Over two weeks in February, representatives from SecurityWomen were pleased to participate in United Nations consultations for the Summit of the Future. The Peace and Security thematic group gathered proposals from international civil society organisations and facilitated an idea exchange via online video discussions and email dialogues. SecurityWomen advocated for improved participation of, and working standards for, women in military service roles in peacekeeping operations. Outputs of the consultations informed the Global Futures Forum in March 2023 and will ultimately feed into high level discussions at the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

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The upcoming Summit of the Future: multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow is billed as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges”. The summit is a key pledge of the United Nations Secretary General’s 2021 report, Our Common Agenda, which set out to examine and strengthen implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The General Assembly approved the summit in Resolution A/RES/76/307  and it is set to be held in September 2024. Intended outcomes will include a Pact for the Future and the creation of a new UN Special Envoy for Future Generations. The Secretary General’s “New Agenda for Peace” is being developed concurrently with preparations for the summit and will pledge greater investment in peacebuilding, support for conflict prevention, strengthening risk mitigation for nuclear and cyber warfare, and new thinking on security in space. 

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In preparation for the summit, the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) organised online consultations which took place between 15th and 28th February 2023. These were coordinated in seven thematic groups:

• Global Economic & Financial Architecture, 
• Human Rights & Participation,
• Development (HLPF, SDGs), 
• Global Digital Compact,
• Environmental Governance, 
• Peace and Security, 
• UN & Global Governance Innovation.

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SecurityWomen was pleased to participate in the Peace and Security strand of consultations in which a large volume of proposals were submitted and discussed via email and remote video conferencing. Much of the discussion culminated around proposals for a UN Emergency Peace Force or Unarmed Observer Corps; something which has been highlighted as a key proposal in the consultation report with the hope of influencing discussions at the summit. Another key proposal winning widespread support among the consultation participants involved the establishment of three alternative “security” councils focusing on Peacebuilding, Climate Security and Health Security. The Peace and Security Consultation process is summarised in the final report accessible here and the full list of proposals by civil society contributors can be viewed here . 

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While a few proposals did account for gender factors in peace and security, there was an overall under-representation of women’s perspectives, needs and contribution; an oversight which SecurityWomen made sure to highlight in feedback to the consultation facilitators. SecurityWomen’s response to the consultations as a whole advocated for the inclusion in the final report of the benefits of gender equality for democracy, peace and security everywhere. 

Outcomes of the consultations will be represented in the People’s Pact for the Future report (forthcoming). This report will complement the official Pact for the Future, a primary output of the 2024 Summit. Join us on our journey and read updates here on the website or on our social media platforms.