Developments and trends, 2023

In his policy brief A New Agenda for Peace, launched in 2023, the Secretary-General recognized inequalities and patriarchy as root causes of conflict and highlighted how transforming gendered power dynamics sustained peace and prevented violence (action 5). Noting a rising backlash against women’s rights, the Secretary-General recommended that States commit to eradicating all forms of gender-based violence through robust and comprehensive legislation, as well as introducing concrete measures to secure women’s meaningful participation in peace and security at all levels of decision-making.

In the policy brief, the Secretary-General also recognized the need to foster human-centred disarmament by reducing military expenditures and increasing investments in prevention and social infrastructure, with a strong focus on redressing gender inequalities. In that connection, he asked States to consider allocating 15 per cent of their official development assistance specifically for gender equality, emphasizing the need for sustained, predictable and flexible financing. The Secretary-General also encouraged Governments to devote a minimum of 1 per cent of assistance directly to women’s organizations, especially grass-roots groups mobilizing for peace.

In 2023, global military expenditure continued to increase. According to estimates by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the total amount spent in 2022 was already enough to fund the global implementation of all the gender-related Sustainable Development Goals and targets nearly three times over. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters called for a more holistic appreciation of security, with more resources spent on gender equality and other global priorities and less spending on weapons (A/78/287).

In 2023, Chile and Colombia declared “feminist foreign policies”. During the General Assembly’s seventy-eighth session, the 18 States of the Feminist Foreign Policy Plus group^[1] reaffirmed their commitment to taking “feminist, intersectional and gender-transformative approaches to … foreign policies” in the Political Declaration on Feminist Approaches to Foreign Policy.

In some intergovernmental disarmament processes, including for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, dedicated focal points continued to coordinate the integration of a gender perspective and related matters into relevant political processes. Meanwhile, in the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, First Committee, 78 States signed a joint statement on gender. Of the 61 disarmament resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 2023, 38 per cent included language on gender dimensions or women’s participation—an increase of 8 per cent from the previous session.

Figure 6.1.
Percentage of women speakers in multilateral disarmament forums, 2021–2023

During the Security Council’s open debate on small arms and light weapons, held in December under Ecuador’s presidency, the Council focused particularly on the linkages between the women, peace and security agenda and the control of small arms and light weapons (S/PV.9509). In briefing the Council, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and the Deputy Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) both urged States to support the systematic collection of sex- and age-disaggregated data on the impacts of weapons, among other recommendations. On the margins of the debate, the Council members that were signatories^[2] of the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security delivered a joint statement in which they emphasized the impact of small arms and light weapons on women and girls.

Gender-responsive disarmament and arms control also featured as a central topic in the Secretary-General’s annual report to the Security Council on women, peace and security (S/2023/725). The Council touched on related concerns during debates on women, peace and security, which it held in March (S/PV.9276 and S/PV.9276 (Resumption 1)) and October (S/PV.9452, S/PV.9452 (Resumption 1) and S/PV.9452 (Resumption 2)).

Figure 6.2.
Disarmament in national action plans on women, peace and security

The Women and Peace and Security Focal Points Network—chaired by Romania and the United States in 2023—recommended increased investment in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament, among other human security interventions aimed at “creating economic opportunities for women and championing gender equality and women’s leadership in all sectors of society, fostering social inclusion, preventing and responding to gender-based violence, and protecting and promoting women’s and girls’ human rights”.

A number of actors further explored the role of arms control in preventing sexual and gender-based violence. In the annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2023/413), the Secretary-General outlined military spending and arms proliferation as key aspects in the prevention of sexual violence in conflict. In the annual Security Council debate on sexual violence in conflict, in July, several States underscored the need to curb the illicit flow of weapons (S/PV.9378 and S/PV.9378 (Resumption 1)). Furthermore, in the biennial report to the Security Council on small arms and light weapons (S/2023/823), the Secretary-General encouraged the Council to mandate United Nations entities to systematically collect gender- and age-disaggregated data on the impact of weapons and ammunition, both in recording casualties and when monitoring incidents of conflict-related sexual violence.

In 2023, new research by UNIDIR on the role of weapons in conflict-related sexual violence provided options to leverage arms control and disarmament measures in efforts to prevent such violence. The possible measures could include integrating arms-related risks into relevant early-warning mechanisms; collecting and sharing data on conflict-related sexual violence disaggregated by presence of weapons; and considering the risk of such violence when making decisions about arms transfers. The research showed that, in countries where disaggregated data on weapons were available, between 70 and 90 per cent of incidents of sexual violence in conflict involved weapons, particularly firearms. In December, UNIDIR and the United Nations Action Network against Sexual Violence in Conflict hosted an online event on the role of arms control in preventing sexual violence. Focused on the situation in the Sudan, the event took place during the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” annual global campaign, held under the theme “Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”. In addition to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs delivering a video message, the Office for Disarmament Affairs joined its regional centres and partners, including the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), to publicly highlight the role of arms control in preventing gender-based violence. For example, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in the Gun Free Valentine campaign organized by IANSA. While the Regional Centre issued Spanish- and English-language social media posts in support of the campaign, IANSA showcased three legal studies in which the Centre cross-referenced firearms legislation and norms on preventing violence against women in States within the Caribbean Community, in or around Central America and in South America.

