HRC 59th Session

Annual Full Day Discussion on the Human Rights of Women

24th June, 2025

Distinguished delegates and colleagues,

As this Panel has acknowledged, women’s contributions to diplomacy and peacebuilding have long been overlooked, and they face significant barriers to meaningful participation in decision-making. You recognise that without diverse voices of women, peace agreements (and policy decisions in general) lack legitimacy, inclusivity and sustainability. What about young women and girls? Where are their diverse voices?

Amid rising conflicts worldwide, one out of every four young people live in conflict-affected countries. From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan and Afghanistan, women (including young women) and girls are bearing the brunt of conflicts, war and an ever-increasing global rollback of human rights. Their sexual and reproductive health and rights are being violated, as conflict brings an increased rate of sexual and gender-based violence, child, early and forced marriages, and more harmful practices that infringe upon bodily autonomy and integrity. Furthermore, their education, which sets them up for the future, is disrupted, such as in Afghanistan, where 1.1 million girls are without schooling since the 2021 ban.

Just as diplomacy without women lacks legitimacy, without the voices and meaningful participation of youth, peacebuilding efforts will continue to fail to address the root causes, nor adequately capture the lived realities of all young women and girls. Young people are consistently overlooked, underestimated, and dismissed for leadership and decision-making. Did this not frustrate you as a young person?

We call on states, global and regional human rights mechanisms and relevant stakeholders to ensure the meaningful participation of young women and girls, in all their diversity, through all levels of peace and security processes. We urge members of this Council to use your power and put your words into action to support the young women and girls whose voices and experiences deserve to be heard. Finally, we ask the panel here today; what will you do to ensure diverse youth are leaders in peace processes?

Thank you.