For many Indigenous Peoples, land means far more than territory or economic resource. It is identity, memory, culture, spirituality, and community. This understanding shaped discussions throughout the 2026 session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where more than 1,000 Indigenous leaders, Member States, UN entities, and experts together at UN Headquarters. During the discussions, a consistent message emerged: when Indigenous Peoples are excluded from decisions affecting their land, resources and governance, grievances deepen and instability can follow. When Indigenous Peoples are recognized as partners and rights‑holders, pathways for prevention and sustainable peace become stronger.

Held under the theme “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict,” the Forum underscored how health, land, culture, self‑determination and peace are inseparable. Speakers from different regions and contexts highlighted how structural exclusion, extractive governance and the erosion of Indigenous institutions remain key drivers of grievance and instability. Closing the persistent gap between international commitments and concrete implementation emerged as a priority.

In its participation, DPPA aimed to enhance the understanding of the conflict trends affecting Indigenous Peoples and the UN contribution to addressing those challenges and seizing the opportunities that may emerge. As co‑chair of the Inter‑Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues (IASG), alongside DESA, DPPA supported UN system‑wide coherence through a closed dialogue with members of the Permanent Forum. DPPA also contributed to discussions marking the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, reaffirming the importance of accountability, monitoring and early warning in contexts where Indigenous rights are under pressure. Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific Khaled Khiari highlighted that peace, as long recognized by Indigenous Peoples, is holistic — rooted in rights, justice, self‑determination, cultural integrity and sustainable relationships with land and resources.

Inclusive Governance and the Global Energy Transition

DPPA, together with Australia, Norway, and OHCHR, co‑organized a thematic side event of the Permanent Forum on “Inclusive Governance: Mineral Demands and Indigenous Peoples” to discuss how the accelerating global demand for critical minerals intersects with Indigenous rights, governance, and peace. Over half of the world’s critical mineral reserves are located on or near Indigenous lands. Speakers explored the opportunities and the risks posed by mineral extraction in connection with the global energy transition.

Panelists emphasized that Indigenous relationships to land extend far beyond economic value. Land is inseparable from identity, spirituality, intergenerational responsibility, and collective wellbeing. Ignoring these dimensions has repeatedly led to social unrest, environmental harm, and long‑term grievances — undermining not only rights, but also the credibility of the energy transition itself.

Speakers called for the meaningful implementation of the principle of free, prior and informed consent; full adherence to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and stronger accountability frameworks that ensure Indigenous participation in decision‑making — not as an afterthought, but from the outset. Equitable benefit‑sharing, recognition of Indigenous governance systems and protection of human rights defenders were framed as core stability measures, not optional safeguards.

The event underscored that inclusive governance is not a break on development. When Indigenous Peoples are engaged as partners, projects gain legitimacy, risks are reduced and outcomes are more durable.

From Recognition to Action

Beyond the official Forum, DPPA also engaged with Indigenous leaders and experts at the Second Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding, where participants highlighted Indigenous‑led approaches grounded in consensus, restorative justice, stewardship of land and community cohesion. The Permanent Forum took note of these discussions and called on the United Nations to consider proclaiming an International Decade on Indigenous Peoples’ Peacebuilding — a proposal that reflects growing momentum to systematically elevate Indigenous contributions to prevention and peace.

“The path forward is clear,” said Laura Flores, Director for the Americas Division in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO). “Prevention begins long before conflict erupts, and it begins with inclusion. We call on our partners to move from rhetoric to action by implementing the principle of free, prior and informed consent, embedding Indigenous institutions in governance, protecting land and defenders, and ensuring Indigenous Peoples shape the decisions that affect their futures.”

Ms. Flores added that at DPPA, “we are committed to turning these commitments into action.” , in partnership with UN entities, Member States and Indigenous Peoples. “Sustainable peace in Indigenous lands and territories will not be built around Indigenous Peoples, but with them,” she said.

When an independent Facilitator began work with the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) in February 2026, it marked a pivotal step in a peace process decades in the making. It also illustrated a powerful lesson for peace efforts globally: traditional UN instruments, when combined with innovative and locally rooted approaches, can sustain political processes during critical moments.

This is occurring as the Bougainville peace process approaches a decisive milestone — submission of the outcome of the 2019 referendum on Bougainville’s future political status to the National Parliament in 2026.

At a time of multiplying global crises, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo has repeatedly emphasized one core truth: sustained political and financial investment is indispensable for advancing peace. In Papua New Guinea, this principle has guided a uniquely adaptive and collaborative UN engagement.