Figure 6.3.
Activities of the Office for Disarmament Affairs with a gender perspective

Another central theme in 2023 was the online dimension of gender-based violence and the use of new technologies. The impact of innovation and technologies on gender equality in the digital age was in focus during International Women’s Day, on 8 March, and throughout the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, from 6 to 17 March. Through the Commission’s agreed conclusions (E/2023/27), States recognized that violence, including sexual and gender-based violence and abuse, could occur in digital and online spaces; that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) could have negative impacts on women and girls; and that “targeted measures” should be used to counteract all forms of discrimination against women and girls, including those exacerbated by the use of new and emerging technologies. The Commission brought together more than 7,000 participants in New York, with more than 900 events held on the margins of the session. The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs participated in several related panel discussions, including an event on “Increasing Women’s Representation in Cyber and Tech”. In 2023, the High Representative also engaged with States at a plenary meeting on “Women in Cyber” during the Singapore International Cyber Week and at the annual Breaking Barriers event on women in science and security, hosted by the Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF Global).

Meanwhile, in the Secretary-General’s report on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts (A/78/268), particular focus was placed on gender considerations in relation to various types of weapons systems, as well as the equal participation of women and men in related intergovernmental discussions. The report reflected a recognition that the integration of increasingly advanced technologies into the military domain could be used to reinforce, intentionally or not, gender and other social inequalities. The Secretary-General also outlined opportunities and risks in the development of several types of technologies, including AI, which could exacerbate gender bias and discrimination in outcomes based on imbalanced or non-representative data.

Multilateral forums

In the General Assembly, First Committee, States delivered a joint statement on gender, in which they highlighted key developments and initiatives for integrating a gender perspective into the field of disarmament. They emphasized the differential impacts of armed conflict and weapons on women, men, girls and boys and noted efforts to achieve gender balance among the office holders of various disarmament-related intergovernmental processes. The States also welcomed the significant work carried out in recent years to implement decisions taken on gender and gender-based violence within the frameworks of the Arms Trade Treaty and the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Likewise, they welcomed recent efforts in support of fellowships and other opportunities to enhance women’s participation in disarmament-related intergovernmental processes. Ireland delivered the remarks on behalf of 78 countries.^[3]

In addition, several First Committee delegations delivered or endorsed statements in which they expressed support for the full participation of women in all disarmament discussions;^[4] emphasized the need for gender equality and inclusivity in disarmament processes;^[5] or noted the importance of the women, peace and security agenda.^[6] Notably, Kazakhstan, in its function as Chair of the Disarmament Commission, called for the Commission’s future work to incorporate a gender perspective.

In 2023, the General Assembly integrated gender-related language into more of its disarmament resolutions than in the past, maintaining the upward trajectory of recent years. Of the 61 resolutions proposed by the First Committee and adopted by the General Assembly, 23 featured provisions calling for women’s participation or highlighting other gender perspectives.

For the first time, the General Assembly added a paragraph to its resolution on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (78/66), welcoming the sustained efforts within the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization for the equal participation of both men and women in its staff and its capacity-building programmes, and encouraging the continuation of such efforts. Similarly, in its resolution on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours (78/20), the Assembly requested the Chair of the Open-ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviours to provide the Working Group with a list of qualified representatives who might participate with due regard for gender parity. Regarding its resolution on through-life conventional ammunition management (78/47), the Assembly expressed grave concern over the risks of armed violence, including gender-based armed violence, posed by the diversion of conventional ammunition. By the same text, the General Assembly called for relevant policy and practice to address the differential impacts of the safety and security aspects of conventional ammunition on men, women, boys and girls. Furthermore, the body recognized the need for the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women in decision-making and implementation processes related to through-life conventional ammunition management.

The General Assembly also devoted attention to other forms of diversity and inclusion beyond women’s participation in disarmament forums. By its resolution on prohibiting the use of radiological weapons (78/51), the Assembly reaffirmed the need to ensure the equal, full and meaningful participation of under-represented groups, and to reflect gender perspectives and diverse participant perspectives in the negotiation process.

On 16 March, States members of the Conference on Disarmament commemorated International Women’s Day during a plenary meeting (CD/PV.1663). Sweden, on behalf of the European Union, recalled the importance of bringing women and girls to the forefront of peace and security discussions. France, Mexico, Nigeria and the United States voiced their support for efforts to strengthen gender equality in disarmament initiatives. France also reiterated its support for resuming discussions on updating the rules of procedure with gender-neutral language. The Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic recalled the loss of women and children in regional conflicts, including in Libya, Serbia and the Syrian Arab Republic.

