Developments and trends, 2024

In adopting the Pact for the Future in September (General Assembly resolution 79/1), Member States agreed to a set of actions to advance their commitments on women, peace and security, while advancing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. They recognized women’s essential role in achieving sustainable peace and committed to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all decision-making levels. States also pledged to take targeted and accelerated action to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence. In considering the risks and opportunities of new and emerging technologies, States agreed to address barriers to women’s participation in science and technology, and to address gender- related challenges emerging from the use of technologies, including bias, discrimination and gender-based violence. Underscoring a tension noted consistently in United Nations contexts, States also expressed concern over rising military expenditures and their impact on investments in sustainable development and peace.

Global military expenditures continued to rise throughout 2024. In his annual report to the Security Council on women, peace and security (S/2024/671), the Secretary-General reported that global military expenditures had increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching an unprecedented $2.44 trillion. This represented a 6.8 per cent increase in real terms from 2022, further diverting resources from other global priorities, including gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The General Assembly adopted by consensus a revised version of the biennial resolution on “Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control” (resolution 79/57), although it was notably subject to 12 paragraph votes, a record. Through the resolution, the Assembly encouraged States to address the gendered impact of armed violence and recognized, for the first time, women’s contribution in all aspects of arms control and disarmament efforts, including weapons of mass destruction, and the need to facilitate and promote women’s leadership in disarmament efforts. Approximately 34 per cent of disarmament resolutions adopted during the General Assembly’s seventy-ninth session contained references to gender, including several resolutions introduced for the first time. Additionally, Member States provided inputs to the Secretary-General’s report to the General Assembly on “Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control”, sharing information on their national efforts to incorporate gender perspectives into their national disarmament policies and programmes.

The connection between disarmament and conflict-related sexual violence was further reinforced as a key theme in 2024. In his annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2024/292), the Secretary-General stressed that the illicit proliferation and widespread availability of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition directly facilitated incidents of sexual violence. He further noted that weapons proliferation, by fuelling armed conflict, contributed to creating environments conducive to perpetrating sexual violence with impunity.

On 23 April, the Security Council convened its annual open debate on conflict-related sexual violence (S/PV.9614, S/PV.9614 (Resumption 1) and S/PV.9614 (Resumption 2)). Chaired by Malta, the meeting focused on the theme “Preventing conflict-related sexual violence through demilitarization and gender-responsive arms control”. In her briefing to the Council, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict advocated for using measures imposed by United Nations sanctions regimes to stop the flow of weapons into the hands of perpetrators of sexual violence. A civil society representative, from Darfur Women Action Group, addressed the situation in the Sudan, emphasizing how the spread of weapons had enabled the current levels of sexual violence and highlighting continued violations of the Security Council’s arms embargo. During the debate, numerous Council members underscored the importance of preventing the illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons and ammunition, reducing military spending and enforcing arms embargoes to stop conflict-related sexual violence. The Russian Federation, however, expressed opposition to linking the prevention of such violence to disarmament initiatives under the women, peace and security agenda.

In a joint statement, 11 Council members — Malta, Ecuador, France, Guyana, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States — urged all States to harness conventional arms control and disarmament treaties, instruments and measures to prevent conflict-related sexual violence. They called for States parties to the Arms Trade Treaty to fully and effectively implement and report on the instrument’s gender provisions. Similarly, they encouraged Member States to observe gender-related language in the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management. The Security Council members reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in all United Nations- facilitated peace negotiations, ceasefire negotiations and security sector reforms, while advocating for explicit provisions prohibiting conflict-related sexual violence in those agreements and their monitoring frameworks.

The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs addressed some of these issues on 23 October at a commemoration marking the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict by Security Council resolution 1888 (2009). In her remarks at the event, the High Representative emphasized that disarmament, arms control and demilitarization must form a key part of efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual violence, describing the proliferation of weapons as both a driver and enabler of conflict-related sexual violence.

In his annual report to the Security Council on women, peace and security (S/2024/671), the Secretary-General highlighted the impact of militarization and of the spread of weapons and ammunition on civilians, particularly women. He called for the adoption of gender- responsive measures related to small arms and light weapons, as well as human-centred

disarmament approaches. During the Security Council’s debate on women, peace and security in October (S/PV.9760 and S/PV.9760 (Resumption 1)), several States continued to advocate for effective gender-sensitive disarmament measures as a means to prevent conflict and protect women’s rights.

In his annual report to the General Assembly on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security (A/79/224), the Secretary-General noted that emerging technologies, including those in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems, rely on data sets that could amplify social bias, including gender bias. He encouraged Member States to integrate ways to identify and examine such risks into review mechanisms for new and emerging technologies. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters called for a holistic consideration of technological advances in the military domain, including from a human rights perspective, emphasizing the particular need to consider gender equality in this context (A/79/240).

