Reflections on Success: Hope for a Women, Peace and Security Future

This past year, the unprecedented novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic laid bare the shortcomings of our efforts to secure socioeconomic, gender and racial equality across the globe. As governments implemented measures to curb the spread of the virus, the most vulnerable of our communities were forced to carry a disproportionate burden of the pandemic. 2020 proved to be a year of difficult and frank conversations about the continued gaps and failings of our efforts to secure a more peaceful world. As we enter a new decade, still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and unsure of what the coming years will bring for gender equality generally and women’s participation in peace processes specifically, it is nonetheless important to take a moment to attest to what has been achieved. Indeed, a closer inspection of the last decade reveals that there is reason for celebration. In this regard, by interweaving an analysis of the achievements with reflections from Women, Peace and Security (WPS) giants, this Policy and Practice Brief (PPB) seeks to flip the narrative around by focusing on the achievements in advancing and promoting women’s participation in peace processes, and highlighting all the reasons to celebrate the advances in the WPS agenda.