Representatives of 661 civil society organizations from 106 countries ( including from Yemen) sent an open letter to United Nations Member States in advance of the October 2025 Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security(WPS),
The organizations, working across the globe on issues related to gender equality and women’s rights, peace and security, human rights, humanitarian assistance, and protection of civilians, called on the Security Council and Member States to take decisive action to defend the fundamental tenets of the WPS agenda.
In the letter, headed to Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, the undersigned asked member states to prioritize four critical actions:
• Stop arming violence against civilians. Member States must commit to stopping arms transfers when there is a substantial risk that they may be used to commit or facilitate serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women, or if they risk being used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects, or other war crimes, in line with the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
• Uphold international law. Respect for international humanitarian and human rights law are paramount obligations of Member States. This includes compliance with decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ); upholding the obligation to prevent and punish genocide; and ending impunity for human rights violations.
• Defend women’s rights and gender equality. Although spaces for consensus are shrinking and the cost of defending women’s rights, gender equality and the WPS agenda is increasingly high, nothing is more central to the founding principles of the UN Charter than the prevention of conflict and the protection of those most affected by it. a.
• Support the civil society movements that sustain this agenda. Women civil society are the heart of the WPS agenda and are essential for holding the Security Council and the UN accountable for their obligations. The Security Council cannot make monumental decisions affecting the lives of millions of women and girls without transparency or considering the crucial perspectives of conflict-affected communities.
The undersigned concluded the letter by standing with the women of Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Western Sahara, Yemen and all other crises on the Security Council’s agenda.
They urge member states to do the same by upholding the WPS agenda in solidarity with the millions of diverse women and girls daily confronting the brutal realities of conflict