Gender dimensions in 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 gender perspectives into disarmament work. The remarks, delivered by Costa Rica on behalf of 80 countries,^[1] emphasized the differential impacts of armed conflict and weapons on women, men, girls and boys. In that connection, the States noted that gender considerations could enable more sustainable, comprehensive, effective and targeted disarmament policy solutions.

Recognizing the necessity of action across the broader disarmament machinery to advance gender equality in every region, the statement’s sponsors pressed for targeted steps to support women’s meaningful representation and leadership in decision-making processes. The States also welcomed the “significant work” carried out in recent years, both to achieve gender balance in disarmament and non-proliferation conferences, and to further integrate gender perspectives into First Committee resolutions.

The signatory countries welcomed efforts to implement decisions 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. In addition, they expressed support for fellowships and other opportunities enhancing women’s participation in disarmament-related intergovernmental processes. Although their statement reflected strong international support for gender perspectives in disarmament, it received six fewer signatories than the First Committee’s 2023 joint statement on gender.

Separately, many First Committee delegations delivered or endorsed statements supporting the full participation of women in all disarmament discussions and emphasizing the need for gender equality and inclusivity in disarmament processes.^[2] Delegations further noted the differentiated gendered impacts of weapons use and armed violence,^[3] and highlighted the importance of the women, peace and security agenda and its intersection with disarmament issues.^[4]

In 2024, the General Assembly maintained its trend of incorporating gender-related language into more disarmament resolutions. Of the 77 resolutions proposed by the First Committee and adopted by the Assembly, 26 featured provisions calling for women’s participation or highlighting other gender perspectives, an increase of three from the previous year.

Of the First Committee resolutions incorporating gender considerations, several were adopted by the General Assembly for the first time. In its new resolution on “Artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security” (79/239), the Assembly noted the possible consequences of the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, including with regard to gender, racial, age or social aspects that could be caused by bias in data sets or other algorithmic biases. In the resolutions “Comprehensive study of the question of nuclear-weapon-free zones in all its aspects” (79/241) and “Nuclear war effects and scientific research” (79/238), the Assembly stressed the need for gender balance in the composition of relevant expert groups.

In its resolution on “Through-life conventional ammunition management” (79/54), the Assembly strengthened its recognition of the risks posed by the diversion of conventional ammunition, specifically highlighting their contribution to gender-based armed violence.

Gender equality and women’s participation remained important topics in the Conference on Disarmament throughout its 2024 session. During the year, Belgium (speaking on behalf of the European Union), Canada, France and Ireland all highlighted the need to incorporate gender perspectives into disarmament discourse and security policy.

During the Conference’s high-level segment in late February (CD/PV.1703– CD/PV.1707), delegations emphasized closely related issues. Chile, Colombia, Norway, Peru, Spain and Sweden reiterated the importance of mainstreaming gender perspectives in the Conference’s own substantive work. Germany, Ireland and Mexico focused on the need to meaningfully include women in broader disarmament efforts. Japan advocated for integrating disarmament initiatives with the women, peace and security agenda, and Belgium, speaking on behalf of the European Union, specifically addressed gender biases in artificial intelligence.

During the plenary meeting on 8 March (CD/PV.1709), which coincided with International Women’s Day, Belgium (speaking on behalf of the European Union), Canada and France emphasized the need to update the Conference’s rules of procedure to incorporate gender-neutral language. During a plenary meeting on 6 June under agenda item 6 on “Comprehensive programme of disarmament”, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela called for a gender focus in all capacity-building programmes (CD/PV.1725).

At the fourth United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (18–28 June), States adopted a consensus outcome document (A/CONF.192/2024/RC/3), which reflects a marked advancement in their shared recognition of the gender dimensions of illicit arms within this category.^[5]

In the document, countries acknowledged both the gendered patterns in weapons acquisition and the differential impact of weapons on women, men, girls and boys. Building on language negotiated in 2021 and 2022 (A/CONF.192/BMS/2021/1 and A/CONF.192/BMS/2022/1), they called for “gender-responsive” policies and programming on small arms and light weapons — an evolution of previously adopted references to “gender-sensitive” measures. Throughout the document, States resolved to understand the gendered drivers and impacts of small arms and light weapons proliferation by recognizing the roles, norms and expectations that drive women and men to acquire illicit arms. Another key focus was the gendered impacts that result from such proliferation, including the use of illicit small arms in acts of gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence.

States further committed to developing evidence-based policy approaches through the collection of data disaggregated by sex, age, disability and other characteristics, as appropriate, as well as through better coordination of disarmament and small-arms-control policies with national positions on women, peace and security. Additionally, the Review Conference agreed to address persistent barriers to women’s full, equal, meaningful and effective participation in implementation processes related to the Programme of Action, including at a leadership level.

The discussions on gender at the Review Conference were not without contention, however. Throughout the two weeks of negotiations, different views emerged on the role that gender should play in disarmament and arms control discussions.

