A quarter century of UNSCR 1325

I remember vividly the corridors of the United Nations in October 2000. During Namibia’s presidency of the Security Council that month, I carried a deep conviction that the world needed to view conflict through a different lens. Namibia had just emerged from its own liberation struggle – one in which women were not merely victims but stood shoulder to shoulder with men as combatants, leaders, and mediators. It was inconceivable to my colleagues and me that women should remain marginalised in the Council’s deliberations on peace and security.

When Namibia proposed that women must be recognised not just as victims of conflict but as contributors to peace, we encountered resistance. Some questioned whether “gender issues” belonged in the realm of international security; others dismissed the proposal as advocacy better suited for social development forums. Yet we knew that if we relented, another generation of women would be excluded from history’s peace tables. We pressed on – sometimes through subtle diplomacy, other times through direct and friendly persuasion. On 31 October 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The Resolution rests on four interlinked pillars: Participation, Protection, Prevention, and Relief and Recovery. It calls for women’s full involvement in peace processes, the safeguarding of their rights during conflict, the prevention of violence, and the inclusion of their needs in post-conflict recovery. That moment remains one of the most significant highlights of my career – when a small delegation from a newly independent African nation persuaded the world’s most powerful body to acknowledge women’s central role in peace-making and peacebuilding.

It is profoundly symbolic that the Silver Anniversary of Resolution 1325 will be commemorated in Windhoek. It is a homecoming. From Windhoek, we carried the agenda to New York; now, the world returns to Windhoek to reflect on its legacy. This is not just ceremonial – it reaffirms that Resolution 1325 is an African and Namibian contribution to global security, inspired by the lived experiences of African women and championed by an African state. Our capital thus stands as a testament to the power of African agency in shaping global norms.

Namibia’s commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda did not end in 2000. We sought to live what we had proclaimed. When Namibia deployed an all-women military contingent to Darfur, Sudan, under the AU–UN Hybrid Operation (UNAMID), it was more than symbolism. These Namibian women built trust with local communities, addressed the unique vulnerabilities of women in camps, and embodied the principles of Resolution 1325 in action.

I recall the pride their deployment inspired. For Sudanese women – many of them survivors of unspeakable violence – seeing women in uniform who came to protect and to listen was transformative. It reminded me of UNTAG in 1989, when African women gave directives to our former colonisers. It proved what we had long argued in Beijing at the 4th World Conference on Women and later in New York: that women’s presence changes not only the optics but also the outcomes of peacekeeping.

The 25th anniversary also coincides with a defining milestone in Namibia’s democratic journey. For the first time, our nation is led by a woman President, Her Excellency Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – a pillar of strength and wisdom during the drafting of Resolution 1325. This moment carries both symbolic and substantive weight. Symbolically, it affirms the very principle that underpinned the Resolution: that women must not only participate but lead at the highest levels of decision-making. Substantively, it ensures that the voices shaping our national and foreign policy are enriched by perspectives long marginalised. The presence of a woman Head of State demonstrates that the Women, Peace and Security agenda is not a distant global aspiration, but a living Namibian reality. It shows Africa and the world that women’s leadership in peace and governance is not exceptional – it is essential.

Yet, even as we celebrate, we must confront how far there is still to go. Globally, women make up fewer than 20% of negotiators at peace tables. Grassroots women peacebuilders – the backbone of communities emerging from conflict – continue to operate on shoestring budgets. The Windhoek commemoration must therefore resist becoming a nostalgic ritual. Anniversaries must be mirrors, compelling us to ask whether the frameworks of yesterday can address the crises of today.

As Windhoek hosts the 25th anniversary in partnership with the African Union Commission and the SADC Secretariat, we do so not as ceremonial hosts but as custodians. We are declaring that Africa birthed this agenda – and Africa, together with the global community, will shape its future.

What must Windhoek deliver?

Firstly, accountability. States that have adopted National Action Plans must demonstrate implementation, not merely intention.

Secondly, resources. We cannot expect women to build peace with symbolic budgets.

Conclusion

Looking ahead, the next phase of Resolution 1325 must embrace diversity and intersectionality. Young women, refugees, rural leaders, and activists bring perspectives that make peace durable. We must also confront new realities – digital spaces have become new battlegrounds for disinformation and harassment, disproportionately targeting women. The Women, Peace and Security agenda must evolve or risk irrelevance.

Above all, the next 25 years must be unapologetically action-oriented. Africa’s Agenda 2063 already commits us to “Silencing the Guns.” Windhoek must build on that vision – grounded in indigenous knowledge, grassroots resilience, and continental solidarity.

Ambassador Selma Ashipala-Musavyi is the Minister of International Relations and Trade.