Women have always been central to fostering and sustaining peaceful, stable, and free societies. That’s why the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 twenty years ago and has continued to debate and advance the Women Peace and Security agenda ever since.

Investing in women’s political and economic empowerment has transformational effects for nations, communities, and families. Women’s advancement is a key component of the U.S. diplomatic and development operational approach. U.S. lawmakers recognized this by passing the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017. The purpose of the law is as simple as it is challenging:

“To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation of women in mediation and negotiation processes seeking to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.”

Bringing women to the table is not only the right thing to do, it’s the strategic thing to do. It furthers U.S. foreign policy goals by deterring conflict and prolonging just and lasting peace. It promotes international peace and security by fostering stable and free societies.  

At American Council on Women Peace and Security, we advance the bipartisan and international spirit and practice of this pathbreaking agenda. We help policymakers with hard hitting analysis and enlightened scholarship. We help practitioners integrate the wisdom of the agenda into a broad portfolio of work engaging nations around the world. We amplify the voices of international partners to help them implement their own national action plans. Together we are helping to protect and promote women’s opportunity, dignity, and liberty.