At the Review Conference on 19 June, Croatia delivered a joint statement relating to gender on behalf of 46 States,^[6] coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The remarks were followed on 28 June by a second statement delivered by Croatia for an expanded group of 61 countries.^[7] In both statements, delegations advocated for language in the outcome document supporting evidence-based good practices on gender in ensuring the Programme of Action’s effective implementation.

Civil society organizations highlighted gender issues both in statements to the Review Conference and in retrospective commentaries on its outcomes. In a publication entitled Advancing Gender and Inclusivity in Small Arms Control: Key Takeaways from RevCon4, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC) sought to outline and contextualize gender-related elements of the adopted outcome document. Separately, six States^[8] joined Small Arms Survey and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) to submit a working paper on prospects for gender-transformative small arms control, highlighting the benefits of a gender perspective in small-arms-control policymaking. Addressing delegations directly, civil society representatives advocated strongly for further linking the Programme of Action with the women, peace and security agenda, enhancing women’s participation, improving data collection, increasing financial support and capacity-building for women’s organizations, and highlighting the need to support gender in all its diversities.

Three gender-related side events took place on the margins of the conference:

• Connecting the Dots: Organized by GENSAC, the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Government of Chile, this event explored the role of parliaments and civil society in implementing the Programme of Action and advancing the women, peace and security agenda.
• Gender Mainstreaming in Arms Control: from Policy to Operations: The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean convened representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile and Guatemala to examine how gender dynamics manifest in patterns of violence and victimization across different regions.
• Looking Ahead: the Future of Gender Perspectives in the UNPoA: Germany, UNIDIR and Small Arms Survey hosted a discussion featuring representatives from Nepal, Liberia, Argentina and civil society organizations. Participants emphasized the importance of data in responding to intersectional drivers of small arms and light weapons acquisition and use, as well as strategies for aligning national policies on arms control with women’s equality initiatives.

In 2024, gender considerations remained central to the implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. Pursuant to decisions taken at its fourth Review Conference in 2019, the Convention’s four substantive Committees continued to address matters related to gender and the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities. Meanwhile, the focal points designated by those Committees, in accordance with the 2019 Oslo Action Plan (APLC/CONF/2019/5/Add.1), provided ongoing advice on gender mainstreaming and ensured that diverse perspectives were incorporated in the Plan’s implementation.

At the fifth Review Conference of the Convention, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 24 to 29 November, States parties reaffirmed the importance of gender equality and gender-balanced participation to the effective implementation of mine action activities, as reflected in the Siem Reap-Angkor Declaration and Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan 2025–2029 (APLC/CONF/2024/15/Add.1). In support, the 2024 gender focal points^[9] submitted a working paper (APLC/CONF/2024/WP.25) in which they undertook a wide-ranging assessment of progress towards achieving more inclusive mine action and identified various opportunities and challenges for advancing gender equality and inclusion over the coming five years.

States also took action on gender within the framework of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, whose article 5 on victim assistance identifies an obligation for States parties to “adequately provide [cluster munition victims with] age- and gender-sensitive assistance, including medical care, rehabilitation and psychological support, as well as provide for their social and economic inclusion”. At the Convention’s twelfth Meeting of States Parties, held in Geneva from 10 to 13 September, Belgium and Germany, in their capacity as Coordinators of the Working Group on the General Status and Operation of the Convention and focal points on gender mainstreaming,^[10] reported on activities they had undertaken in cooperation with the other thematic Coordinators, including in a working paper entitled “Taking stock of gender, diversity and inclusion in the Convention on Cluster Munitions: A mid-point review of the implementation of the Lausanne Action Plan” (CCM/MSP/2024/WP.2).^[11] The working paper outlined several recommended actions to strengthen gender mainstreaming, including organizing consultations, improving reporting mechanisms, supporting inclusive research initiatives, enhancing synergies with other humanitarian disarmament treaties, and fostering connections with broader frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the women, peace and security agenda.

The Secretary-General, in his fourth report to the General Assembly on “Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices” (A/79/211), submitted in July, recognized significant gendered impacts from improvised explosive devices. The report’s recommendations highlight the need for a better understanding of the differential impacts of those devices on women, men, boys and girls, encouraging States to strengthen the collection, storage, analysis and dissemination of gender- and age-disaggregated data. The Secretary-General further called on States to promote the meaningful participation of women and diverse stakeholders across all aspects of prevention, preparedness, protection, threat mitigation and response.

The general debate of the tenth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (19–23 August) included the reading of a joint statement on “Gender mainstreaming and addressing gender-based violence under the Arms Trade Treaty”. Delivered by Mexico on behalf of 45 States parties,^[12] the statement outlined various proposals to enhance the implementation of the Treaty’s gender-related provisions.