On 23 May, Finland convened a thematic plenary on disarmament and gender in the context of women, peace and security, including participation by a panel of experts (CD/PV.1670). The Secretary-General of the Conference, Tatiana Valovaya, noted in her keynote speech the convergence of disarmament with all four pillars of the women, peace and security agenda: participation, prevention, protection, and relief and recovery. She further stressed how the Conference was uniquely placed to connect human rights to disarmament in support of a shift towards a stronger human-centred approach to peace and security.

In the latest resolution of the General Assembly on small arms and light weapons (78/46), States reaffirmed the need to mainstream gender dimensions into their implementation processes related to the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument. Through that resolution, they also decided to convene the fourth Review Conference on the Programme of Action in New York in June 2024.

In addition, the connection between gender equality and small arms and light weapons featured prominently in the Secretary-General’s 2023 report to the Security Council on small arms and light weapons (S/2023/823). In the report, the Secretary-General emphasized how such firearms were strongly linked with gender, including through the differential impacts that their proliferation and illicit circulation had on women, men, girls and boys. He further noted their role in perpetrating and facilitating gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. Recognizing the relevance of efforts to regulate small arms and light weapons in advancing the women, peace and security agenda, the Secretary-General called on the Security Council to explore ways to further strengthen the linkages between the women, peace and security agenda and disarmament. In particular, he encouraged Member States to ensure greater harmonization between national strategies for implementing the women, peace and security agenda and for regulating small arms and light weapons, as well as to strengthen coordination between national focal points for women, peace and security and their counterparts for the Programme of Action. Noting the continued under-representation of women in the field of small arms and light weapons control, he called for further action to foster women’s participation at the international, regional and national levels. In addition, the Secretary-General underscored the need to collect and analyse sex- and age-disaggregated data on the impact of small arms and light weapons, both for developing evidence-based prevention and protection strategies and for pursuing gender-responsive policymaking and programming. Accordingly, he encouraged the Council to mandate United Nations entities to systematically collect such data, including when recording casualties and monitoring incidents of conflict-related sexual violence.

In December, during the presidency of Ecuador (S/PV.9509), the Security Council conducted an open debate under the agenda item “Small arms”, particularly on addressing the threat posed by diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition to peace and security. In organizing the meeting, Ecuador placed particular emphasis on the need to strengthen the linkages between the women, peace and security agenda and small arms and light weapons control (S/2023/954). Following the opening remarks by the President of the Security Council and the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, UNIDIR briefed the Council on the findings of its report entitled “Addressing weapons in conflict-related sexual violence: the arms control and disarmament toolbox”. During the open debate, several States expressed support for integrating arms control considerations into the Council’s work on country-specific situations and in other thematic areas, such as children in armed conflict, and women, peace and security. The deliberations reflected a shared recognition of the need to integrate the women, peace and security agenda into efforts to control small arms and light weapons. Many States highlighted the differential impact of small arms and light weapons on women and girls and the need to promote women’s participation in disarmament and arms control.

Ahead of the open debate on small arms, Ecuador delivered a joint statement on behalf of the Security Council signatories of the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security, comprising Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the Council’s incoming members, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia. In the prepared remarks, those States highlighted the disproportionate impact of small arms and light weapons on women and girls; underscored the need for evidence-based, gender-responsive policymaking and programming for controlling such firearms; and reiterated the Security Council’s call for women’s full, equal, meaningful, safe and effective participation in all levels of decision-making and in the design and implementation of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control efforts. They also expressed the view that more could be done to integrate women, peace and security into Council decisions related to small arms and light weapons, adding that gender-responsive arms control was essential to transforming gendered power dynamics in peace and security.

In 2023, States finalized the new Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management (A/78/111, annex), in which gender considerations play a central role. Developed by a dedicated open-ended working group in 2022 and 2023 and adopted by the General Assembly in December, the Global Framework contains a dedicated objective on strengthening gender mainstreaming and the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women in through-life conventional ammunition management. Through the Global Framework, States committed to further assessing and considering a gender perspective with respect to through-life conventional ammunition management, aiming, in part, to inform gender-sensitive policies and practices; promote full, equal, meaningful and effective participation and leadership by men and women in conventional ammunition management policy, practice and decision-making; and increase understanding of the differentiated impact and humanitarian consequences of unplanned explosions at conventional ammunition sites, as well as the diversion of conventional ammunition, on women, men, girls and boys. The Global Framework also contains gender-related measures intended both to promote supply chain transparency and to enhance data collection and analysis in the context of diversion. For example, it includes a recommendation for States authorizing ammunition transfers to consider (a) the risk of diverted ammunition being used to commit gender-based violence; and (b) the differential impacts of diverted ammunition on men, women, boys and girls. Under the Global Framework, States also committed to recording information on victims, including sex- and age-disaggregated data, to allow for an assessment of the role of diverted ammunition in different types of armed violence, including gender-based violence.

