Women peace activists from Georgia participate in international conference

UN Women supports the recognition of women working to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda and empowers them to raise their voices for peace and security on a global scale. As part of this support, four women from Georgia participated in an international conference on Women, Peace and Security, held on 12 and 13 June in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Yulia Kharashvili, Director of the Association of Internally Displaced Women “Consent”; Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Tbilisi Office of the Women’s Cultural-Humanitarian Fund “Sukhumi”; and Ana Nemsadze, Women, Peace and Security Coordinator at the Women’s Information Center, were actively engaged in discussion sessions at the conference. They clearly highlighted the essential importance of women’s leadership at the local level and the unique role that women play in peacebuilding. The conference also featured participation from Sopio Rusetski, Head of the Gender Department at the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia, who spoke about women’s participation in peace negotiations and decision-making processes.

The event was dedicated to two major milestones: the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security. It brought together 160 participants from 25 countries. Among the participants were representatives of governments, the United Nations and the European Union, as well as leaders and civil society activists. They assessed the progress achieved, discussed the building of inclusive, just and sustainable peace, and outlined future actions to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

“Sarajevo has once again reminded me of how strong a person can be when they refuse to give up,” Ms. Gamakharia emphasized. “Although the wounds of the war are still felt in this city, there is a visible and powerful desire for peacebuilding, coexistence and healing from painful experiences. Being in this city has shown me that recovery is not just about rebuilding physical infrastructure; it is about restoring trust, dignity and hope. Resilience is not only enduring pain but also refusing to accept the normalization of injustice. However, resilience alone is not enough. Accountability is essential from those decision makers who have committed to protecting people, ensuring justice and creating an environment where equality, dignity and peace become a daily reality for all and where women have the opportunity to stand at the forefront and participate in the country’s recovery and development processes.”

At the end of the conference, participants adopted the Sarajevo Pledge, a strong and unified vision: “We will not wait another 25 years. We will act now to ensure that women’s leadership, gender-responsive justice, protection, and recovery remain at the heart of every peace effort - in every country, for every generation.”

The conference reaffirmed that the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is the foundation for security and sustainable peace. Achieving this requires supporting women’s leadership and eliminating gender inequality in peace processes.

The initiative was carried out under the UN Women regional programme “Women’s Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies”. The programme is implemented by UN Women Country Offices in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine with the support of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.