Subsequently, the Conference encouraged States parties in its final report (ATT/CSP10/2024/SEC/807/Conf.FinRep) to recommit to the action-oriented decisions on gender and gender-based violence, endorsed in 2017 by the fifth Conference of States Parties (ATT/CSP5/2019/SEC/536/Conf.FinRep.Rev1, para. 22), to continue regular exchanges on good national practices in preventing arms-related gender-based violence, and to consider appointing gender focal points to each of the Treaty’s working groups. The tenth Conference of States Parties also invited future presidencies to review progress made and challenges encountered in implementing the gender-related decisions of the 2017 Conference and subsequent meetings, while also calling on the Arms Trade Treaty secretariat to collect gender-disaggregated attendance data during meetings for the Treaty.

The Conference also welcomed the Political Declaration for the Next Decade of the Arms Trade Treaty, introduced by the United Kingdom on behalf of 73 States parties.^[13] Emphasizing the Treaty as the first legally binding multilateral instrument requiring States to take into account the risks of conventional arms being used to commit or facilitate gender-based violence, the signatories recognized the need to promote women’s full, equal, meaningful and effective participation in all its decision-making and implementation processes and stressed the importance of women’s involvement.

The Open-ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021–2025 continued to tackle issues related to gender in its 2024 deliberations, with delegations highlighting both the growing representation of women and the prominence of gender perspectives at its substantive sessions in March, July and December. States and civil society stakeholders widely commended the Women in Cyber Fellowship programme for its ongoing contribution to enhancing women’s participation. Co-funded by several Member States, the Fellowship supported women delegates in attending meetings of the Working Group, offered specialized training in cyber negotiations and fostered a network of women engaging in cyber diplomacy and related United Nations processes.

In its third annual progress report (A/79/214), the Open-ended Working Group emphasized the need to incorporate a gender perspective in responses to threats involving information and communications technologies, drawing particular attention to the risks faced by vulnerable populations. Highlighting the unequal distribution of benefits from digital technologies, delegations stressed the need to adequately address the growing digital divide in efforts to speed up implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Working Group also reaffirmed its call for various gender-responsive capacity-building initiatives, such as integrating a gender perspective into national policies and developing checklists or questionnaires to identify related needs and gaps. Furthermore, States recognized the impact of the gender digital divide and the importance of promoting women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in relevant decision-making processes. In building upon previously agreed text, participants demonstrated continued interest in developing consensus language on gender-related aspects of information and communications technologies security in its final year of work in 2025.

Gender equality was also a priority of the Disarmament Commission during the second year of a three-year cycle focused on developing recommendations on common understandings related to emerging technologies in the context of international security. Julia Elizabeth Rodríguez Acosta (El Salvador), in her summary of the discussions of the Commission’s Working Group II, highlighted States’ support for greater gender equality in the field of information and communications technologies security.

Within the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, established in the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, a group of States^[14] submitted a working paper (CCW/GGE.1/2024/WP.5) compiling proposals by participating experts to address concerns raised over several years around the need to address risks related to artificial intelligence and gender biases.

The Group of Governmental Experts on Further Practical Measures for the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space, established pursuant to resolution 77/250, completed its work in 2024 after holding its second and final substantive session. In its final report (A/79/364), the Group noted that several experts had expressed the view that any future legally binding instrument on the prevention of an arms race in outer space should avoid using gender-exclusive terms, aim at gender equality and be informed by diverse perspectives. Those experts also highlighted the need for further work to determine the possible differentiated impacts of threats to space systems on vulnerable groups, including, but not limited to, women and girls.

The Group also identified in its report areas where States could undertake further work, including “further consideration to ensuring equal opportunities for women and men to enable their meaningful engagement in efforts to achieve the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects”.^[15]

Mexico, serving as the gender focal point of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as appointed by the second Meeting of States Parties (TPNW/MSP/2023/14, annex II), organized consultations on 21 June focused on measures to ensure equal participation by men and women within the Treaty framework. In its report on related intersessional activities (TPNW/MSP/2025/5), Mexico emphasized that ensuring full, equal and meaningful participation with respect to gender extends beyond achieving simple numerical parity in the Treaty’s activities, while also stressing that the Treaty could provide a key forum for advancing gender perspectives in security, peace and disarmament.

Noting women’s historical underrepresentation in multilateral decision-making processes related to nuclear disarmament, participants in the consultations encouraged tracking gender-disaggregated participation data in relevant meetings and making it available to States parties. In addition, they stressed the importance of States parties committing to ensuring full, equal and meaningful opportunities for men and women both in meeting delegations and in national positions for Treaty implementation. Participants proposed various initiatives to raise awareness of gender considerations in the context of nuclear weapons, such as organizing a conversation series during the Treaty’s intersessional period to facilitate the dissemination of relevant insights, best practices and policy recommendations. They also stressed the need to establish intergenerational dialogue between established women leaders and emerging voices in humanitarian nuclear disarmament to ensure a sustainable and progressive approach to gender mainstreaming within the Treaty’s operations.

