In a Thomson Reuters Foundation opinion piece, U.N. Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka examines the role of women’s empowerment in building international peace and security, noting “[a] resolution adopted [Friday] by the U.N. Security Council moves us one step closer to the full participation of women as leaders for peace and security.” She writes, “By unanimous vote, the council adopted a resolution that sets in place stronger measures to enable women to participate in conflict resolution and recovery, and puts the onus on the Security Council, the United Nations, regional organizations and Member States to dismantle the barriers, create the space, and provide seats at the table for women.”

“U.N. Women hopes that this new Security Council resolution will trigger opportunities for women’s direct engagement, setting priorities for recovery in their countries,” Mlambo-Ngcuka states, writing, “There can be few better investments in building a sustainable peace than involving women. They connect the talks to the lives of those affected by conflict. They help generate broad social buy-in to the peace.” She concludes, “With [the] resolution, the Security Council is recognizing something very important: that gender-based inequality, just like poverty, is an injustice that fuels conflict and undermines peace, and that gender equality and women’s full participation are critical to international peace and security” (10/18).