Twenty-five years ago, on October 31, 2000, the United Nations unanimously adopted its landmark security council resolution 1325 (WPS 1325). The resolution on women, peace and security reaffirmed “the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction”. It also stressed the “importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security”.

The significance of women to building sustainable peace is undeniable. Our research, supported by the United States Institute of Peace, has found that on average the incorporation of measures to include women in post-conflict society in a peace agreement reduces the probability of conflict recurrence by 11%. Even more significantly, if this process occurs alongside UN leadership, the probability of conflict recurrence is reduced by 37%.

So the anniversary of WPS 1325 should be a reason to celebrate. Instead, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, opened his report to the security council’s annual debate on women, peace and security on October 6 with a warning. Guterres said the UN too often “falls short when it comes to real change in the lives of women and girls caught in conflict”. He specifically noted the lack of inclusion of women in peace negotiations, the failure to protect women and girls from sexual violence, and the underfunding of women peacebuilders.

Over the past 25 years, the security council has adopted almost 1,000 resolutions related to WPS 1325. In 2015,........

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