Women for Women International (WfWI) joined regional and global leaders in Namibia on October 16 and 17, 2025 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 hosted by the Government of Namibia in collaboration with the African Union Commission, SADC, and UN Women, under the theme, "Honouring the Legacy: Advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda".
The celebration featured eminent women leaders including H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of Namibia, and former Presidents H.E Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, H.E Catherine Samba-Panza, H.E Sahle-Work Zewde, other distinguished leaders, civil society organisations, youth, and peacebuilders to reflect on progress and chart the path forward.
The CSO forum preceding the event on 15 October provided a critical space to assess 25 years of WPS implementation. While milestones such as Namibia’s 57% female cabinet and the AU’s FemWise network were celebrated, participants also highlighted persistent challenges—ranging from increasing conflicts, shrinking civic space to underfunded commitments, patriarchal barriers and tokenism that still limit women’s meaningful participation.
As we look ahead, collective action and solidarity remain vital—because, as the African proverb reminds us, “When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion".
Key calls to action included:
- Advancing inclusive, gender-transformative peace processes and agreements.
- Ensuring meaningful participation of women and youth in peace processes including deepening intergenerational leadership.
- Moving from rhetoric to resourced implementation of the WPS agenda and National Action Plans.
- Addressing climate change, violent extremism, and digital insecurity as emerging threats to peace.
WfWI reaffirmed its commitment to grassroots mobilization, intergenerational engagement, and community-based solutions to peace-building and ensuring that women’s voices shape peace and security.