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Publication of new anthology on the current state, challenges and futures of the UN’s WPS Agenda
Frankfurt / Main, March 12, 2026: 2025 marked the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). On this occasion, the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt dedicated a blog series to the WPS agenda. The series is now available as an eBook: Bringing together contributions by scholars, practitioners and artists, the book offers a unique variety of perspectives on the state of WPS in times of a global anti-feminist backlash, critically taking stock of its institutionalization and its impact on lived realities worldwide.
Rooted in the efforts of civil society and women’s rights activists, UNSCR 1325 laid the foundations for one of the most visible frameworks for promoting gender equality in global peace and security institutions – the WPS agenda: The resolution was followed by nine UNSCR resolutions, more than 100 national action plans (NAPs) guiding states’ implementation, and widespread uptake by regional organizations such as the EU and the African Union.
Today, however, the WPS agenda is increasingly under attack: Several states have not renewed their NAPs on WPS or have announced their withdrawal from related commitments altogether. Most prominently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the abolition of the WPS program within his department in April 2025. These developments reflect the current shift in the global order, characterized by illiberal backlash, the rise of far-right governments, and the growing influence of anti-feminist movements that question gender equality norms. At the same time, the international peacebuilding agenda faces significant setbacks as Western governments increasingly prioritize militarization over multilateral cooperation – with serious consequences for the political and financial support of women's peacebuilding activities.
Edited by Clara Perras and PD Dr. Simone Wisotzki, “25 Years of Women, Peace and Security: Promises, Backlash, and Feminist Reimagining” explores the knowledge systems that have evolved around WPS. The eBook brings together case studies, reports and interviews by 20 contributors. The articles range from decolonial critique towards the implementation of the WPS agenda to questions about the institutionalization of WPS. Further, the eBook addresses the current anti-feminist backlash and considers how it can be reimagined to realize its transformative potential in a rapidly changing world.
During the digital launch event on March 10th, co-editor Clara Perras explained the idea behind the series:
“As the anniversary of Resolution 1325 was approaching last year, we were asking ourselves: What does the WPS Agenda mean today – in a changing and increasingly militarized world order? With this blog series, we therefore wanted to create a space to critically reflect on the WPS agenda – its achievements, but also on its limitations, its future visions and possibilities.”
Toni Haastrup, Chair in Global Politics at the University of Manchester and feminist peace researcher, emphasized the contributions’ appreciative approach towards the WPS agenda and its hopeful perspective in times of global backlash:
“This eBook helped me lean into my discomfort with that idea that WPS is done. Because I think that to say ‘WPS is done’ is precisely to erase all the work that led to the Security Council resolution in the first place. That is not to negate the fact that in some cases, WPS has been diluted, or increasingly, we seem to be very comfortable with its militarization – but that’s not the final word on WPS. There’s still a lot of space for hope.”
Press Contact
Helen Breunig
Science Communication Trainee
PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Telefon: +49 69 959104-65
presse(at)prif.org
About the eBook:
“25 Years of Women, Peace and Security: Between Promises, Backlash, and Feminist Reimagining" is an anthology based on the PRIF Blog series of the same name and part of the PRIF Blog series on Feminist Peace Research. It is available for download online (open access, accessible PDF): https://www.prif.org/fileadmin/Daten/Publikationen/Sonstige/Perras-Wisotzki_25-y...
About PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
PRIF is one of Europe's leading peace research institutes. It was founded in 1970 as a foundation under public law funded by the state of Hesse and the federal government. The institute's goal is to analyze the causes of international and domestic conflicts and develop solutions. The institute is active in numerous national and international research networks. PRIF has been a member of the Leibniz Association since 2009. PRIF combines interdisciplinary basic research with the transfer of knowledge to politics, the media, and society.
On PRIF Blog, the institute publishes articles and comments on current political and societal debates on peace and security with a particular focus on important issues and regions that do not receive enough media attention. PRIF Blog aims to provide scholarly contributions and to present research in an accessible and understandable way. To this end, all articles are peer-reviewed by PRIF colleagues.
https://www.prif.org/ | Blog: https://blog.prif.org/
Perras, Clara; Wisotzki, Simone (eds) (2026): 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security. Promises, Backlash, and Feminist Reimagining, PRIF Blog series on Feminist Peace Research, Frankfurt/M . DOI: https://doi.org/10.48809/25wps
Press Release – Anthology "25 Years of Women, Peace and Security. Promises, Backlash, and Feminist Reimagining" (PDF)
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Journalists, Scientists and scholars, Students
Politics, Social studies
transregional, national
Scientific Publications
English
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