Geneva women’s groups assert women participation in local peace processes
By Dr. Marivir R. Montebon
New York - At the Geneva conference on No Peace Without Women, Asya Varbanova, head of the Humanitarian Section at UN Women, presented alarming data on the persistent exclusion of women from peace processes.
In 2023, women made up only 9.6% of negotiators, 13.7% of mediators, and 26.6% of signatories to peace agreements. Only a quarter of peace accords even mentioned gender, and none included women’s groups as signatories.
She noted a doubling in the number of women killed in conflicts and a 50% rise in cases of conflict-related sexual violence.
Carolyn Handschin (2nd from left) welcomes participants to the forum on No Peace without Women at the UN Geneva headquarters.
The conference was organized by the Women’s Federation for World Peace International Geneva office and the Universal Peace Federation on October 16, 2025, at UN Geneva headquarters. WFWPI is in General Consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council. There were 155 participants with 24 government representatives and over 14 UN agency representatives.
Other partners were UN Women, NGO Committee on the Status of Women Geneva, World Council of Churches, Global 100 Women, International Association of First Ladies for Peace, Soroptimist International, International Association of Youth and Students for Peace, LDS Charities, and the Geneva Interfaith Intercultural Alliance.
A full house participation of the No Peace without Women forum in Geneva.
Giulia Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace, called for a paradigm shift toward “a diplomacy of collaboration,” proposing a 40% quota for women in formal peace processes. She offered a profound reflection on the art of negotiation. “Women negotiate differently,” she said, “not to win, but to ensure shared survival.”
Citing economic data, Kessous observed that the cost of war now exceeds 19 trillion USD annually, or 13% of global GDP, making peace “not only a moral imperative but an economic necessity.” Her call to “choose life over victory” resonated deeply with the audience.
Carolyn Handschin, Director of the Office for United Nations Relations Geneva at WFWPI, opened the session and explained that recent regional conflicts led to the formation of a network of women leaders under the “No Peace without Women” banner, uniting for global solidarity and shared responsibility to end war.
Handschin highlighted the need to “create a vision and standard for peace that starts within the family,” and drawing attention to the vital, often undervalued, role of mothers. She emphasized that “No peace without women” is not exclusive of men, but a call to prioritize and empower girls and women to understand and be supported in their responsibility for community building, reconciliation, and restoring global order.
From a journalistic perspective, Olivia Le Poidevin of Reuters shared firsthand testimony from conflict zones, including Ukraine, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She recounted her experience reporting from hospitals in Lebanon after the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, quoting doctors who told her, “The longer the war goes on, the more women we will have to treat.”
Le Poidevin highlighted that women often bear invisible burdens as widows, heads of households, and survivors of sexual violence. Yet, she emphasized, and she witnessed that “even in the darkest moments, women do not give up - they continue to heal, rebuild, and lead.”
Patricia Elias, Intergovernmental Advocacy Director at G100 Women, cited ongoing women-led peace initiatives in Libya, which included women’s equal participation in decision-making at all levels, urging the international community to “act for peace now” and ensure that “we do not fail women again.”
We are calling for a network, joining hands globally around this call for No Peace without Women, she emphasized. (From the report of WFWPI Geneva Office) #