The General Assembly adopted the Global Framework by its resolution 78/47 of 6 December 2023. In the resolution, the Assembly expressed grave concern over the contribution of diverted conventional ammunition to gender-based armed violence; recognized the need for women’s full, equal, meaningful and effective participation in decision-making and implementation processes related to through-life conventional ammunition management; and encouraged mainstreaming a gender perspective into policy and practice to address the differential impacts of the safety and security aspects of conventional ammunition on women, men, girls and boys.

In their ongoing implementation of the decisions reached by the fourth Review Conference on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, held in 2019, the four substantive Committees of the Convention continued to consider, in every aspect of their work, matters related to gender and the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities. Specifically, focal points designated by the Committees in line with the 2019 Oslo Action Plan (APLC/CONF/2019/5/Add.1) maintained their efforts to provide advice on gender mainstreaming and to ensure that the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities were taken into account in the Plan’s implementation.

In 2023, Germany, as the President of the twenty-first Meeting of the States Parties, underscored the importance of gender considerations in the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention by holding an intersessional thematic plenary meeting^[7] on gender and the diverse needs of mine-affected communities, in particular the lessons learned and the way forward. The event allowed participants to begin considering possible commitments and enabling actions to support gender mainstreaming in the next Action Plan for the Convention.

As the Oslo Action Plan was considered a solid base for considering gender and diversity throughout its 2020–2024 implementation period, UNIDIR carried out an in-depth analysis of progress under the Plan’s action points covering gender, diversity and inclusion. In the resulting report, entitled “Beyond Oslo: taking stock of gender and diversity mainstreaming in the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention”, UNIDIR assessed the impact of those action points and reflected on the way forward. To mark the launch of the paper, its authors presented and discussed their findings during an event held on the margins of the twenty-first Meeting of the States Parties in Geneva in November. In the report, they recommended taking new actions regarding women’s employment in mine action, funding for gender mainstreaming, and synergies with the women, peace and security agenda, among other areas. They encouraged States parties to carry forward many indicators from the Oslo Action Plan, including metrics to monitor gender components in national workplans and strategies, gender balance at meetings, delivery of mine risk education programmes, and collection of data disaggregated by sex, age and disability status.

In 2023, States acted to strengthen their consideration of the gender dimensions of cybersecurity. The Open-ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021–2025 continued to address gender perspectives in the context of its mandate, including through a steady focus on enhancing women’s participation in related intergovernmental discussions. At the substantive sessions of the Working Group, in March, July and December, many States and non-governmental stakeholders welcomed efforts undertaken to promote participation by women in cyber diplomacy, as well as the mainstreaming of gender considerations in decision-making, policymaking and outcomes. States and stakeholders noted the positive contribution of the Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme, designed to support the participation of women experts in the Working Group, provide training sessions and workshops on cyberfocused negotiation, and foster a network of women engaged in cyber diplomacy.

In July, the Open-ended Working Group adopted a second annual progress report (A/78/265) containing strengthened language on gender. For example, the Working Group affirmed the need to pursue efforts towards gender-responsive cyber capacity-building, integrate a gender perspective into national policies on information and communications technologies and on capacity-building, and use checklists or questionnaires in support of relevant policymaking. In the progress report, the Working Group also recognized the impact of the “gender digital divide” and the importance of promoting the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women in related decision-making processes. Furthermore, the Working Group referenced its discussions on the need to include gender perspectives in addressing related threats involving information and communications technologies. The language was built upon previous discussions and agreed language endorsed by the Working Group, demonstrating a continued interest among participants in developing consensual language on gender aspects going forward.

Meanwhile, UNIDIR launched translations of several previous reports on gender and cybersecurity, in collaboration with the Organization of American States. In particular, it presented and discussed two reports (“Enfoques de género en la ciberseguridad: diseño, defensa y respuesta” and “Actualización del sistema: hacia una agenda de mujeres, paz y ciberseguridad”) at an event held on the margins of the fourth substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group, as well as a webinar held in April.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General, in his report on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts (A/78/268), reiterated past calls for Member States to scale up protection for women and girls from escalating forms of online violence. In that connection, he recalled that the Human Rights Council had acknowledged the risks of gender-based violence and abuses of women’s rights online (A/HRC/RES/53/29).

At the Singapore International Cyber Week, in October, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs delivered keynote remarks to a signature plenary on women in the cyber workforce, considering the topic in the context of cybersecurity. The High Representative stressed the need to overcome the “gender digital divide”, noting that women were 19 per cent less likely than men to have access to mobile Internet and that, in low- and middle-income countries, 900 million women lacked Internet connection. She also referenced the barriers faced by women pursuing employment in the cybersecurity workforce and other fields related to science and technology. Throughout her statement, the High Representative underscored the urgency of working towards women’s equal representation and participation, reducing gender biases in digital technology, and ensuring that new technologies, including tools using AI, were adequately gender responsive.

