Preventing Violent Extremism, Protecting Rights and Community Policing

On October 6, 2025, the U.N. Security Council holds its annual open debate on Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Today, we are not issuing a new statement. Instead, we are honoring our community of women peacebuilders—who appeared before the Security Council throughout these 25 years, speaking for the millions they represent—by echoing their messages.

در عرصه صحت روانی، افغانستان با بحران پیچیده‌ای مواجه است که این بحران به‌ طور جدایی ‌ناپذیر با ناامنی شدید فیزیکی، سیاسی و اقتصادی در کشور گره خورده و این نا امنی ها بحران را تشدید می‌کند. برای رسیدگی به آسیب های روانی، صحت و بهداشت جامعه به شیوه های پاسخگو به جنسیت و با مد نظر گرفتن حساسیت های فرهنگی، سازمان‌های فعال در عرصه صلح‌ سازی به رهبری زنان افغان در موقعیتی منحصربه ‌فرد قرار دارند. این سازمان ها خدمات ابتدایی ارائه می‌دهند، مهارت‌ها را توسعه می‌بخشند و در شکل‌دهی هنجارهای فرهنگی و جنسیتی نقش مؤثر ایفا می‌کنند.

افغانستان له یوه ډېر پېچلي اروایي/رواني روغتیايي حالت سره مخ دی چې دا حالت د هېواد له ناامنۍ، سیاسي ګډوډۍ او اقتصادي ستونزو سره تړلی او لا یې دا ستونزې زیاتې کړي دي. د افغان ښځو په مشرۍ سوله‌پالې ادارې کولی شي د خلکو روغتیا او هوساینې ته پاملرنه وکړي، ځکه د دوی کار د ښځو اړتیاوو ته په پاملرنه ترسره کیږي، له کلتوري حساسیتونو سره سمون لري او د ټروما په معلوماتو باندې متکي (trauma-informed) تګلارې دي. دا ادارې اساسي خدمتونه وړاندې کوي، خلکو ته مهارتونه ورزده کوي او کلتوري دودونه او جنسیتي اړخونه تر پوښښ لاندې نیسي.

Trust between communities and the security sector is critical for effective governance and peace. So is a vibrant civil society. When women peacebuilders are recognized and engaged as independent, strategic partners and security actors—in their own right—the results are transformative. Twenty-five years on from the launch of the WPS agenda, women peacebuilders’ creativity and contributions to societal peace and security are not only timely, they are even more essential.

Afghanistan is facing a complex mental health crisis inextricably linked with and compounding the dire state of physical, political, and economic insecurity in the country. Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations are uniquely positioned to address community members’ health and wellness in gender-responsive, culturally- sensitive, and trauma-informed ways.

As the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) continues to expand globally, fostering stronger regional and national networks, we are excited to announce the formation of the first-ever WASL Steering Committee.

From July 25–31, 40 Colombian women representing 22 regions convened in Bogotá to reaffirm their commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda and its application in the Colombian context.

As the world moves on from the Paris 2024 Olympics, we are left to ponder once again the potential impact of the convergence of sports and politics. The events took place against a backdrop of rising global conflicts and deepening divisions, some more present than others on this global stage. In such a climate, the need for innovative peace initiatives has never been more urgent. On Thursday, October 5, 2023, ICAN welcomed Bas Berends, Co-founder and Chief Partnership Officer at OffGridBox, to join our WASL community call.

El proyecto "Voces femeninas para la paz" de Conciudadanía, que cuenta con el apoyo del Mecanismo de Respuesta Rápida del WPHF y de ICAN, promueve la participación política de las mujeres y sensibiliza sobre los problemas, intereses y necesidades de las mujeres del departamento de Antioquia, en el noroccidente colombiano.

Supported by the WPHF Rapid Response Window and ICAN, Conciudadanía's “Female Voices for Peace” project promotes women’s political participation and raises awareness about the issues, interests, and needs of women in the department of Antioquia in northwestern Colombia.  

Today, over 1 billion people still lack access to clean water and electricity. Environmental and climate change exacerbates this problem and exposes fragile and conflict-affected communities to further risk and insecurity. While the link between resource scarcity and conflict is well understood, the potential for natural resource governance to facilitate peacebuilding is less well researched. On Thursday, October 5, 2023, ICAN welcomed Bas Berends, Co-founder and Chief Partnership Officer at OffGridBox, to join our WASL community call.

Communities are a powerful force for pre-empting and preventing extremisms, provided they are equipped to intervene to ensure that community members do not become trapped in the process of radicalization. In the WASL community check-in call on March 16, 2023, WASL member Mira Kusumarini of Empatiku, a peacebuilding organization based in Indonesia, presented a new guidebook to build the capacity of communities to do just that, entitled Identifying Early Warning Signs: A Guidebook for Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism.