Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, at the Peacebuilding Commission meeting on Women, Peace, and Security - October 27th, 2025

Mr. President,

I thank the Chair for convening this timely meeting on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325. That resolution is a landmark commitment that placed women’s participation, protection, and leadership at the heart of international peace and security, and thus at the center of peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

Today, the WPS agenda is more relevant than ever. In a geopolitical context marked by growing militarization, disregard for International Law, and the erosion of women’s rights, we must reaffirm that lasting peace cannot be achieved without gender equality and gender respect.

Women, Peace and Security must be our core priority, guided by the Gender Strategy and Action Plan. The PBC’s written advice to the Security Council’s open debate on

WPS is an important tool to promote coherence between the two bodies. We congratulate Germany for facilitating this year’s advice, while regretting that it was finalized only after the first session of the debate, limiting the document’s capacity to inform Council discussions.

Mr. Chair,

Women peacebuilders, particularly at the local level, are indispensable partners in preventing conflict and building peace. Because of their strong role in society, they are able to identify root causes of violence, build trust, and promote mediation and reconciliation. Yet, they continue to face persistent barriers: lack of funding, insecurity, limited access to decision-making, and, too often, threats and reprisals. Their contribution demands innovative responses, including flexible funding mechanisms, mentorship networks, and safe civic spaces.

Regional organizations and international financial institutions have a crucial role to play in this endeavor. Practical measures include earmarking funding for women-led projects, gender-responsive early-warning systems, and

guaranteeing that women are represented in mediation platforms.

To translate the priorities of women peacebuilders into political strategies, Member States and the PBC must ensure that their perspectives are embedded in national prevention strategies, peacebuilding frameworks, transitional justice processes, governance mechanisms, and institutional reforms, including security sector reform. This requires not only listening to women, but also sharing decision-making power with them.

Mr. Chair,

Conflicts such as the war in Gaza and the conflict in Sudan disproportionately affect women and girls. Besides protecting them, we must include women both in the peace processes and in reconstruction efforts. Likewise, we cannot accept the exclusion of Afghan women and girls from public life in the name of an unfair notion of stability or traditional values.

Conflict-related sexual violence is an intolerable violation of International Law. Ending impunity and

ensuring justice for victims must remain at the center of our collective efforts.

As we celebrate this anniversary, let us recall that the WPS agenda is not about making war safer for women. It is about ending war altogether with women’s irreplaceable contribution.

Brazil remains steadfast in its commitment to the WPS agenda in the PBC, convinced that women, in all their diversity, are not only agents of change, but indispensable architects of lasting peace.

Thank you.