A Peace Process Anchored in History

The Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), signed in 2001, ended one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Pacific region. Over ten years of civil war resulted in the deaths of approximately 20,000 people — around 10 percent of the population. The BPA not only halted fighting; it created a political roadmap that committed both sides to dialogue, power‑sharing, weapons disposal, and eventually a referendum to determine Bougainville’s future.

That referendum was held in 2019, resulting in 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voting for independence. As stipulated in the BPA and the national constitution, the result requires consultation between the two governments before being submitted to PNG’s Parliament.

To maintain momentum and structure the next steps, the parties — with the support of an independent Moderator — signed the Melanesian Agreement in June 2025. Implementation of this agreement now forms the backbone of ongoing negotiations.

The UN’s Enduring Role: A Trusted Partner in Peace

The UN’s involvement in Bougainville spans more than 25 years. From the United Nations Observer Mission in Bougainville (1998–2005) to today’s political accompaniment, the UN has remained a trusted, neutral actor.

The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) supports the political process through three complementary tracks:

• Strategic engagement from DPPA headquarters and its Asia-Pacific Division;
• A DPPA Liaison Officer based in Bougainville, closely collaborating with both parties, the UN system locally and the Independent Facilitator, and
• Targeted expertise from DPPA’s Mediation Support Unit (MSU), deployed periodically depending on needs on the ground.

Together, these tracks form a unified architecture that supports political dialogue, builds confidence, and keeps communication channels open.

“By combining innovative local approaches with trusted UN instruments, we have helped the parties move forward under the Melanesian Agreement, ensuring that peace remains both inclusive and resilient,” according to UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard.

Innovation at a Moment of Impasse

In 2023, dialogue between the parties stalled. Tensions resurfaced, and consultations were paused.

Recognizing the risk, DPPA partnered with the RC to conduct a listening tour to understand the barriers and identify solutions rooted in local political realities.

One idea resonated strongly: the appointment of an independent Moderator, supported by the UN yet selected jointly by the parties. This model struck a crucial balance — injecting new momentum into the process without compromising national ownership.

Appointed in 2024, the Moderator successfully re‑opened dialogue and helped shepherd the signing of the Melanesian Agreement, which contains key principles that reflect a commitment to a close, peaceful, and enduring relationship.

His term created a foundation upon which the newly appointed independent Facilitator could build when he assumed his role in February 2026 in supporting the two governments in implementing the Melanesian Agreement.

This approach — pairing traditional UN support with innovative, localized mechanisms — has now become a defining feature of UN engagement in PNG.

A High-Level Boost: The Secretary-General’s Visit

Another critical moment came with the Secretary-General’s historic visit to Papua New Guinea in September 2025. His meeting with the Prime Minister of PNG and the President of the ABG signaled high‑level global support for the peace process.

He praised Papua New Guinea’s deep commitment to dialogue, describing the country as home to “champions of multilateralism” and highlighting its remarkable linguistic and cultural diversity — more than 800 languages — as a foundation for peaceful problem‑solving.

The visit reinvigorated political will at a critical time, reaffirmed the UN’s ongoing commitment to the process, and catalyzed engagement from regional and international partners.

Financing Peace: The Critical Role of the PBF and One UN Fund

Behind the scenes, the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) has been a quiet enabler of the peace process since 2017. Its flexible, conflict‑sensitive approach allowed the UN to support intergovernmental dialogue during post-referendum consultations; expand participation of women and youth, and build local partnerships that attracted additional donors.

Most importantly, PBF investments informed the design of the UN Package of Support, which now underpins the work of the Independent Facilitator, provides technical expertise, and maintains sustained UN accompaniment.

Today, the UN Package of Support is funded through the One UN Fund, building on the foundation created by the PBF. By pooling donor contributions, the One UN Fund provides continuity, accountability, and the ability to scale up support when needed — all essential at this sensitive stage.

A Blueprint for Sustained Peace

As the Bougainville peace process enters a decisive phase in 2026, its success rests on a careful balance of traditional UN tools — political accompaniment, peacebuilding financing, technical mediation expertise — and locally grounded innovations, including independent facilitation, flexible support packages and regional engagement mechanisms.

This strategic blend has helped maintain political dialogue, reinforce trust, and ensure that both parties remain committed to a peaceful, negotiated outcome.

In the words of the Secretary-General: “The Bougainville Peace Agreement has shown the world the path of healing — through dialogue, perseverance, and mutual respect.”

Twenty-five years after the signing of the BPA, this path continues — supported by sustained investment, creative partnerships, and the quiet but essential work of blending tradition with innovation in the service of peace.

I n 2025, the Security Council, the United Nations principal organ with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, continued to discharge its mandate while registering notable shifts in its working methods and decision-making trends.

