‘There cannot be peace without women’

Namibia has called for urgent global action to strengthen women’s role in peacebuilding and governance, warning that progress remains uneven despite decades of policy commitments.

Speaking at the Women’s Forum of the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 15 April, National Council member Iswarin Rooi said the international community must move beyond rhetoric and ensure women are fully integrated into peace and security processes.

“I come before you today from a nation that knows the heavy cost of silence and the transformative power of dialogue,” Rooi told delegates. “In Namibia, our very independence was forged in the fires of a liberation struggle where women did not just wait for peace; we marched for it, fought for it, and negotiated for it.”

Rooi highlighted Namibia’s historic role in advancing the global Women, Peace and Security agenda, particularly its leadership in championing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 during its tenure on the UN Security Council 25 years ago.

“UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was not just a piece of paper. It was a revolution,” she said. “It gave us the four pillars, participation, protection, prevention, and relief, that transformed women from ‘victims of war’ into ‘architects of peace’.”

She pointed to evidence that peace agreements are significantly more durable when women are involved, noting that “when women are at the negotiating table, peace agreements are 35% more likely to last”.

Follow in our footsteps

Despite these gains, Rooi cautioned that implementation remains a major challenge globally. “While we have passed nine follow-up resolutions, the gap between policy and practice remains wide. Women still represent less than 10% of formal negotiators globally,” she said.

Turning to Namibia’s domestic progress, Rooi said the country continues to lead on gender representation in politics. She cited the inauguration of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Vice-President Lucia Witbooi in March 2025, alongside a Cabinet comprising more than 50% women. She added that nearly 45% of parliamentary seats in Namibia are held by women, supported by the ruling party’s “zebra system” to ensure gender balance. 

Rooi also announced the establishment of a joint women's caucus in parliament, where she serves as secretary. “As part of its key objectives, women MPs mentor the next generation and together are working to bridge the gap between veteran women leaders and young women MPs to ensure our gains are never rolled back,” she said.

However, Rooi acknowledged persistent challenges, particularly gender-based violence. “In Namibia, despite our robust Third National Gender Equality and Equity Policy (2025–2035), we saw over 4 400 cases of gender-based violence reported between 2024 and 2025 alone,” she said. “As parliamentarians, our duty is to ensure that our high representation in the House translates into safety for every girl in our rural constituencies.”

On global policy, Rooi called for stronger institutionalisation of women’s leadership in post-conflict settings and increased funding for gender-responsive initiatives. “Peace is only sustainable when women are at the core of mediation and early warning systems,” she said, while also urging international adoption of gender-responsive budgeting to support national action plans.

She warned that financial practices such as corporate tax avoidance undermine resources needed to implement peace and security frameworks. Concluding her address, Rooi emphasised that gender equality is inseparable from sustainable peace. “Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of fairness, the restoration of dignity, and the inclusion of every voice, especially those most affected by conflict,” she said. “There cannot be peace without women and no development without peace.”