Country Briefs: Secretary-General’s Report on Women, Peace and Security (2025)

The 2025 Secretary-General’s Report on Women, Peace and Security highlights both progress and persistent challenges across East and Southern Africa. Women continue to play critical roles in peacebuilding, mediation, humanitarian response, climate resilience, even as conflict, economic shocks, displacement, and climate change deepen gendered insecurity across the region.

In conflict-affected contexts women’s leadership has expanded through participation in peace initiatives, constitution-making processes and community mediation. However, widespread sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), arms proliferation, weak justice mechanisms and severe service gaps such as one social worker for every 70 survivors continue to undermine protection and recovery efforts.

South Africa stands out as a regional leader in advancing the Women Peace and Security agenda, with a significant increase of over 15 per cent in women’s representation in the military and strong national frameworks addressing gender equality, peacekeeping and climate security. Its National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide demonstrate institutional commitment, though high levels of GBV and socioeconomic inequality persist.

Across the region, climate change and economic instability have intensified food insecurity, displacement and violence against women and girls. While regional frameworks under the AU, SADC, and EAC have strengthened coordination, sustained political commitment, adequate financing, survivor-centered justice and the full integration of women’s leadership remain essential to achieving lasting peace, security and gender equality.