The Open-ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviours, established pursuant to resolution 76/231, held its third and fourth substantive sessions in 2023. Canada, with the concurrence of other States participating in the Working Group, issued a working paper (A/AC.294/2022/WP.7) in which it expressed support for the full involvement and equal participation of men and women in discussions on reducing space threats through responsible behaviours. It also recognized the need to assess the possible differentiated impacts of such threats.

Meanwhile, in his sixth report on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts (A/78/268), the Secretary-General highlighted the General Assembly’s first affirmation, in 2020, of the need to assess possible differentiated impacts of space threats on women and men (75/36).

In the declaration of the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW/MSP/2023/14, annex I), States reaffirmed the gender provisions of the Treaty and that the equal, full and effective participation of both men and women was essential in nuclear disarmament. The States parties also reaffirmed their long-standing concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, noting the disproportionate impact of such weapons on women and girls.

At the second Meeting, participants discussed progress in implementing the Treaty’s gender provisions and actions 47 to 50 of the Vienna Action Plan (TPNW/MSP/2022/6, annex II, para. 13). Chile, as the Treaty’s gender focal point, presented for the second Meeting a report on the activities carried out between the first and second Meetings. It organized three informal meetings during that period, with presentations by eight experts (TPNW/MSP/2023/4, paras. 7–9).

In the report, the gender focal point also highlighted various exchanges held with States parties and signatory States during the intersessional period. Participants in the discussions, inter alia, reaffirmed the need for women’s full, equal, meaningful and effective participation and leadership in the decision-making under the Treaty in order to abolish nuclear weapons and achieve nuclear disarmament. In addition, they considered the importance of integrating gender perspectives into international cooperation and assistance in areas such as medical care (sexual and reproductive health rights), rehabilitation and psychological support (early detection and intervention), as well as ensuring social and economic inclusion (loss of ancestral lands)—priorities seen as particularly relevant in implementing the Treaty’s provisions relating to victim assistance and environmental remediation (article 6) and international cooperation and assistance (article 7). States also acknowledged the varying impacts of ionizing radiation on people of different ages and genders, including its disproportionate impact on women and girls.^[8] Additionally, the gender focal point expressed appreciation for the collaboration of States parties in preparing and sharing national action plans and disaggregated and evidence-based statistics; and encouraged data collection and analysis based on gender, age and other relevant categories. The second Meeting of States Parties appointed Mexico to serve as the gender focal point for the following intersessional period.

During the Meeting, numerous States continued to stress that the equal, full and effective participation of women in nuclear disarmament diplomacy was important to fully implementing the Treaty’s gender provisions. In her opening remarks at the second Meeting, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs acknowledged that the Treaty’s States parties and signatory States had dealt with some of the most salient topics in nuclear disarmament in their intersessional exchanges, including the field’s gender-related aspects.

During a thematic discussion on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, held on 27 and 28 November, States discussed the need to involve affected communities to address the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on women and girls.  Notably, many of the representatives of affected communities who spoke at that thematic discussion and during the broader Meeting were women.

In a related development, UNIDIR joined Chile and Ireland to organize an event, held on the margins of the Meeting, entitled “Rising together: gender-responsive disarmament and the TPNW”. The event brought together State delegations, civil society representatives and other experts to discuss the progress and challenges of integrating gender perspectives into the Treaty’s implementation.

Meanwhile, at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), numerous States parties emphasized the importance of promoting the equal, full and effective participation of both women and men in the process of nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Participants also noted the need to integrate gender perspectives and gender analysis across all discussions during the current review process, and to consider the disproportionate, gendered impact of exposure to ionizing radiation.

UNIDIR joined 11 States parties^[9] to the Treaty in submitting a working paper on taking forward gender mainstreaming efforts in the NPT (NPT/CONF.2026/PC.I/WP.25). In the paper, the authors stated that improving gender equality in participation in the Treaty review process would enhance the effectiveness of that process and its outcomes. Additionally, they argued that gender roles were relevant across the three pillars of the Treaty, as gender could affect exposure to nuclear risk, the impact of ionizing radiation resulting from nuclear-weapon use, the ability to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and access to education and training in nuclear science and engineering. Such considerations, they said, highlighted the importance of gender analysis in designing and implementing policies in a gender-responsive way, making sure both men and women benefited from policy development and were equitably involved in the development, implementation and review of policymaking.