The Council met formally 255 times and hosted 115 informal consultations, marking a 16 percent decrease in meetings compared to 2024. The Council also held 14 high-level meetings, down from 23 in 2024. Trends in the use of less formal meeting formats by Council members also changed in 2025, with 13 Arria-formula meetings being held — the lowest number since 2016 — combined with a four-fold increase (from two in 2024 to eight in 2025) of informal interactive dialogues, an informal closed-door format mainly used for discussions with key stakeholders on the ground.

With regard to decision-making, in 2025, the Council adopted 44 resolutions, slightly below the 46 adopted in 2024, continuing the decline observed since 2020. The rate of unanimous adoptions fell from 65 percent in 2024 to 61 percent in 2025, and further below the 80 percent average during the previous decade (2015–2024). While the draft resolutions which were not adopted pertained to the situation in Gaza, Ukraine and the Iranian nuclear programme, non-unanimous adoptions occurred on a range of files before the Council, including regarding the renewal of sanctions and the mandates of peace operations.

The number of briefers invited to Council formal meetings also decreased compared to the previous year, broadly proportionate to the 16 percent decline in the number of meetings. Specifically, there were 376 rule 39 invitees in 2025, down from 464 in 2024 (a 19 percent decrease) Notably, the number of invitees from what are classified in the Highlights Paper as “other entities” (which includes civil society) decreased by almost 40 percent. Women represented 43 percent of rule 39 participants, a decrease from 49 percent in 2024.

While the publication does not express any opinion on the trends in the Security Council amid a particularly challenging global political environment, the Highlights provide a breakdown of Council activity that can help policymakers, researchers and analysts studying trends in international relations. “The responsibility of the Secretariat is to provide Member States with as much information as possible in a timely, efficient and user-friendly manner. This enables them to make their own assessments and take decisions. In that sense, the Highlights of Security Council Practice, now in its fifteenth iteration, has become an important component of the Secretariat’s work upon which Member States, as well as analysts and practitioners of the Council continue to rely”, said Claudia Banz, Director of the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD).

On the thematic and country-specific meetings, the Council’s maintained its longstanding focus on the Middle East and Africa, which together accounted for nearly 75 percent of country-specific meetings. Thematic items represented 32 percent of the meetings, with sustained focus on files falling under the ‘Maintenance of international peace and security’ and ‘Threats to international peace and security’ agendas. Council members have been increasingly using these two thematic items to discuss country and region-specific situations and conflicts.

At the subsidiary body level, the Council adopted decisions concerning the mandate of eight peacekeeping operations and five special political missions and adopted decisions concerning eight sanctions-monitoring mechanisms. In addition, the number of meetings of subsidiary bodies decreased from 135 in 2024 to 76 in 2025, owing mainly to the relatively late appointment of the chairs of those bodies (on 29 May 2025).

Also in 2025, the Council undertook two missions, namely, to the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa and to Syria and Lebanon.

The full 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice provides a deeper look at these developments, enriched with charts, data visualizations and analytical insights and is now available on the SCAD website. The Highlights is just one of multiple online research tools available on the website, covering the full breadth of the Council’s substantive and procedural practice.

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Published every year since 2011 by the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD), the Highlights Paper offers a snapshot of the most significant procedural and constitutional developments relating to the activities of the Council and its subsidiary bodies over the past year. It is part of SCAD’s larger commitment to bringing innovation to the Council’s functioning in line with the goals of the Secretary-General’s Data and New Technologies Strategies and making available a wealth of data and information concerning the work of the Council on a wide range of issues including its past and current practice, working methods, sanctions measures and bodies, mandates of existing peacekeeping and special political missions as well as on the current and upcoming programme of work of the Council on its website. SCAD also regularly prepares analytical information relating to the Council’s work.

Indigenous Peoples — around 476 million across 90 countries — are among the planet’s fiercest biodiversity guardians. And many live on the frontlines of conflict: 80 percent of armed conflicts globally are unfolding in biodiversity-rich hotspots. Indigenous women in particular bear the brunt of these overlapping crises, even as they lead the way in advancing climate and peace initiatives.

Against this backdrop, DPPA, UN Women, the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — supported by the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace — brought together Indigenous women leaders on 19 November 2025, at the COP30 joint Pavilion of IOM and the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The session spotlighted the powerful nexus between Indigenous women’s leadership, climate action and peace, aligning with COP30 Goals 6 and 19 and SDGs 5, 13 and 16.

Binalakshmi Nepram, Indigenous Scholar and Peace builder and Founder-Director of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network & President, Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace and moderator of the event, opened the discussion with a clear message: Indigenous women remain excluded from global climate and peace decision-making, even though they are essential to solutions. She highlighted the role of the Global Network of Indigenous Peacebuilders in amplifying their voices.

