From Asking to Action: A Review of the Progress of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa Through the Voices of Women

1. History of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in Africa:

In 2025, the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda has been a key milestone, representing a “once in a generation opportunity” to accelerate existing commitments to uphold women’s rights and achieve gender equality, justice, peace and security into tangible progress.

The framing of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Africa finds its history and origin in the Windhoek Declaration 2000 which led to the birth and adoption of UNSCR 1325. Since then, Africa has made progress in providing legal and policy frameworks and establishing institutional mechanisms for implementation of the WPS agenda, such as the adoption of six (6) Regional Action Plans (RAPs) and thirty-five (35) National Action Plans (NAPs) on UNSCR 1325, making Africa the continent with the highest number of NAPs and RAPs.

The African Union has over the years demonstrated a deep commitment to the WPS agenda and made considerable progress such as the establishment of FemWise-Africa in July 2017, and the creation of the Office of the Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security in January 2014.

2. Background on Women for Women International’s Global Consultation “From Asking to Action”:

Despite the progress on the continent, women affected by conflict are repeatedly denied their fundamental right to meaningfully participate in decision-making, advocate for their own self-identified priorities, and drive forward solutions to the challenges they face. Efforts to include them in policymaking are too often tokenistic.

As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, it is crucial to reaffirm that women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation is not only a cornerstone of the agenda but essential to achieving lasting peace and security. This milestone serves as a reminder that the agenda’s promise can only be realized when women’s voices shape the policies and processes that affect their lives. To mark this milestone, in July and August 2024, Women for Women International led an inclusive and participatory consultation process, known as “From Asking to Action: A global consultation ensuring the voices of women affected by conflict are heard.”

The consultation as a whole engaged over 6,500 individual women across 14 conflict affected countries through surveys, focus group discussions and workshops. 54 partner organisations were also engaged through either co-designing the consultation, leading on the data collection, or participating in key informant interviews. In Africa, this spanned 6 countries: Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Sudan. In total, 3,892 women participated in the consultation within the above-mentioned countries.

Women’s rights community-based advocates from our Change Agent programme (Change Agents) and women’s rights organizations co- designed the consultation’s scope and tools; conducted the consultation through surveys, interviews, workshops and focus group discussions; and ensured that the consultation findings and recommendations resonated authentically within their communities and relevant stakeholders.

3. Findings and Recommendations:

‘From Asking to Action’ presents women’s hopes, challenges, experiences and recommendations on the reality of the present, what the future should look like it and how we can secure it. It is structured around the four pillars of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

a) Participation:
o Across all six countries, women’s participation in community decision-

making is majorly constrained by social and cultural norms.
o The most common social and cultural norms shared by the women

surveyed were discouraging women from speaking in public, limiting women’s roles to domestic responsibilities, women’s opinions and contributions being devalued, and stigmatizing women who participate in politics.

o While the women are able to participate in various activities such as advocacy and awareness campaigns and community dialogues, they shared that these channels are less formalized and would benefit from improved coordination among organizations working on these issue areas, as well as recognition from national and local authorities.

b) Prevention:
o Women see themselves as potential leaders in conflict prevention

activities such as community dialogues and education campaigns. The top activities mentioned that women took part in
were participation in awareness and education campaigns, advocating for peace and conflict resolution, organizing and leading women’s group meetings, and engagement in community dialogues and mediation.

o The top challenges in preventing and responding to conflict and insecurity were mentioned as insufficient education and awareness, lack of resources and funding, harmful cultural and social norms, and a lack of community or family support.

c) Protection:
o Protection from gender-based violence (GBV) still remains

inadequate, with most support being informal and insufficient to meet the widespread survivor needs for psychological, economic, and legal support.

o The top factors identified that contribute to high levels of violence against women and girls were poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, gender inequality, and a lack of education.

o This demonstrates the profound effects deep-rooted and longstanding issues in a community have on the safety and wellbeing of women and girls.

d) Relief and Recovery:
o Education, training, and infrastructure (schools, health centers, etc.)

development are crucial to improving women’s participation and recovery from conflict and displacement. The most common problems facing women during outbreaks of conflict in their community were reported to be loss of property and livelihoods, physical violence and

abuse, separation from family members, and displacement from homes. This is consistent with the various consequences that women and girls suffer as a result of conflict and displacement.

4. Recommendations:

• Participation: Decision-makers – including local and nationalgovernment, donors, service providers and the international community – should regularly and meaningfully consult with women affected by conflict before, during, and after conflict; and also fund programs that address the barriers to women’s participation, and include women in their design and delivery.
• Protection: Public awareness and education on women’s rights and gender equality to protect women and girls from violence and reduce retaliation and social stigma against survivors should be increased. Legal frameworks, institutions and enforcement mechanisms to prevent and address violence against women and girls so that survivors can access support, services and justice should be strengthened.
• Prevention: Gender equality and women’s rights, economic development programs, improved education and job opportunities, and social cohesion as part of conflict-prevention measures should be prioritized. Gender-transformational social norms programs should be developed to address root causes of violence against women and girls.
• Relief and recovery: Increased, flexible, and direct funding to women-led and women-focused organizations should be provided, as well as involving women in the design and delivery of relief and recovery aid and programs.

5. Policy and Advocacy Highlights:

Since the launch of ‘From Asking to Action’ in September 2024 during the UN General Assembly, Women for Women International has shared the findings and recommendations of the consultation in various policy and advocacy fora across the African continent or featuring the findings from African contexts, either through direct presentation or supporting partners to share their experiences in programming and in participating in the consultation:

• At the 41st GIMAC Pre-Summit CSOs Consultative Meeting (7–8February 2025, Addis Ababa), Women for Women International presented on the role of UNSCR 1325 in advocating for reparations for women and girls affected by human rights violations, drawing on findings and recommendations from the From Asking to Action consultation.
• During CSW69 (10–21 March 2025), we hosted a panel on From Asking to Action with civil society, partners, and donors, sharing insights from Sudan, Palestine, and Syria. Our partner Fatima Ahmed from Zenab for Women in Development also joined a roundtable on the gendered impact of the Sudan conflict and pathways toward a gender-responsive peace.
• At the 2025 Humanitarian Leadership Conference (April 2025), we led a panel featuring consultation findings from Iraq and Sudan. Women for Women International Acting CEO Marie Clarke underscored the project’s relevance to crisis-affected contexts, while Fatima Ahmed from Zenab shared key recommendations, emphasizing solidarity among countries in crisis.
• The UK FCDO WPS team requested our consultation findings and recommendations to inform the refresh of the UK National Action Plan on WPS, which includes specific findings from the African continent.
• Women for Women International participated in the 25th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325 hosted by the Government of Namibia, the African

Union Commission (AUC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and UN Women in Windhoek, Namibia on 16 and 17 October 2025, following a CSO dialogue (15 October 2025) that reflected on WPS progress, gaps, and future priorities.