Meanwhile, at the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), States parties highlighted both achievements and challenges in integrating gender perspectives into relevant institutional and leadership structures. Participants emphasized the disproportionate impacts of nuclear weapons use and testing on women in the context of their ongoing underrepresentation in political discussions on nuclear disarmament, with women comprising only one third of State representatives to the session. The gendered effects of ionizing radiation on women and girls came into notable focus, with several States also parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons highlighting the contribution of nuclear-test survivors and victims to a broader understanding of those harmful effects.

On the margins of the session, the International Gender Champions Disarmament Impact Group — co-chaired by Australia, Ireland, Namibia, the Philippines and UNIDIR — organized a panel discussion on the relevance of gender-sensitive nuclear policy approaches to the NPT regime. In his opening remarks, the Chair of the second session, Akan Rakhmetullin (Kazakhstan), underscored the importance of incorporating gender perspectives in nuclear policy discussions, as gender equality represents a fundamental human right. He highlighted women’s underrepresentation in disarmament forums and their unique vulnerability to radiation effects, which can impact physiological and mental health, as well as socioeconomic status. In this context, he welcomed the growing roles of women, civil society and youth in nuclear disarmament efforts.

During the fifth session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention,^[16] held from 2 to 13 December in Geneva, States parties discussed a proposal by the Chair, Frederico S. Duque Estrada Meyer (Brazil), to convene a special conference in 2025 on establishing an international cooperation and assistance mechanism under article X and a science and technology advisory mechanism. In those deliberations, States parties stressed the importance of ensuring equitable gender representation in the governance structures of these mechanisms, should they be established.

Women’s participation in disarmament processes

The year 2024 witnessed incremental progress towards women’s equal, full and effective participation and leadership in some multilateral disarmament forums.

The General Assembly, First Committee, achieved a significant milestone in electing a woman Permanent Representative as its Chair for the first time: Ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde of Costa Rica. This progress in leadership was mirrored in the broader composition of delegations, with those headed by women increasing significantly, from 29 per cent in 2023 to 46 per cent in 2024. While the overall gender balance of Member State delegations remained steady from 2023 — women comprising 38 per cent of registered delegates — there was a slight improvement in active participation, with women accounting for 30 per cent of delegates who took the floor, up 1 percentage point from the previous year.^[17]

The Conference on Disarmament experienced a notable shift in gender dynamics in 2024. Women’s overall presence markedly declined, with women comprising 38 per cent of registered delegates (down from 46 per cent in 2023) and 28 per cent of heads of delegation (a decrease from 32 per cent in the previous year). Amid that decline in overall representation, women’s active participation as speakers remained largely flat, increasing by 1 percentage point from 2023.

During the six meetings in 2024 related to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, women’s participation averaged 40 per cent of all registered participants and one third of delegation leadership positions. When it came to active participation in discussions, women delivered 34 per cent of all statements, reflecting their substantive involvement in the Convention’s deliberations. Most notably, the Convention achieved gender parity among the co-facilitators and coordinators of its group of experts, with women occupying exactly half of those roles.

Of the various forums within the Convention’s framework, women achieved notably higher representation in leadership and speaking positions during the meetings of the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. In the Group’s two meetings during the year, women comprised 42 per cent of registered delegates, 36 per cent of heads of delegation and 43 per cent of speakers.

In the 2024 meetings of the Biological Weapons Convention, women constituted 40 per cent of participants and 31 per cent of delegation heads. When taking the floor to deliver statements, women represented 37 per cent of speakers. The Convention’s sponsorship programme, intended to broaden representation at intersessional meetings, supported 61 national experts in 2024, 22 of whom were women (36 per cent) and 39 were men (64 per cent).^[18]

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 on average 39 per cent of all registered participants and 50 per cent of those speaking across the year’s three sessions.

At the second session of the NPT Preparatory Committee, in July–August 2024, women remained underrepresented across all participation metrics, accounting for 33 per cent of registered participants, and slightly smaller proportions of comprised heads of delegation (30 per cent) and speakers taking the floor (29 per cent).

In the fifth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, held in November 2024, there was notable progress in women’s representation amid persistent gender imbalances. Women constituted 25 per cent of all delegates, while their participation as speakers more than doubled, rising to 23 per cent from just 11 per cent in 2023.

Throughout the year, the Office for Disarmament Affairs contributed to advancing women’s equal participation and diversity across disarmament fellowship programmes, scholarships, training activities and workshops.

In 2024, women represented 56 per cent of participants in the United Nations Disarmament Fellowship, Training and Advisory Services Programme (14 out of 25 Fellows). The Programme included focused lectures on the gender dimensions of various disarmament issues, with particular emphasis on ammunition. Fellows also received an in-depth briefing on the women, peace and security agenda from officers of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).

In partnership with Singapore, the Office co-convened two sessions of the United Nations-Singapore Cyber Fellowship in 2024, with 13 women and 12 men participating in April and 16 women and 14 men taking part in August. The programme’s selection process, open to State-nominated senior officials working in information and communications technologies security, emphasized gender parity in gender representation.

The Office for Disarmament Affairs also supported women’s participation through sponsorships for delegates from least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States to attend the ninth substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021–2025, in December. The initiative promoted cross-regional and gender-balanced participation at the Working Group session, where sponsored delegates engaged in various capacity-building activities alongside the formal meetings.

The Office also supported opportunities for women as it facilitated training for experts under the Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons. Women made up a significant portion of experts participating in the Mechanism’s specialized training courses throughout 2024, constituting between 30 and 69 per cent of participants across individual courses.^[19]

Bolstering gender equality was an aim of two initiatives funded by the European Union and the United Kingdom within the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention. The Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship, a three-month capacity-building programme for young scientists from the global South, achieved gender parity in its second edition, which took place from June to August.^[20] Meanwhile, women made up more than one third of the 96 participants in the Convention’s first global workshop for national contact points, held on 28 and 29 November. This workshop marked the culmination of six regional training courses conducted by the Office from May 2023 to April 2024 to address critical gaps in support for those national contact points and enhance national implementation of the Convention.

The second edition of the training course on “Science diplomacy, biosecurity and virus detection” achieved gender parity in its cohort of 14 participating life scientists. Held from 4 to 8 March in Trieste, Italy, the programme engaged this group through lectures on biosecurity, table-top exercises and hands-on sessions focused on molecular assays and modern diagnostic technologies. The course was funded by Norway and conducted in collaboration with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the World Academy of Sciences and the InterAcademy Partnership.

Gender mainstreaming by the Office for Disarmament Affairs

In addition to promoting gender-balanced participation in disarmament processes, the Office for Disarmament Affairs continued helping to operationalize policies aimed at integrating a gender perspective into disarmament and arms control activities. Of the 56 meetings, conferences, training courses, workshops and events organized or co-organized by the Office in 2024 for which data were collected, 68 per cent integrated a gender perspective to some extent, while 11 per cent had gender equality as a principal substantive focus.

The Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) — a funding facility 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 supporting local armed violence reduction efforts around the world, extending support to eight countries across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific during its 2023–2024 cycle.^[21] ] Gender remained a central focus, with at least 30 per cent of programme funds going to activities in direct pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The projects supported by SALIENT included a comprehensive gender analysis of Jamaica’s new Firearms Act; technical courses to help national police in Honduras to apply a gender lens to firearms-related investigations; workshops and dialogue spaces in Panama addressing weapons in schools with a gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory approach; and, in Ghana, the development of awareness-raising materials on gender-based violence coupled with a nationwide gender-responsive survey of the country’s small-arms-control needs and limitations.

The United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR), another key funding mechanism administered by the Office for Disarmament Affairs, continued strengthening gender-responsive approaches in how it conceptualized, planned and carried out all projects and activities. Gender issues and the women, peace and security agenda remained thematic priorities in UNSCAR’s 2024 application process, with all funding applicants required to ensure women’s meaningful participation and representation in their proposed activities. This emphasis produced measurable results: of the 60 applications submitted in response to the 2024 call, 23 (38 per cent) went beyond basic requirements and incorporated gender-responsive approaches that more fully addressed women, peace and security objectives.

UNSCAR-funded projects advanced those gender-responsive aims throughout the year. In East Africa, a civil society partner led a regional workshop for women parliamentarians that strengthened linkages between small arms control and the women, peace and security agenda. Meanwhile, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an UNSCAR-funded weapons stockpile management project incorporated a gender awareness seminar for women police officers in Posavina Canton.

Strengthening and deepening gender integration in small-arms-control policies and programmes remained a key pillar of a multi-year, extrabudgetary project led by the Office for Disarmament Affairs to support the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Acting through its regional centres in Lima, Lomé and Kathmandu, the Office undertook various capacity-building efforts to integrate gender considerations into small arms and light weapons policies. Additionally, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations maintained their practice of exchanging information through periodic meetings of the informal coordination mechanism on gender and small arms and light weapons.

The Office for Disarmament Affairs also worked throughout the year to incorporate gender considerations in ammunition management and strengthen women’s participation in that field, supporting objective 14 of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management (A/78/111, annex). As part of a series of regional and subregional outreach meetings on the Global Framework that the Office organized in Africa, in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in Asia and the Pacific, Small Arms Survey led dedicated substantive sessions on integrating gender perspectives into conventional ammunition management practice. Participants from Member States, United Nations entities and international, regional and non-governmental organizations discussed two priority areas: the need for improved data and analysis on the gendered impact of ammunition diversion and unplanned explosions at munition sites; and strategies to address structural, social and cultural barriers to women’s meaningful participation in ammunition management.

In the framework of the Women Managing Ammunition Network (WoMA-Network), established in 2022, the Office collaborated with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team, as well as the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation and Small Arms Survey to convene the second international training session on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines for women specialists. The two-week session in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, convened 14 women participants and three women trainers, all working in specialized ammunition management roles, either for their national military and security forces or for expert organizations. The programme enhanced participants’ capacity and knowledge across a range of ammunition safety and management topics, deepening their understanding of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines. The session also addressed gender equality considerations, both broadly and specifically within the ammunition sector. Participants joined the WoMA-Network, a platform that promotes gender equality and diversity while increasing women’s visibility and leadership in the specialized field of ammunition management.