Speakers from four continents shared powerful testimonies.

Maryanne Rimbao, founder and director of Humanity and Nature Indigenous Women’s Association of Papua New Guinea (PNG), described how her country is experiencing rising sea levels, landslides and climate-induced displacement. She highlighted how Indigenous women mediate conflicts and protect communities despite cultural stigma and ongoing risks.

Tarcila Zea Rivera, an Indigenous woman from Peru and director of the Center for Indigenous Cultures of Peru, CHIRAPAQ, explained how extreme heat and other climate impacts threaten food security in forest and Andean communities, stressing that peace requires understanding ecosystems, embracing intercultural knowledge and respecting Indigenous knowledge.

Nohora Alejandra Quiguantar, Indigenous youth leader and environmental human rights defender from Colombia, illustrated how Indigenous women are leading land recovery, forest restoration and community revitalization in areas affected by conflict and climate change. She added, though, that programs focusing on climate and women, peace and security remain insufficient.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues and founder of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad, described how droughts, floods and desertification in the Sahel drive conflict and insecurity, with Indigenous women disproportionately affected and lacking access to resources.

Across all interventions, a common theme emerged: only a fraction of bilateral aid in conflict settings targets gender equality, and funding for initiatives that link climate action with Women, Peace and Security is exceedingly rare. This gap severely limits the scale and impact of Indigenous women’s grassroots initiatives.

From the UN System, Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, emphasized that while Indigenous women are leading innovative environmental protection and conflict-prevention efforts, they face severe risks. She urged the global community to commit predictable, flexible, and accessible financing and protect Indigenous women’s rights and leadership. Tendai Kasinganeti, Climate, Peace and Security Advisor with the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU), underscored ongoing UN efforts to integrate climate related risks into peace and prevention work, with a focus on conflict-sensitive, inclusive approaches that empower Indigenous women.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Mateja Vodeb Ghosh, Head of Sector for Global Challenges at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, highlighted how her country linked women, peace and security with climate issues during its Security Council term (2024–2025) and the vital leadership of Indigenous women in these interconnected areas.

The session concluded with a united call: to recognize and support Indigenous women’s leadership in climate action, peacebuilding and environmental protection by reflecting their knowledge in global frameworks; to ensure their meaningful participation in climate and peace decision-making; to strengthen Indigenous-led platforms such as the 2026 Second Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding; and to increase funding for gender-responsive, Indigenous-led climate and peace initiatives.

By Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

W e are coming to the end of one of the most challenging years in the history of the United Nations. The catastrophic war between Israel and Hamas, the carnage in Sudan and the devastating fighting in Ukraine were only three of the acute crises the global community grappled with in 2025. Violent conflicts killed thousands of civilians around the world and led to widespread destruction of livelihoods and infrastructure. Global political divisions deepened, making international cooperation to promote peaceful resolution of conflict even more difficult. Compounding this dire situation, the United Nations — the body charged with bringing the world together to maintain peace and security — is facing a financial crisis that is constraining its capacity to respond.

As tough as the year has been, it has also served to confirm the need for sustained and adequate investment — political and financial — in peace efforts. The successful push to increase support for Haiti as it tackles widespread criminal violence that also threatens the region is a case in point. At times like these it is equally crucial to remember that peace is not only the absence of war, but that it is often built gradually, sometimes painstakingly, with gestures and actions big and small. As you’ll see in the stories and pieces we’ve compiled here, much of the world continues to look to the United Nations for support in creating or bolstering the institutions that prevent conflict, consolidate democracy and lay the ground for economic development. That is what we do in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) when we help countries hold inclusive elections or help competing groups settle differences at the negotiating table instead of the battlefield. We monitor global developments to keep the Security Council and the United Nations leadership informed and prepared to act to foster peace. We back up the work of the Council’s sanctions mechanisms. And we put the vast expertise and experience gathered over the last 80 years to work to help countries make the transition from violent turmoil to stability, including in many of our special political missions.

The international political environment is indeed difficult, but our commitment to supporting countries in their efforts to prevent and resolve conflict and build sustainable peace is undiminished. We look to the global community in turn to continue to back our work, politically and financially, to enable us to fulfill our important mandate.

Active Around the World

Here’s a quick look at some of our areas of work as covered in our online newsletter, Politically Speaking.

ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE

DPPA and the UN system provided electoral assistance to over 40 countries in 2025. In October, we looked at how this support aims to make elections worldwide peaceful, inclusive, and credible, always at the request of Member States and under national ownership. It highlights local examples — from Malawi to Liberia, Vanuatu, Ecuador, Jordan, and others — to show how assistance is adapted to each country’s needs, whether through strengthening electoral institutions, improving laws, supporting information integrity, or ensuring that women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups can participate fully. Demand for UN electoral support is growing, even as funding declines, and multiple UN entities coordinate this work as a cost effective investment in good governance and conflict prevention.

“Genuine elections that reflect the will of the people are not guaranteed. Gains can be reversed. Sustained commitment and investment are essential to ensure inclusion, protect electoral integrity and maintain public trust.”

SANCTIONS

UN sanctions have evolved from broad, country-wide measures to more targeted tools — such as arms embargoes, travel bans and asset freezes — aimed at specific individuals, groups or sectors that threaten international peace and security. Today, 14 sanctions regimes support conflict resolution, counter terrorism and non-proliferation, and are designed to work alongside diplomacy, mediation and peace operations rather than punish entire populations.

“Security Council sanctions can be broadly considered as measures strategically imposed to restrict activities in a wide range of areas, aimed at achieving peace and security objectives.”

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY

DPPA was a partner in the “Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace” photo exhibit, launched at the 2025 Photoville Festival. The exhibit showcases women as protagonists in making and keeping peace, challenging the stereotype of women as only victims of war.

“These images are more than art — they are a collective story of resilience, acts of resistance, and transformation.”

CONFLICT PREVENTION

Recent IMF research shows that well targeted macroeconomic policies can be a highly cost effective tool for preventing armed conflict. It is estimated that every $1 spent on prevention can yield returns of $26–$75 in countries without recent violence and up to $103 in countries emerging from conflict.

We looked at how DPPA and its Peacebuilding Support Office apply a “prevention lens” in practice, working with international financial institutions and governments to design and implement national prevention and peacebuilding plans, support youth empowerment and inclusion, and engage early in fragile contexts through diplomacy, mediation and local peacebuilding efforts.

“We found that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Indigenous Peoples, though disproportionately affected by climate risks and conflict, remain underrepresented in decision-making, even as they steward a large share of the world’s land and biodiversity. In 2025, we examined Indigenous-led, climate-informed peacebuilding, focusing on the shift from viewing Indigenous communities as vulnerable groups to recognizing them as key partners.

“Please don’t worry about us, just include us.”

Looking Back … and Ahead

The situation in five countries on the Security Council’s agenda — and monitored by DPPA — saw significant developments in 2025, reflecting, notably, the effects of a substantially changed geopolitical landscape.

Gaza continued to retain much of the Security Council’s attention during 2025. DPPA and UNSCO, the Jerusalem-based special political mission it oversees, briefed the Council regularly on the impact of the fighting in the territory and the need to reach a ceasefire, release the hostages and prisoners and allow the unimpeded delivery of aid into Gaza. In September, the United States, with Egypt and Qatar, brokered a ceasefire in Gaza, which was welcomed by the Secretary-General and later endorsed in October by the Council in resolution 2803. Briefing the Council in December, Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the ceasefire “remains fragile, as we have seen with continued attacks and strikes in Gaza.” He welcomed the “ongoing efforts by the mediators to avert further escalation, support implementation of current commitments — including the recovery and return of the last Israeli hostage — and to advance discussions on the next phase and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for Gaza, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.” UNSCO and DPPA continue to support the implementation of the ceasefire by supporting humanitarian efforts and providing expertise and advice on ceasefire implementation to pave the way toward a path to a political process and sustainable peace.

Amid broadly somber global political sentiment at the beginning 2025, there were some signs of hope, and none more prominent than the change of government in Syria after decades of repression and 14 years of a bloody conflict. As Bashar al-Assad fled Syria in December 2024, the Secretary-General said: “We will need the support of the international community to ensure that any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity.” Many countries lifted bilateral sanctions on Syria in 2025, and in November, the Security Council removed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Minister of Interior Anas Hasan Khattab from its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. In December 2025, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council that, “[o]ne year ago, the hope of millions of Syrians was realized when then President Assad fled the country.” She commended the people of Syria for the progress made since, “despite the undeniable and daunting challenges before them.” She added that the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, the special political mission for the country, continues to be fully engaged with the Government and Syrian society and provides them with good offices support on issues related to the transition, including transitional justice. The Office, with DPPA support, is seeking to be on the ground in Damascus to engage in a structured and supportive way throughout the transition.

In Sudan, however, there is no end in sight to the war. After nearly 1000 days of brutal fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country is in the grip of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Throughout 2025, UN leaders condemned the violence at the hands of both parties. In October, shortly after the fall of El Fasher to the RSF, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee warned: “The risk of mass atrocities, ethnically targeted violence and further violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence, remains alarmingly high across the country, and particularly in El Fasher.”

