On Wednesday 12^th September 2025, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace & Security (WPS), together with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding hosted an event in the CPA (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) Room in Parliament to mark the occasion of the 25^th Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, CBE, co-Chair of the APPG on WPS, welcomed everyone to the meeting and especially the UN Assistant Secretary General Elizabeth Spehar.  After thanking the CPA for allowing the event to be held in their room she welcomed parliamentary colleagues. She then talked about the many people, some present, who had helped to make the Resolution happen and who had worked to implement the event. In particular Sir Jeremy and Lady Greenstock (who was the UK’s Ambassador to the UN at the time on the Resolution), Joan Link from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Charlotte Onslow, the first Director of GAPS, Lesley Abdela who founded the 300 Club, Dame Audrey Glover an FCDO human rights lawyer, Margaret Owen of Widows for Peace through Democracy, Annette Lawson and others. She also mentioned people working on WPS today – in particular, Colonel Nick Aucott of Outreach Group, Paul Shrubsole from the FCDO, the many NGOs working on the agenda and Eva Tabbasam and Alice Copland from GAPS.  She gave a special welcome to the Afghan women present – Wida Yalaqi, Nasifa Ahmadi and Quhramaana Kakar – and talked about how Afghan women need to have their rights restored. She thanked Miranda Herst of Mercy Corps and Lizzie Nelson of Search for Common Ground who run the Secretariat of the APPG on Conflict who had done all the organising and Lord McConnell for his support and generosity in providing refreshments through the McConnell International Foundation. She ended by talking about the 116 conflicts raging around the world and hoping that we all stood in solidarity and commitment to ensuring that the WPS agenda remains.

The first speaker was Sanam Anderlini, Founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN).  Sanam talked about how civil society actors had put pressure to ensure that the UN took notice of the women’s voice and that had added to ensuring that UN Security Resolution 1325 was passed. She also told us what she heard from her work on the ground in many countries and whilst celebrating the work that was being done, the concern about not enough progress having been made and women’s rights rolling backwards.

Her Excellency Genevieve Kennedy, Ambassador of Liberia, followed by talking about what UN SCR1325 had meant in Liberia which had been so affected by conflict. She talked about the strength of the Liberian women and how it had helped them come together, form groups and insist on having their voices heard.

Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe, part of a delegation of Nigerian parliamentarians visiting the CPA then spoke and talked about her work in the Nigerian Parliament.

Elizabeth Spehar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs then gave a speech.  She talked about the work of the UN in this context and her particular role as Assistant Secretary General.   She mentioned her concern about the many conflicts that are taking place at the present time but also highlighted the importan

t role that the UN plays internationally and how much worse things might be if the UN was not there.  She also underlined the importance of nations recognising the positive role that they could play both inside their countries and on the global stage in helping bring peace.

Lord McConnell closed the formal stage of the meeting by thanking all the speakers and everyone for their contribution.

There was time then to enjoy the refreshments. It was wonderful to see the warmth in the room as people who had worked on this agenda for a long time greeted friends, posed for photos together and enjoyed each other’s company.