to hear Andrea’s remarks: From Ayacucho to the United Nations A First-Generation Perspective on Identity, Resilience, and Youth-Led Community Transformation. But it was also to bring together a talented and professionally diverse group to relaunch the New York chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS) which had been run out of the Global Action office for several years pre-Covid. The hope is that events like this one and contributions like Andrea’s will help us maintain commitments to young women in all facets of the security sector.

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is far more than just another United Nations event. It is a meeting point where changemakers come together, bringing their experiences, hopes, and shared aspirations. In an increasingly interconnected world, partnerships and collaboration are more essential than ever, because what affects one country ultimately affects us all. International cooperation must place greater focus on young people from marginalized and underserved communities—those who continue to transform their neighborhoods through resilience and self-organization despite persistent inequalities. They deserve not only to be heard, but also to serve as representatives in global decision-making spaces within the United Nations.

  1. Roots and Resilience: The Journey from Ayacucho
    Sometimes, people forget where they come from and where they are going. For me, family history is essential because it shapes the way first-generation young people take action and create change. My parents are Quechua speakers from Ayacucho, the region where terrorism began in my country. As children, they were among the thousands who were forced to leave their homes and migrate to the capital. They never finished high school, had to learn Spanish at a very young age, and grew up facing systemic discrimination.
  2. The First-Generation Responsibility
    I am now 27 years old. Although my parents had very limited educational opportunities, my two triplet sisters and I all graduated from a public university. Being a first-generation university graduate has given me a deep sense of responsibility to give back to my community and create opportunities for others who face similar barriers. For me, taking action is not simply a choice—it is a responsibility. It is not easy to face uncertainty or to defend diverse voices and cultural diversity, but these are precisely the values that make us human. My story is my starting point because I believe that everyone has a purpose in life. In times of uncertainty, that purpose provides clarity and direction. “Taking action is not simply a choice—it is a responsibility. It is not easy to face uncertainty or to defend diverse voices and cultural diversity, but these are precisely
    the values that make us human.”
  3. Voices from the Margins: Youth-Led Action in Lima
    Through a youth-led organization born in the outskirts of Lima—the often-overlooked side of a deeply unequal capital—you can witness how young people from vulnerable communities promote and defend meaningful civic participation within their own neighborhoods. You can see that they do care about politics, not as partisan competition, but as a way to improve their communities. Despite having very limited financial resources, they design and implement free social initiatives for those around them. Self-management keeps these initiatives alive, but it also comes at a cost. I do not want to romanticize resilience or suggest that community organizing alone can overcome structural challenges. Young people need resources, opportunities, and institutional support so that their commitment is not what limits their future. Many volunteer despite lacking formal employment or financial stability. Each of them carries a unique story, yet they all share a remarkable determination to build stronger and more inclusive communities.
  4. A Call for Global Partnerships & the HLPF
    The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is far more than just another United Nations event. It is a meeting point where changemakers come together, bringing their experiences, hopes, and shared aspirations. In an increasingly interconnected world, partnerships and collaboration are more essential than ever, because what affects one country ultimately affects us all.
    International cooperation must place greater focus on young people from marginalized and underserved communities—those who continue to transform their neighborhoods through resilience and self-organization despite persistent inequalities. They deserve not only to be heard, but also to serve as representatives in global decision-making spaces within the United Nations.
  5. Reimagining Trust and Governance
    Today, there is growing discussion about the perceived decline of the United Nations, the urgent need for reform, and the frustration felt by many around the world. In this context, one question becomes unavoidable: isn’t this precisely the time to place our trust in those who continue to create real impact in their own communities? The High-Level Political Forum offers a unique opportunity for young people to move beyond simply being heard and to become active partners in shaping concrete, genuine, and transformative action.

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Women’s Political Participation and Peacekeeping

8 May

Recently, Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, and Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, held a joint Security Council briefing on women peace and security issues, focusing on women’s political participation and protection from a peacekeeping perspective, respectively.  While Madame Bachelet focused on women’s agency, in particular the need for women to play a role in conflict resolution and encouraged their participation and engagement in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes, Mr. Ladsous focused on the protection of women and the need for more training and protection in order to establish a reliable security sector for women’s participation.

Madame Bachelet discussed that most of women’s political participation has been at informal stages and that has not translated at high level.  Women’s participation is a necessary component to resolving a crisis situation and it must be integrated into peace or mediation agreements; of course, of special importance is the role of mediators and advisers and their role in bringing attention to women in conflict resolution.  On rule of law as one of the most important elements of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, she stressed the importance of referring cases to the ICC and other tribunals and assessing lessons learned from previous cases.  She also linked reparations with relieving economic and social marginalization that can be at the root of the violence against women.  

Among the suggestions made include creating more opportunities for women to participate in conflict resolution and peacebuilding forums by inviting them in donor conferences and other international engagement processes. In addition, consults with SRSGs, advisors, Member States and other relevant stakeholders on the need of women’s participation in conflict resolution are promoted in hopes of encouraging and engaging more women in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes. Also, a review of lessons learned from international criminal tribunals and their prosecutions on sexual and gender-based violence that can be applied to future processes.  

Adding upon Madame Bachelet’s theme of political participation, Mr. Ladsous discussed that while peacekeeping has seen progress in the participation in election and political institutions, more remains be done. He noted that one of the major problems of participation of women in election processes, both as candidates and voters, is the lack of freedom of movement and more needs to be done to ensure for the security of women in such settings. Mr. Ladsous outlined some of the steps taken from the UN Missions on the ground to assure for the protection of women, including establishing temporary special measures or holding elections workshops or training police officers. But, while peacekeepers are there to protect civilians directly, the main responsibility to protect continues to lie with the host state itself and peacekeeping cannot be a substitute for that.  Stronger national institutions that promote security and decrease levels of violence need to be in place; civilian capacities need to be strengthened, and protection efforts need to be sustained and multiplied.

Overall, creating a reliable security sector for women’s participation is, of course, essential not only to the protection and prevention of violence against women, but also to women’s participation. As we move forward and evaluate UN Mission mandates, it is important to reflect and assess the progress on the ground on these issues.  

-Melina Lito  

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