The situation is simply horrifying. In the past week, the UN Human Rights Office has documented widespread and serious human rights violations in and around El Fasher. These include credible reports of mass killings in various locations and summary executions during house-to-house searches and as civilians have tried to flee the city.

The conflict is being fanned by other countries in the region and farther afield. As Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Council in December, “The continued supply of weapons — increasingly sophisticated and deadly — remains a key driver of the conflict. Sudan is saturated with arms. Calls to end these flows have gone unheeded, and there has been no accountability. Moreover, the parties remain unwilling to compromise or de-escalate. While they were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population.”

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, is in contact with the warring parties to encourage them to engage in discussions on concrete and implementable measures to de-escalate violence and advance the protection of civilians in Sudan. Lamamra is also engaging closely with members of the Quad, composed of the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “Consistent coordination of peace efforts is essential to increase our collective impact,” Khiari said, adding that preparations are underway for the fifth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives. The next meeting is expected to be held in Cairo in early 2026.

The situation remained critical in Haiti in 2025, but there was also a significant breakthrough. The Security Council in September authorized the creation of a multinational, non-UN mission — the Gang Suppression Force — to counter the criminal groups terrorizing the population. The Council took on board several important recommendations by the Secretary-General to make increased security support for Haiti more effective, notably the establishment of a support office funded by the UN’s peacekeeping budget — UNSOH — to provide logistical and other backing to the GSF. Speaking to the Council in October, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the establishment of the GSF and UNSOH reflected “the continued engagement of the Security Council in supporting the restoration of security in Haiti. More importantly, it has generated a renewed sense of hope among Haitians.” He emphasized that improving the security situation is vital to support Haitian-led efforts to advance the political process and set the stage for elections to renew the country’s political institutions. The Special Representative heads BINUH, the UN’s special political mission in Haiti.

In Libya, too, there was progress in 2025 in preparation for future elections. Through its integrated electoral team, UNSMIL continued to provide technical and advisory support to the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) in the organization of municipal council elections across the country. Building on the successful polling conducted in November 2024, HNEC implemented a phased nationwide approach, with polling conducted in over one hundred municipalities in 2025 and additional local elections anticipated in 2026. In December, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced the launch of a key step in an initiative announced at the end of 2024 to help clear a path to national elections and unified institutions. On 14 and 15 December, over 120 Libyan personalities — representing key sovereign institutions, civil society actors, political parties, academia, cultural and linguistic components — took part in the inaugural session of the Structured Dialogue, a forum mandated to generate recommendations to, among others, create the conditions for credible elections, bring an end to successive transitional arrangements, advance economic and security sector reforms and support national reconciliation and human rights. The Structured Dialogue is an integral part of the political roadmap that UNSMIL is facilitating and that Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Hannah Tetteh presented to the Council in August. Addressing the Council in December, Tetteh, the head of UNSMIL, said “the country’s path to elections remains fraught with complications that are challenging, but we believe can be overcome.”

In February, as the expanded war in Ukraine hit the three-year mark after the full-scale Russian invasion, Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo underscored the need for a just and comprehensive peace, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and resolutions of the General Assembly. A month later, the Under-Secretary-General told the Council that it was meeting at a potential inflection point in the war amid intensified efforts to bring the parties to negotiations. However, despite cautious optimism around resumed diplomatic efforts, 2025 has been particularly deadly for Ukrainian civilians. In November, the Under-Secretary-General visited Ukraine to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people and reiterate the call for a just and lasting peace. In Ukraine and before the Council throughout 2025, the Under-Secretary-General and other senior DPPA officials consistently conveyed the UN’s readiness to support all meaningful efforts to achieve such a peace.

Working for Peace as Critical, and as Challenging, as Ever was originally published in We The Peoples on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I n Buluma Village, Malawi, Patuma, 82, woke at 4 a.m. to make her way to the Changamire Polling Centre to cast her vote in the country’s recent general elections. She hoped to elect a candidate who could bring down the price of fertilizer — a vital need for her family.

Across the globe, people head annually in great numbers to the ballot box — from remote villages to urban centres, from first-time voters to elders like Patuma. Each vote cast is a personal act of hope, trust and political participation — a symbolic yet tangible moment in democratic processes. Elections are among the largest peacetime mobilization efforts any country undergoes. They are also the moment when each individual citizen gets a meaningful say in the decisions that shape their lives.