Separately, the Group of Governmental Experts to Further Consider Nuclear Disarmament Verification Issues concluded its work in Geneva after conferring at length on issues of equality between women and men. The Group, established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 74/50, concluded in its consensually adopted final report that equal opportunities for men and women should be provided in education, training and capacity-building efforts intended to support nuclear disarmament verification (A/78/120). Furthermore, the Group recommended that Member States take appropriate measures to ensure equal opportunities for women and men to enable their full and meaningful engagement in nuclear disarmament efforts, including those related to nuclear disarmament verification.

During the 2023 sessions of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention, several delegations stressed the need for equitable gender representation in the Convention. The topic of gender featured prominently in the second session of the Working Group, with Argentina, Mexico, Panama and Samoa highlighting the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into national measures to implement the Convention. As the participants focused on proposed mechanisms to facilitate and support international cooperation and assistance and to review developments in science and technology, countries including Austria, El Salvador, Mexico, Norway, Panama and Uruguay emphasized the importance of applying a gender lens to any such mechanisms. At the third session of the Working Group, several States parties again raised the issue of enhancing gender equality and women’s empowerment within the framework of the Convention.

Panama took a leading role in advocating for the inclusion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the discussions of the Working Group. Building on earlier proposals (BWC/CONF.IX/WP.48, BWC/CONF.IX/PC/WP.8, BWC/MSP/2020/MX.5/WP.6 and BWC/MSP/2020/WP.6), Panama emphasized the need to integrate gender perspectives within the Convention’s implementation support framework, presenting several proposals for doing so in two working papers (BWC/WG/2/WP.23 and BWC/WG/3/WP.14). The country’s proposals were aimed at enhancing confidence-building and transparency, bolstering compliance and verification processes, and refining organizational, institutional and financial frameworks. The key recommendations included ensuring women’s participation in the preparation of annual national reports on confidence-building measures under the Convention, promoting gender balance within verification mechanisms and integrating a gender perspective throughout the agreement’s operational structure. The proposals were intended to champion a more inclusive and equitable approach to global security and disarmament challenges.

The year saw slight progress towards women’s equal, full and effective participation in some multilateral disarmament forums (see figure 6.1 for a chart showing the percentage of women speakers in multilateral disarmament forums from 2021 to 2023.).

In the First Committee of the General Assembly, there was a slight narrowing of the gender gap in the composition of Member State delegations: 38 per cent of the delegates were women, according to titles in the list of participants, and 29 per cent of the delegations were headed by a woman. Furthermore, 29 per cent of the delegates who took the floor were women—1 per cent more than in 2022.

During the 2023 Meeting of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention, women comprised 34 per cent of the representatives of States parties who took the floor,^[10] compared with 38 per cent of speakers in the Convention’s ninth Review Conference, in 2022.

In the Conference on Disarmament, the proportion of statements delivered by women representing States members increased in 2023, to 27 per cent. Overall, women comprised 46 per cent of delegates to the Conference and 32 per cent of heads of delegation during the year.

In each of the six meetings related to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, women represented between 33 and 40 per cent of all registered participants, and the proportion of women heads of delegation ranged between 23 and 35 per cent.

During the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review Conference, 35 per cent of the speakers representing Member States were women. That figure represented a slight increase compared with the tenth NPT Review Conference, held in 2022, where women comprised 33 per cent of speakers.

At the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, held in 2023, 31 per cent of heads of delegation were women. Moreover, 38 per cent of speakers were women, up from 28 per cent at the first Meeting, in 2022.

In the fourth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, convened in November 2023, 27 per cent of delegates and 11 per cent of speakers were women.

In the Open-ended Working Group on Conventional Ammunition, women accounted for 39 per cent of Member State delegates who took the floor in the third substantive session and 46 per cent of speakers in the fourth substantive session.

The Open-ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021–2025 continued to approach gender parity, with women constituting 38–46 per cent of all registered participants of the three sessions in 2023. Furthermore, women accounted for 57 per cent of speakers at the last session of the year, held in December.

In 2023, UNIDIR launched an upgraded version of the Gender and Disarmament Hub, providing the latest data on gender balance and gender perspectives in arms control and disarmament. Additionally, UNIDIR produced a report entitled “Best practices for gender equality in conventional arms control: survey results”, analysing submissions it had received from 40 organizations around the world and examining current practices for supporting women’s participation and promoting gender diversity, equality and inclusion in conventional arms control. In particular, the report showcased five practices driving inclusive workplace cultures: equality directives in public administration; flexible work arrangements; SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals and indicators; panel parity pledges; and gender-sensitive communication.

