Statement by H.E. Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, PR of Latvia to the UN, at the UNSC Open Debate on WPS
New York, 17 June 2026
Gracias, Señora Presidenta,
Para empazar, agradezco a Colombia, en su calidad de Presidencia del Consejo, la convocatoria de este debate abierto sobre Mujeres, Paz y Seguridad y quisiera dar una cordial bienvenida a Su Excelencia Señora Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, Ministra de Relaciones Exteriores de Colombia, quien preside la reunión de hoy.
I also express our deep appreciation to Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, for her insightful remarks and I thank Ms Leymah Gbowee, as well as Ms Kaavya Asoka for their insightful briefings and even more for their dedicated efforts and advocacy for the rights of women. Their perspectives remind us of why our discussion today matters.
Madam President, I would like to raise three points.
First, inclusion cannot begin at the negotiating table during a conflict. It must be built into institutions, legal frameworks and decision-making long before a conflict erupts and sustained throughout post-conflict recovery. This requires practical frameworks that translate commitments into actions.
National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security are an important tool for ensuring that women hold real decision-making power. Ukraine demonstrated how these frameworks can remain relevant even in the most difficult circumstances, as they adapted their action plan during times of war, ensuring that the focus on women’s leadership is maintained.
Second, despite decades of evidence, women’s participation in peace processes remains an exception rather than the norm. In a world facing rising conflict, displacement, and conflict-related sexual violence, women and girls bear disproportionate harm, yet their voices are still missing where decisions are made.
As we have heard today, in 2024, women accounted for only 7% of negotiators and 14% of mediators in formal peace processes, even though agreements with women signatories are more durable. Many of today’s most consequential negotiations unfold with no women at the table, limiting the inclusivity of the process and the strength of the outcomes. This exclusion also risks leaving out issues that directly affect women’s lives.
Latvia welcomes that UN-led and UN-supported processes consistently show higher levels of women’s participation. This should be an overarching goal, no matter who the mediator is. We commend the initiatives aimed at increasing women’s participation in all peace processes, such as the Secretary-General’s Common Pledge for Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation.
This is also true for the selection process of the next Secretary-General. After 80 years long history of men holding this important position, it is about time for a woman to lead the UN. The question is no longer, "Why a woman?" The question is: "Why not a woman?”.
Third, women peacebuilders are essential in bridging local peace efforts and formal negotiations. Around the world, women’s organisations have shown extraordinary leadership - from mediating disputes at the grassroots, to shaping national agreements, to laying the foundations for reconciliation.
Colombia’s experience is exemplary - women’s networks helped shape key elements of the peace process, leading to the world’s first peace agreement to fully integrate a gender perspective. Women peacebuilders in Ethiopia and Liberia have driven dialogue at local, regional and national levels. In Yemen, women negotiated humanitarian access to water.
Afghan women’s organisations continue fighting to be heard and to shape their country’s future. From the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, women's organisations in Ukraine have been among the country's most effective first responders.
Women must be genuinely listened to, not merely heard. Women-led civil society organisations should have meaningful opportunities to influence outcomes. This requires protection against reprisals, formal roles in peace processes, and access to training that amplifies their expertise.
Latvia has a long-standing tradition of women’s participation in
decision-making at all levels, alongside global leadership in women’s rights advocacy. We are proud of Latvian women’s organisations, whether they build resilience through mentoring programs locally, empower women and girls through teaching STEM and digital literacy in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, or advance community-based approaches in addressing sexual and gender-based violence.
Madam President,
Excluding women weakens peace itself. There is no credible reason, in the 21st century, for women to be absent from the tables where peace is negotiated. We should no longer be asking whether women belong at the table, but why the world continues to tolerate tables built without women.
I thank you.