New York, Oct. 24, 2023 – An interactive photographic exhibition featuring portraits of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers will pay tribute to their vital contribution on 25 October, outside United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The event, organized by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UN Women and the Elsie Initiative Fund, takes place on the day the Security Council meets to assess women’s participation in peace processes at the annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security.
Fifty large portraits of women peacekeepers and peacebuilders as part of an Inside Out Photobooth Action will serve as a powerful reminder to diplomats and the public of the urgent need to do more to ensure the inclusion of women in ending conflict and building sustainable peace.
This October marks 23 years since the adoption of the groundbreaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, which for the first time recognized the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace efforts.
Despite some progress since this landmark resolution was passed, women’s rights around the world remain under threat and their voices are often silenced.
“Advancing women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in all peace and political processes and making UN peacekeeping’s work more gender-responsive and, therefore, effective is a top priority,” said Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
“We must press ahead with all efforts to progress the Women, Peace and Security Agenda to create the necessary conditions for political solutions and sustainable peace.”
One of these changemakers is Joenia Wapichana, the first and only indigenous member of the National Congress of Brazil.
“The fight for peace and dignity has always been a tireless struggle for indigenous women,” she said.
Similarly, Pétronille Vaweka, the first woman peace mediator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spoke of women’s courage and resilience: “in the face of danger, women don’t give up, they push forward”.
In the current challenging security and political climate, these compelling images of UN peacekeepers, local peace activists and peacebuilders, from Afghanistan to Colombia, Cyprus to South Sudan, are particularly relevant in recognizing and promoting the important role of all women in building and protecting peace.
“Even in this very difficult time, I still have hope, because the global women’s rights movement is never deterred by setbacks, because it only gains adherents and courage with each injustice, and because it remains the largest and most reliable constituency for peace,” said Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.
You can add your own voice to the global push for women’s participation by having your portrait taken at the Inside Out Photobooth located at the venue and added to the ‘Peace Begins with Her’ installation.
What: ‘Peace Begins with Her’ Inside Out Action
When: Wednesday, 25 October 2023 – 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
Where: United Nations Visitors Entrance, 46th St & 1st Ave, New York, NY 10017