In any given year close to one hundred countries might hold elections. Behind a number of these elections is the support of the United Nations. Working alongside national institutions and local partners, the UN system helps foster electoral processes that are peaceful, inclusive and credible — and has done so in over one hundred countries worldwide. At any given moment, more than 40 countries receive UN support — always at the request of the Member State or by mandate, and under national ownership. Most support is technical: strengthening electoral bodies, improving laws, furthering inclusion and providing operational assistance to ensure that every eligible citizen can take part.

A Global Effort Based on Local Context

In Malawi, where voters like Patuma took part in the recent general elections, the UN supported national efforts to strengthen electoral institutions, promote participation and help ensure that citizens had access to information.

But Malawi is just one example.

In Liberia, the UN helped reinforce electoral institutions. In Vanuatu, it assisted with organizing elections after a major earthquake. In Ecuador, the UN supported efforts to strengthen information integrity and civic engagement.

Support in each country looks different. In some contexts — such as the Central African Republic or Libya — assistance is multidimensional, part of UN peacekeeping or special political missions. In others, like Armenia, Panama or Timor-Leste, support has been more targeted. In every case, the approach is guided by national priorities and adapted to local contexts.

In countries without a UN peacekeeping or special political mission, UNDP plays a leading role as the UN system’s main provider of support — while also contributing to efforts in mission settings — helping strengthen institutions, sustain national capacities and forge partnerships.

As part of its support, the UN also works to make elections more inclusive — helping ensure that women, youth, persons with disabilities and other groups can take part in shaping their country’s political future.

Placing Women’s Participation at the Forefront

Around the world, women continue to face barriers to participation in elections — from discriminatory laws to online harassment. UN electoral assistance places inclusion at the centre of its work, helping ensure that women not only vote, but can also stand as candidates, lead electoral bodies and shape their communities’ futures.

In Jordan, the UN supported efforts to make elections more accessible for women and persons with disabilities. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Mozambique, hundreds of women benefited from UN-supported training and outreach initiatives. Through partnerships with regional organizations, the UN has helped bring together women electoral officials and supported training on women’s leadership and inclusion.

These efforts continue to reflect a simple but powerful idea: every voice — including women’s — should be heard and recognized.

Responding to Sustained Demand

As the Organization marks its 80th anniversary, demand for UN electoral assistance shows no sign of slowing. In the past two years alone, 43 Member States have formally requested electoral assistance — including several for the first time — a clear sign of continuing trust in the UN’s role and expertise.

The Secretary-General’s latest report on electoral assistance (A/80/277) takes stock of UN support over the last two years, noting that during this period 58 Member States and territories received some form of UN electoral support. That demand also reflects a broader recognition that credible elections require constant attention and commitment.

At the same time, the report notes that declining funding — particularly in non-mission settings — risks limiting the UN’s ability to respond. It underscores that UN electoral assistance remains a cost-effective investment in good governance and conflict prevention.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s message in her recent presentation of the report to the Third Committee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama A. Pobee said:

“Genuine elections that reflect the will of the people are not guaranteed. Gains can be reversed. Sustained commitment and investment are essential to ensure inclusion, protect electoral integrity and maintain public trust.”

The Many Hands of UN Assistance

Behind every election supported by the UN is a network of people — staff, experts, volunteers — who work with quiet dedication. Some work with national election commissions to train officials or support voter education; others help procure materials or move them across difficult terrain. Still others focus on fostering inclusion and helping enable a peaceful electoral environment.

This work is led and coordinated by the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the UN’s focal point for electoral assistance, supported by the Department’s Electoral Assistance Division. Across these system-wide efforts, DPPA, the Department of Peace Operations, UNDP, UN Women, OHCHR, UNOPS, UNESCO, UNV and others each contribute according to their mandates and areas of expertise. Together, these efforts give tangible meaning to the UN’s commitment to support Member States at their request.

From young voters to displaced communities, from national commissions to civil society, the UN continues to support elections — one vote, and millions of voices at a time. For voters like Patuma, the simple act of marking a ballot is a reminder that every vote counts.

One Vote, Millions of Voices: How the UN Continues to Support Elections Worldwide was originally published in We The Peoples on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

From Haiti and Yemen to Somalia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Security Council has used its authority to enact targeted sanctions, including travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes, against individuals or entities it deems a threat to international peace and security. These measures are more precise than the comprehensive sanctions imposed on entire nations during the latter part of the 20th century. Sanctions continue to change, largely in response to humanitarian concerns and questions of due process.

Today, there are 14 ongoing sanctions regimes in place. They support political settlement of conflicts in the Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. They aim to prevent escalating violence, insecurity, and criminal activities perpetrated by armed gangs in Haiti. They also seek to deter unconstitutional changes of government in Guinea Bissau. Additionally, they constrain the proliferation activities of the DPRK and the terrorist threats posted by ISIL (D’aesh) & Al-Qaida and Al-Shabaab. The Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD) in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is responsible for assisting the Council in the design, implementation and evaluation of these sanctions regimes. Each regime is administered by a sanctions committee chaired by an elected member of the Council. There are currently nine monitoring groups, teams and panels that support the work of 10 of the 14 sanctions committees.

