The UN Security Council (UNSC) held its annual open debate on Women, Peace and Security to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325 on october 6 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The session, chaired by Russia as Council President for October 2025, featured statements from nearly 90 member states.

In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that a quarter century after the adoption of Resolution 1325, efforts to promote gender equality are under severe strain amid a global surge in conflicts. He noted that about 676 million women now live close to conflict zones, the highest figure since the 1990s.

The Secretary-General called on nations to allocate at least 15% of peace-related budgets to gender equality initiatives, increase the number of women in peacekeeping forces, and ensure women’s participation at every stage of peace processes.

Member states expressed concern over the rising levels of armed violence and global military spending, with the number of women and girls killed in conflicts quadrupling in the past two years. They also urged stronger access to medical and psychological support for victims and more consistent funding for women-led organizations.

Speaking at the debate, Minister Counsellor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen, deputy head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations,, stressed that 25 years after Resolution 1325, women and girls remain among the most vulnerable to conflict, yet their voices are still underrepresented in peace processes. He underscored that preventing and addressing the root causes of conflict is the most effective protection measure, while emphasizing the need to place women at the center of peacekeeping, mediation, and postwar national reconstruction. He also called for greater employment opportunities, access to finance and digital technology, and social protection for women affected by conflict.

Minister Counsellor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed that Vietnamese women have always played a pivotal role throughout the country’s history, from the past struggle for national independence to postwar reconstruction and development. From the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1889 (2009) on women’s role in post-conflict settings to the 2020 Hanoi Commitment to Action, Vietnam has remained proactive and consistent in promoting the Women, Peace and Security agenda, reaffirming its pledge to empower women not only as beneficiaries but also as architects of sustainable peace.

UNSC: Vietnam spotlights women’s role in peacebuilding, reconstruction, development

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, called for enhancing programmes and activities for women capacity building at local, national and international levels in order to promote sustainable peace and women's economic empowerment.