While 2024 was marked by intensifying conflicts and a pushback on women’s rights globally, the Compact also saw more collaboration and determination to deliver meaningful change to women and girls in conflict than ever before. In 2024, signatories ramped up their commitments and actions to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda and gender-responsive humanitarian action, including through increased financing, advocacy, and policy work.
Together, Compact Signatories have achieved remarkable outcomes in 2024, including welcoming 29 new signatories, advocacy efforts that resulted in the inclusion of WPS language in the Pact for the Future, and the launch of the Compact’s 2024 Accountability Report. The report highlighted how signatories reached nearly 25 million women and girls and invested US$1.55 billion to implement actions. The top five countries of implementation included Ukraine, South Sudan, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Sudan, and 75% of signatories reported on at least one indicator.
The Compact also hosted 13 online and in-person events that convened over 628 participants from across all regions. Events highlighted the situation in Iran, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, among others. The Secretariat also ramped up efforts to showcase the impactful and inspiring work of its signatories by launching three new communications products and publishing 15 editorial pieces, including an op-ed, a Q&A, newsletters, and blog posts.
In 2025, the Compact plans to publish its third Accountability Report and to collectively leverage the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to drive change for the millions of women and girls experiencing the realities of conflict and crisis.
Here are some key highlights from last year:
In JANUARY and FEBRUARY, the Compact Secretariat prepared the self-reporting portal, including revisions of indicators for member states. This revision led to 73 per cent of member states reporting on at least one indicator, an increase of 31 per cent compared to 2022 reporting. The Compact’s Board members also gathered for a virtual board meeting to approve the 2024 work plan.
In MARCH, Compact member state signatories joined global leaders on the sidelines of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where the Compact hosted the symposium “Summit of the Future: Integrating Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action” to develop key recommendations to inform the Pact for the Future. The event, which included Compact signatories and Pact co-facilitators, Namibia and Germany, resulted in recommendations, which contributed to the inclusion of WPS commitments in the final version of the Pact. The Compact recommendations in a visual scorecard on the Pact can be found here.
The Secretariat also hosted the event “Opportunities for Action: A Review of the Findings of the WPS-HA Compact Accountability Report” which brought together a wide range of Compact signatories to discuss the findings of the first Accountability Report and ways forward. The Compact also published an op-ed in the media outlet Devex where three signatories reflected upon their own work to advance the WPS agenda and the need for more collective efforts. March also marked the launched the self-reporting portal for the 2024 reporting cycle.
> Read the key reflections and recommendations for the Summit of the Future
In APRIL and MAY, the Compact secretariat hosted three virtual office hours for Compact signatories to help answer any questions about the reporting process. It also convened an online dialogue with 15 youth-led signatories to strengthen youth engagement and advance intergenerational collaboration – one of the Compact’s six principles of transformation. During the 2024 reporting cycle, 91% of signatory reporting incorporated or referenced youth. The Compact also published a Q&A with Norway’s Deputy Minister for International Development, Bjørg Sandkjær.
> Read the recommendations on youth engagement.
In JUNE, the Compact partnered with the Geneva-based International Gender Champions on the occasion of its launch of the Impact Group on Women, Peace and Security, reflecting a steadfast commitment to advancing action across international hubs. To mark the occasion, the Compact, together with UN Women-Geneva and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations in Geneva, hosted a hybrid event in support of the implementation of the WPS-HA Compact.
> Read the takeaways from the event with International Gender Champions.
In JULY and AUGUST, the Compact gathered Board and Catalytic members for an online meeting to share updates from the WPS-HA Compact Secretariat and to hear directly from Compact signatories in Gaza and the Sahel about the urgent need for gender-responsive humanitarian action. The meeting was also an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for how to best leverage the 25th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 in 2025.
The Compact also hosted the year’s first Thematic Knowledge Session (TKS) “Communicating the Impact of WPS-HA Compact Signatories” to showcase the Compact’s communications products designed to raise awareness of the work and impact of signatories and ultimately share their work with potential funders and partners. The event highlighted the ways signatories can showcase their work through the Compact, including through op-eds, impact stories featured in the annual accountability report, and the newly launched Compact newsletter, the Compact Dispatch. The Compact and its signatories also celebrated its three-year anniversary, including through a social media campaign and an anniversary video message from WPS-HA Compact Lead Ms. Harriette Williams Bright.
> Read the summary of the session “Communicating the Impact of WPS-HA Compact Signatories.”
In SEPTEMBER, as world leaders gathered in New York City for the Summit of the Future to identify solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and ensure a multilateral system that is fit for purpose, the Compact co-hosted the event “Advancing Feminist Climate Justice and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda to Build Resilient Societies” alongside the Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice. Discussions explored how to effectively promote women’s leadership, participation, and protection, as well as ways to leverage the WPS agenda to address the increasingly urgent security risks and challenges posed by climate change.
> Read the key recommendations from the event on Advancing Feminist Climate Justice.
In OCTOBER, the Compact co-hosted a second regional symposium in Nairobi to advance the implementation of the WPS agenda across the region and identify high-impact priorities. The Compact also commemorated the UN Security Council Open Debate Week in New York City with a reception to welcome new signatories and celebrate the launch of the 2024 Accountability Report. UN Women Executive Director, Dr. Sima Bahous provided opening remarks at the event, which also welcomed new member state signatories, Italy and Romania.
> Read the summary of the Nairobi summit and more about the Compact’s WPS week reception.
In NOVEMBER and DECEMBER, the Compact hosted a Thematic Knowledge Session on the 2024 WPS-HA Compact Accountability Report exploring how signatories can use the lessons learned from the report to inform priorities and engagements for 2025. The Compact also launched its inaugural Inside Look Series designed to provide an opportunity for signatories to share detailed insights into their work on a specific issue or topic, and to explore avenues for partnership and collaboration with fellow signatories. In response to the increasing pushback on women’s rights in Iran, the first virtual session was held with with Iranian women-led civil society signatories on “Combatting Violence Against Women in Iran: Civil society efforts and feminist mobilization.”
> Read the key recommendations from the TKS on the 2024 Accountability Report and the summary of the Inside Look event on Iran.
As we look ahead to the 25th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of Compact signatories while recognizing the hard work that remains. We continue to stand united and committed to redouble our efforts to protect and advance women’s rights globally.
2025 Initial Key Dates and Events:
February: Online Self-Reporting Portal opens for 2025 signatory reporting.
March: 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Please complete this form to let us know if you will be attending or hosting an event.
April: Online Self-Reporting Portal closes.
September: Launch of the WPS-HA Compact 2025 Accountability Report.