ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday told the United Nations Security Council that seven in ten women killed in conflicts worldwide last year were in Gaza, as it urged greater representation of women in UN-mediated peace processes across the world.
Counsellor Saima Saleem, speaking during an open debate on Women, Peace and Security, said the UN framework to promote female participation in conflict prevention, peace building and post-war recovery was established under Resolution 1325 25 years ago.
However, she noted it now stood at a crossroads, with women continuing to be the first casualties and the last to be heard in conflict situations.
“The plight of Palestinian women is one of the gravest tragedies of our times,” she said. “Seven in ten women killed in conflicts worldwide in 2024 were in Gaza. Homes, schools, and maternity wards were bombed. Pregnant women gave birth under fire without anesthetics or water. Tens of thousands were displaced; hundreds of thousands now face famine.”
“These are not collateral tragedies but deliberate crimes that demand accountability,” she added.
The Pakistani diplomat also highlighted the suffering of women in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sahel, noting that women sustain families and communities amid war but remain sidelined from formal mediation processes and deliberately targeted by armed groups.
“Conflict-related sexual violence has risen by nearly 90 percent in just two years, while the number of women and children killed quadrupled between 2023 and 2024,” she said.
Saleem criticized the UN Secretary-General’s latest report over the issue for omitting the situation of women in Indian-administered Kashmir, saying they have endured “decades of occupation,” adding the UN mechanisms and global rights organizations had documented “structural impunity” and “reprisals against female family members of the disappeared.”
New Delhi maintains the Kashmir issue is an internal matter, though Pakistan says it is an internationally recognized disputed region subject to UN resolutions.
Citing research showing that peace agreements with women’s participation are more durable, Saleem called for binding thresholds for women’s representation in all UN-mediated processes and for accountability wherever sexual violence is deployed as a deliberate tactic of war.
“The road to peace must be built by women and men together,” she said. “Sustainable peace demands women at the heart of decision-making — as mediators, peacekeepers, and leaders.”
She reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the UN’s Gender Parity Strategy, noting that Pakistani women peacekeepers had served in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, South Sudan and other missions, helping survivors where justice was denied.
“The Pact for the Future has reaffirmed our collective commitment to this agenda,” she said. “Now is the time to act: mandate women’s participation, guarantee their protection, promote their leadership, and strengthen accountability.”