Meanwhile, the Office for Disarmament Affairs continued to promote targeted efforts for women’s capacity-building, empowerment and networking in the field of ammunition management. In the framework of the Women Managing Ammunition Network (WoMA-Network), established in 2022, the Office partnered with the Ministry of Defence of Austria and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team to hold an international training session on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines for women ammunition technical experts. The two-week programme in Austria brought together 11 women working in technical ammunition management roles in their national military and security forces, enabling them to strengthen their knowledge on a wide range of technical ammunition management topics, including the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines and the United Nations SaferGuard Programme. Participants further familiarized themselves with the issues of gender and gender equality, both generally and within the specific context of ammunition management. They discussed how to identify gender bias; how gender can influence access to resources, choices and opportunities; and how women can overcome barriers they face in the field of ammunition management. In addition, the training course supported the expansion of the WoMA-Network, which was established both to promote gender equality and diversity in ammunition management and to increase women’s visibility and leadership in technical ammunition management roles. On the margins of the training session, the Office for Disarmament Affairs hosted a round-table discussion in Vienna where the training participants joined representatives from Vienna-based organizations—including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Wassenaar Arrangement secretariat—to consider important areas of through-life conventional ammunition management, including transfer controls, criminal justice responses and investigations into illicit ammunition trafficking, and regional approaches.

The Office also promoted gender parity in expert groups, in line with the commitment made by the Secretary-General in his 2018 Agenda for Disarmament to “achieve gender parity on all panels, boards, expert groups and other bodies established under his auspices in the field of disarmament”. In 2023, the Group of Governmental Experts to Further Consider Nuclear Disarmament Verification Issues remained composed of 15 men and 10 women.

Furthermore, the Office continued to promote women’s equal participation and diversity in disarmament fellowships, scholarships, training activities and workshops. Specifically, it supported opportunities for women in the United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament, which helps to train officials to hold multilateral and disarmament-related posts within their respective Governments.^[11] Additionally, the 2023 sessions of the United Nations–Singapore Cyber Fellowship achieved equal representation, with 14 women and 14 men participating both in May and in August. The Office also supported opportunities for women in the training of experts under the Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons.^[12]

Regarding the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, States parties continued the Treaty’s sponsorship programme for the second Meeting of States Parties in recognition of the need to promote inclusivity and broad representation at their meetings. The sponsorship programme supported the participation of 25 delegates, 8 of whom were women. Additionally, Kazakhstan and Kiribati jointly initiated an independent sponsorship programme, which enabled the participation of delegates from communities affected by nuclear testing; that initiative supported 16 delegates from Kiribati, 7 of whom were women.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, through its Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, continued to annually provide scholarships to more than 100 women students entering nuclear-related fields.

Overall, of the more than 250 people who participated in various in-person training and capacity-building activities organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs in 2023, 60 per cent were men, and 40 per cent were women. Women comprised 44 per cent of the 1,300 people who participated in meetings, events, workshops and other activities organized by the Office, and they occupied 46 per cent of the 461 speaking roles in those meetings.^[13] The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa strengthened efforts towards women’s equal participation in its events by requesting Member States and partners to consider the nomination of at least one woman to attend its activities. Notably, in line with the Office’s Gender Policy, the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific strove to ensure gender-balanced speakers and/or panellists in all its programmes, while strongly encouraging Member States of the Asia-Pacific region to nominate women participants to regional events as their representatives. Meanwhile, to mark International Women’s Day, the Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean published a video that highlighted the important contributions of women in Latin America and the Caribbean to disarmament.

Gender mainstreaming

In addition to promoting gender-balanced participation, the United Nations continued to support the operationalization of policy decisions to mainstream a gender perspective in disarmament and arms control. Of 110 meetings, conferences, training courses, workshops and events organized or co-organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs in 2023, 48 per cent incorporated some contribution to gender equality, 13 per cent included gender equality as a significant objective, and 11 per cent had gender equality as a principal focus. (See figure 6.3 for a chart on activities of the Office with a gender perspective.)

The United Nations Saving Lives Entity fund (SALIENT), jointly managed by the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Peacebuilding Fund and relevant United Nations country teams, continued to support local implementation efforts in armed violence reduction with a gender perspective in Cameroon, Jamaica and South Sudan. SALIENT channels at least 30 per cent of its programme funds to gender-related activities. The topics of gender and of women, peace and security also continued to be thematic priorities of the United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).

In 2023, the informal coordination mechanism on gender and small arms and light weapons continued to meet to share relevant updates between United Nations agencies and civil society organizations. The Office for Disarmament Affairs implemented a multi-year, extrabudgetary project in support of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, of which gender mainstreaming is one of three pillars, building on a thematically similar initiative completed previously.

In March, the Office for Disarmament Affairs launched the online self-paced course “Gender-mainstreaming small arms control”, available on the Office’s Disarmament Education Dashboard. The objectives of the course are to enhance participants’ understanding of the need to include gender perspectives in measures for small-arms control, demonstrate ways to prevent arms-related gender-based violence, examine relevant international policy frameworks and converging agendas, and introduce entry points for gender-responsive small-arms policies.

