Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman used her virtual address at the “Living with the Agenda: 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security and Armenia's Call for Human Security” conference in Yerevan to call for a renewed and strengthened global commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

Marking the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, she stressed that the milestone should prompt action rather than symbolic reflection. The core principle of the resolution—that peace cannot be sustained without women’s full inclusion—remains vital, she said, noting that women have long played essential, though often unrecognized, roles in mediation, peacebuilding, and recovery.

Karman warned that these principles are being severely tested as wars expand and authoritarianism deepens. She highlighted conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, and Lebanon, observing that women and children continue to bear disproportionate harm. The strain on the WPS framework, she argued, arises not from flaws within the agenda itself but from the international community’s failure to uphold it.

She underscored that commemorating the WPS agenda is no longer enough. Rising nationalism, extremism, digital repression, and the weaponization of hate, she said, require renewed protection and expansion of the WPS commitments.

A significant portion of her remarks focused on Armenia’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Karman described the plan as a clear commitment to democratic governance, human security, and inclusive policy development. The plan’s emphasis on women’s centrality to national security, the interdependence of democracy and peace, and the necessity of justice and equality for sustainable stability was presented as a model for responsible leadership in a region marked by recurring conflict.

Karman also highlighted global precedents demonstrating women’s decisive leadership in peace processes. She cited the Liberian women’s nonviolent movement that helped end civil war, Colombian women’s contributions to embedding justice in the FARC peace agreement, and Yemeni women’s leadership in national dialogue efforts. These examples, she said, show that peace is more enduring when women lead.

Looking forward, Karman outlined priorities for a modernized WPS agenda, including accountability for war crimes, protection from digital and cyber threats, economic empowerment, and women’s guaranteed participation in all levels of peace negotiations. She also urged a shift from militarization toward development and called for stronger action on the climate crisis as a rising driver of conflict.

She concluded by asserting that peace must be rooted in justice, equality, dignity, and resistance to oppression—values she argued can only be secured through women’s leadership and a renewed global commitment to human rights.

Presented below is the full address:
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends,
It is a great honor to join you here in Yerevan as we celebrate a remarkable milestone:
the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda,
and the introduction of Armenia’s Third National Action Plan.
Twenty-five years have passed since the world collectively affirmed a truth women had long known and lived:
that peace is neither possible nor sustainable without the full inclusion of women.
Resolution 1325 was not merely the adoption of a UN document — it was a declaration of a new global conscience, one that recognizes women not as victims of conflict, but as leaders, mediators, protectors, negotiators, and architects of peace.

We gather at a time when wars multiply, authoritarian regimes expand, and human rights face unprecedented assaults.
Conflicts rage in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Lebanon, and beyond.
Millions of women and children are paying the highest price for the failure of the international system.
We see rising nationalism, extremism, digital repression, and the weaponization of hatred. The global peace agenda is under threat — not because it failed, but because the world did not commit to it.
In such a time, celebrating the WPS agenda is not enough.
We must renew it, expand it, and protect it.

Armenia’s journey is one of survival, determination, and democratic aspiration.
This Third National Action Plan is more than a policy document — it is a commitment to building a safer, more inclusive, and more democratic Armenia.
It recognizes three fundamental truths:
1.    Women are indispensable to national security.
They do not wait for peace; they build it.
2.    Democracy and peace are inseparable.
A nation cannot be secure unless all voices — especially women’s voices — are heard.
3.    Peace requires justice and equality.
Without rights, accountability, and inclusion, peace becomes nothing more than a fragile ceasefire.
Armenia, by advancing this plan, signals to the world that it chooses the path of responsible leadership and regional cooperation, even after years of instability and conflict.

Around the world, women have been the moral force that confronted war, extremism, and tyranny:
•    In Liberia, women led a historic nonviolent movement that ended 14 years of civil war.
•    In Colombia, women shaped the peace agreement with FARC by embedding justice, reparations, and the rights of survivors.
•    In Yemen, women led national dialogue committees and built the only inclusive roadmap for democratic transition before the war destroyed it.
•    Across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, women continue to mediate conflicts, protect communities, and demand accountability.
These experiences remind us of a simple truth:
When women lead, peace lasts. When women have power, nations heal.

As we mark this anniversary, we must ask:
What kind of world do we want to build for the next generation of women and girls?
We need a renewed WPS agenda that demands:
•    Accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
•    Protection from digital surveillance, online violence, and cyberwarfare.
•    Economic empowerment and equal access to resources.
•    Women’s leadership at every level of peace negotiations and governance.
•    Ending the arms race and shifting global priorities from militarization to development.
•    Solutions to the climate crisis, which is now a driver of conflict and displacement.

This is not idealism; this is necessity.
Armenia today stands at a crossroads between past wounds and future possibilities.
Your Third National Action Plan is an opportunity — not only to protect women, but to unleash their power as pillars of democracy, guardians of stability, and creators of peace.

Friends, peace is not only the absence of war.
Peace is justice.
Peace is equality.
Peace is human dignity.
Peace is the courage to challenge oppression.
Peace is the voice of women rising — loud, unstoppable, and uncompromising.
As we honor 25 years of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, let us commit to the next 25 years with clarity, courage, and hope.
Our people deserve peace.
Our women deserve leadership.
And our world deserves better than war.
Thank you.