In November, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Department of Peace Operations delivered the annual training course on “Effective weapons and ammunition management in a changing disarmament, demobilization and reintegration context”, in Accra. The course featured a strengthened focus on gender equality, with gender perspectives integrated into every module and — for the first time — a dedicated session on gender. This approach highlighted women’s critical roles, both in weapons and ammunition management and in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes. The session emphasized how women contribute to community trust-building, programme effectiveness and sustainable outcomes. By incorporating gender-sensitive practices in technical and operational aspects, the course underscored how inclusive approaches can better address the human impact of weapons and ammunition proliferation throughout the entire peace process, from conflict to lasting stability.

The Office and its Youth4Disarmament initiative maintained gender balance across all their outreach programmes and opportunities for young people. Gender perspectives were integral to training the second cohort of Youth Champions for Disarmament (funded by Germany), while the Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship (funded by the European Union and the United Kingdom) incorporated a dedicated session on youth and gender perspectives. The twenty-third Republic of Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues, which for the first time included a dedicated main session on youth perspectives, was highly successful in attracting young women participants in the programme. As part of the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (funded by Japan), in October, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research delivered an online session for programme participants on “Gender and human rights”. The year also saw gender balance among the youth participants and speakers in intergovernmental disarmament processes, such as the First Committee of the General Assembly, the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, and the high-level commemorations of the International Day against Nuclear Tests and the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

To mark the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness on 5 March and to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Office for Disarmament Affairs held a hybrid event as part of its Vienna Conversation Series. Organized in cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the Austrian Research Association (ÖFG) and the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the International Organizations in Vienna, the event featured distinguished speakers from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. The panellists discussed the human cost of weapons through a gender lens, focusing on the gendered impact of conventional weapons and ensuring women’s meaningful participation in disarmament processes.

The Office for Disarmament Affairs continued to offer diverse training courses on its Disarmament Education Dashboard, including modules on “Gender perspectives on disarmament” and “Gender-mainstreaming small arms control”. By the end of 2024, the platform had over 29,600 registered users, with women comprising 50.4 per cent of participants.

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, based in Lomé, continued its active efforts to integrate gender perspectives into disarmament and arms control initiatives across the African continent.

In preparation for the fourth Review Conference on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Regional Centre organized preparatory meetings tackling challenges faced and progress achieved in designing and implementing gender-responsive small arms control policies. More than 80 participants from the continent took part in the February and March meetings, with editions held in Lomé for West and Central African countries and in Nairobi for East and Southern African States.

The Centre marked International Women’s Day (8 March) by co-hosting a webinar examining the tangible progress made in integrating gender considerations into various African arms control initiatives. Organized with UNIDIR, the event brought together over 60 disarmament experts from national commissions on small arms and light weapons across West, Central, East and Southern Africa, along with international practitioners and representatives of civil society and regional organizations.

At two informal regional meetings convened by the Regional Centre on the new Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, participants applied a gender lens in exploring how to translate the Framework’s political commitments into actionable measures. Cross-border trafficking and ammunition tracing and disposal were key focuses of the gatherings in Lomé and Gaborone, which drew representatives from 40 Member States and regional and civil society organizations.

Integrating gender considerations into Africa’s disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes was the objective of another webinar organized by the Centre in November. Aimed at fostering inclusive and effective post-conflict societal reconstruction, the event brought together 60 participants from national commissions for the control of small arms and light weapons and from civil society organizations engaged in disarmament and other peace and security work.

In December, the Regional Centre partnered with the International Action Network on Small Arms to hold a webinar addressing linkages between gender-based violence and the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The discussion, timed to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign, attracted 57 attendees from national commissions on small arms and light weapons in Africa and from regional and civil society organizations. Participants actively discussed the contribution of effective gender-sensitive arms control initiatives to combating gender-based violence.

At a hybrid conference that the Centre co-organized in December with the Institute for Strategic Studies at the University of Lomé, 100 students discussed the roles of youth and women in disarmament processes. Speakers underscored how combating the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons is pivotal in efforts to promote peace, justice and strong institutions, improve education systems and achieve gender equality in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Centre also collaborated with the Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States, to train national stakeholders from Burundi in integrating gender considerations into both the reporting process for the Programme of Action and national action plans to combat the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Women comprised almost one third of the participants.

A hybrid event entitled “Women and youth participation in disarmament processes: challenges and opportunities”, held in December, brought together 77 civil society representatives to discuss national experiences in fostering gender-sensitive arms control initiatives. Their exchange emphasized the critical need for women’s organizations to actively coordinate with national commissions for the control of small arms and light weapons to strengthen community-based violence prevention efforts.

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Lima, acted throughout 2024 to foster gender-responsive approaches to arms control, while enhancing capacities to address firearms-related violence.