Throughout 2023, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, based in Lomé, continued to comprehensively mainstream a gender perspective in its activities. On 11 December, it launched the first webinar in a series on integrating gender-responsive actions into measures to control small arms. Organized in support of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the webinar was attended by officials from Burundi, Cameroon and Sierra Leone, States that had worked with the Office for Disarmament Affairs over the previous three years to incorporate gender considerations into their small-arms policies. The participants discussed progress made and best practices in adopting and implementing gender-sensitive initiatives in disarmament and arms control in their countries, as well as challenges faced in advancing the integration of small-arms control into gender equality and women, peace and security efforts.

During the exchange, Burundi noted the adoption of a target to increase women’s representation and participation in decision-making processes relating to arms control initiatives, calling that target instrumental in advancing gender mainstreaming and in combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Burundi, Cameroon and Sierra Leone also carried out a series of capacity-building programmes to advance and integrate gender-sensitive initiatives, including through awareness-raising activities involving women- and youth-led civil society organizations, local authorities and other stakeholders within communities. Participants in those activities identified key challenges, such as the widespread proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the limited integration of gender considerations into broader arms control policies, inadequate financial and technical resources to conduct large-scale capacity-building and awareness-raising activities, and the absence of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Furthermore, to achieve progress towards gender-responsive policies concerning small arms and light weapons, attendees highlighted the need to involve women and young people in developing national action plans and sustained awareness-raising campaigns for policymakers, including parliamentarians and stakeholders in the defence and security sectors.

In September, UNIDIR collaborated with the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States to convene a seminar in Ghana for the region, as well as disarmament experts, to discuss gender perspectives in arms control and disarmament. Over 50 participants from more than a dozen West African countries engaged in panel discussions and brainstorming sessions covering gender-sensitive arms control and related topics.

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Lima, developed a course on small arms and gender that it piloted in Colombia in November. The new course was expected to enable the Regional Centre to provide capacity-building across the region in four areas: introduction to key concepts on gender and small arms; policy frameworks and the convergence of agendas; data collection and gender analysis; and integrating a gender perspective into small-arms control initiatives.

Preventing firearms-related femicides and other gender-based violence remained a top priority across Latin America and the Caribbean, where violent death remained alarmingly common among women. Femicides in the region were often preceded by other types of physical, sexual, psychological, economic or patrimonial violence, which occurred frequently in both the public and private spheres.

Building on efforts from previous years, the Regional Centre conducted several iterations of a specialized course on firearms investigations from a gender perspective, intended to help prevent impunity for violent crimes against women. For example, the Regional Centre held a virtual course in Barbados from 11 to 20 April, reaching 13 women and 16 men from the Barbados Police Service and the Barbados Defence Force. It also conducted a virtual course in Suriname from 20 to 29 June for representatives of the Korps Politie Suriname, the Attorney General’s Office, the Directorate of National Security and the Corps Military Police, drawing 13 men and 11 women as participants. In addition to providing relevant national authorities with technical expertise for investigating firearms-related crimes, the course enabled exchanges among relevant national authorities on addressing the issue collaboratively.

Furthermore, as part of its ongoing support for gender-related meetings and initiatives across the region, the Regional Centre supported the Organization of American States in the development of regional guidelines on the prevention of gender-based violence using firearms.

Based in Kathmandu, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific continued its active efforts to integrate gender perspectives into disarmament and arms control initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region. To help achieve this aim, it incorporated the issue of gender mainstreaming into its programmes as a cross-cutting component. Together with the Prajnya Trust, a non-governmental organization, the Regional Centre organized a lecture in February on gender mainstreaming in disarmament and arms control, as part of the Peace and Gender Lunchtime Lecture Series, attracting around 50 students from South Asia. Discussions centred on the critical role of gender perspectives in peace, security and regional stability. In June, the Regional Centre and the Prajnya Trust dedicated one day of the jointly organized “Disarmament Toolkit 2023” online learning course to the topic of gender and disarmament, engaging a diverse student body from South Asia and South-East Asia on the convergence of global agendas on disarmament, sustainable development, and women, peace and security.

Furthering its commitment, the Regional Centre moderated an event held in Geneva in August on the margins of the ninth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty. The event, co-organized by Small Arms Survey and UNIDIR, emphasized integrating considerations related to gender-based violence into national arms export and transfer assessments. Furthermore, it encouraged refreshed approaches to enhance the application of article 7.4 of the Arms Trade Treaty, focusing on preventing arms-related gender-based violence.

During its regional seminar of national points of contact for the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, held in October, the Regional Centre encouraged participants to promote, assess and report on their progress in integrating gender considerations into the implementation of the Programme of Action, including at the policy, legal and operation levels. The seminar was attended by more than 50 participants from 25 States in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as experts from the United Nations, academia and civil society organizations.

Additionally, in December, the Regional Centre and the Implementation Support Unit of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons organized a regional workshop on achieving the universalization of the Convention in the Pacific. In the workshop, the trainers highlighted the importance of applying a gender lens in implementing the Convention and explored how disarmament and security issues were interlinked with the rights of women and girls.