In the run-up to the fourth Review Conference on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Centre convened a webinar on the importance of integrating gender perspectives in implementation activities for the Programme of Action. The event helped to inform broader discussions and leadership on the issue at the Review Conference. Following the Conference, the Centre hosted a second webinar to reflect on the progress made at the global level and to spotlight good practices from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Recognizing a need for further capacity-building for Member States to implement their global commitments under the Programme of Action, the Centre hosted a gender-focused small-arms-control course in Guatemala. The programme equipped authorities with a fuller understanding of key concepts related to gender and small arms, synergies between the women, peace and security agenda and small-arms-control frameworks, data collection and gender analysis, and integrating gender perspectives into arms control initiatives.

Preventing firearms-related femicides and other forms of gender-based violence remained a critical priority for Latin America and the Caribbean, where violence against women involving firearms persisted at alarming rates. Under an initiative funded through SALIENT, the Centre strengthened national capacities in Honduras through its specialized “Firearms investigations from a gender perspective” courses. The curricula, tailored for law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges, equipped each actor in the chain of custody with the technical expertise needed to thoroughly investigate and analyse firearms-related crimes against women, thereby helping to reduce impunity. The Centre complemented those courses with a webinar on cross-referencing firearms legislation with norms around preventing and punishing violence against women, further reinforcing those efforts.

In Haiti, the Regional Centre co-organized a webinar with UNIDIR where officials discussed integrating arms control measures into efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual violence. By fostering dialogue among national policymakers and practitioners, the event supported the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti to assist authorities in protecting and promoting human rights, with a particular focus on women’s rights and gender equality.

The Centre provided enhanced support for young women taking part in GenerAcción Paz, a newly launched disarmament training programme for youth in the region. Funded by UNSCAR, the programme is designed to build young leaders’ capacity to create a region free of armed violence.

In November, the Centre launched “Women, Forces of Change: the Podcast”, celebrating the achievements of women in disarmament while examining persistent challenges to gender equality in that field. Over the course of 10 episodes, 10 inspiring women from Latin America and the Caribbean — including experts, diplomats, policymakers and civil society leaders — shared their personal journeys and professional insights on advancing peace and security.

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, based in Kathmandu, maintained its wide-spanning work to integrate gender considerations in disarmament processes and enhance women’s participation in regional security initiatives.

Emphasizing the need for inclusive, gender-mainstreamed policies in small arms control was a key message at a regional preparatory meeting hosted by the Centre in January, ahead of the fourth Review Conference on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. To highlight the issue of women’s participation, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs led a panel of experts in exploring both the importance of gender-responsive approaches and the linkages between small arms control and sustainable development. The three-day meeting in Kathmandu attracted 85 participants — more than a third of them women — including government officials, civil society representatives from 23 countries and officials from relevant United Nations agencies.

On 15 February, the Centre partnered with UNIDIR to convene an online regional briefing aimed at strengthening gender-responsive practices within small-arms-control frameworks in the Asia-Pacific region, with particular focus on the Programme of Action and the Arms Trade Treaty. The virtual forum assembled government officials, representatives from international organizations and civil society advocates to critically evaluate pathways for translating high-level global commitments on gender mainstreaming into concrete action. Timed in advance of two key gatherings (the fourth Review Conference on the Programme of Action and the tenth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty), the event drew 60 participants from across 23 countries.

From 26 June to 5 July, the Regional Centre joined the Prajnya Trust, an India-based civil society organization, to co-host the third edition of the Disarmament Toolkit online course, which featured a dedicated webinar on the topic of gender and disarmament. The curriculum explored critical gender considerations and women’s meaningful participation across various disarmament portfolios, including conventional arms control, weapons of mass destruction and emerging technologies. The programme attracted 628 registered participants from 80 countries, including diverse stakeholders from academia, international and regional organizations, civil society and the practitioners’ community.

The Centre hosted an informal regional meeting on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management on 4 and 5 December, in Kathmandu, featuring a substantive session on gender and ammunition management that directly addressed objective 14 of the Global Framework. Facilitated by civil society partners Nonviolence International Southeast Asia and Small Arms Survey, the session helped participants to identify knowledge gaps around how ammunition diversion and unplanned explosions impact women, men, boys and girls differently. The discussions emphasized the need to address persistent structural, social and cultural barriers to women’s full, equal, meaningful and effective participation in the ammunition management sector. This forum brought together government officials from 19 Asia-Pacific States alongside United Nations entities, international, regional and non-governmental organizations, and civil society (39 men and 23 women).

On 27 December, the Regional Centre moderated an end-of-year webinar on integrating gender, mental health and peace processes into the Programme of Action on Small Arm, jointly organized by Nonviolence International Southeast Asia and the International Action Network on Small Arms. The discussion explored how gender perspectives, mental health considerations, peace process dynamics and indigenous knowledge systems can strengthen efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms while advancing gender equality.