Security Council sanctions can be broadly considered as measures strategically imposed to restrict activities in a wide range of areas, aimed at achieving peace and security objectives. They are not meant to be punitive an end in themselves, but to be part of a comprehensive strategy, working in tandem with political dialogue, mediation, peacekeeping and special political missions to counter terrorism, prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and facilitate political settlements in countries emerging from conflict. The most common sanctions measures are arms embargoes, asset freezes and travel bans while others include commodity bans, maritime interdiction and restrictions on technical assistance.

How sanctions work: coercion, constraint, and signalling

Sanctions are designed to achieve their intended objectives through three primary mechanisms: coercion — imposing economic or political costs on a target to compel a change in behaviour; constraint — limiting an individual or group’s ability to act by restricting access to particular resources; and signaling — sending a clear message that certain behaviour are inappropriate and may lead to further measures.

One oft-cited successful sanctions regime is the Liberia sanctions regime, established by resolution 1521 (2003), in which the Council established a Committee to oversee an arms embargo, travel ban and trade sanctions on Liberia. The sanctions, which included a ban on diamond imports from that country, was lifted by the Council in 2007, in response to the Government’s cooperation with a mechanism set up to keep “conflict diamonds” from reaching world markets. The travel ban and asset freeze measures were lifted in 2015, and the sanctions regime was terminated in 2016.

However, while UN sanctions remain key instruments for maintaining international peace and security, views differ among Member States about their effectiveness. Some view arms embargoes and financial sanctions as essential for curbing violence and enforcing peace deals, while others argue that prolonged sanctions become ineffective and have unintended humanitarian consequences on civilians.

The sanctions landscape today

In response to humanitarian concerns over sanctions, the Council adopted resolution 2664 (2022), which introduced a humanitarian “carve out” to asset freezes across all UN sanctions regimes. Through this “carve out”, the Council ensured that “the provision, processing or payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources or the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs” are not violations of UN sanctions. The text noted that this provision applied to all sanctions regimes equally, with the exception of 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions regime, which was initially covered for two years only. It has since been extended indefinitely through resolution 2761 (2024).

Prior to the adoption of resolution 2664, humanitarian organizations had to go through lengthy and often unclear administration processes to ensure compliance with sanctions regimes and to prove that aid gets to those in need without being diverted to sanctioned entities or individuals. The resolution has streamlined the process in most cases.

There have been other important developments in the UN sanctions landscape over the last few years. In October 2022, a new sanctions regime was established on Haiti. The sanctions regime on Mali was discontinued in August 2023 after the Council failed to reach an agreement on its renewal. On 28 March 2024, the Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the DPRK Sanctions Committee due to a veto cast by the Russian Federation. On 19 July 2024, the Council passed resolution 2744 (2024), which strengthened the mandate of the Focal Point for De-listing by establishing new and improved delisting procedures for all individuals and entities on UN sanctions lists, other than the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List which fall under the purview of the Office of the Ombudsperson for the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee itself. The text also established an Informal Working Group on general Security Council sanctions issues. On 30 July 2024, the Council, through resolution 2745 (2024), lifted the arms embargo on the Central African Republic while maintaining restrictions on the supply of arms and military assistance to armed groups. On 29 July of this year, the Council renewed those restrictions.

The Changing Face of UN Sanctions was originally published in We The Peoples on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

From land disputes in Guatemala to youth leadership in Colombia, Indigenous Peoples are leading efforts to resolve conflict and build sustainable peace in their communities. At a time of rising inequality and growing demand for natural resources, Indigenous rights and leadership is becoming ever more central to preventing conflict and restoring trust in fragile settings. Ahead of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August, the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) highlights how, together with its partners, it is working to support and amplify Indigenous-led peacebuilding efforts around the world.

Earlier this year, DPPA co-sponsored a high-level discussion titled “Indigenous Peacebuilding as a Pathway Towards Healing Peoples, for Peace & Planet” on the margins of the twenty-fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), which took place from 21 April to 2 May 2025. In her remarks, Awa Dabo, Deputy Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) highlighted the significance of the UN General Assembly resolution on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/79/455), adopted in December 2024. “Peacebuilding must honour and respect Indigenous governance and institutions, while upholding their right to full participation in political, economic, social, and cultural life,” she said. The resolution affirms that sustainable peace must be anchored in the recognition and protection of Indigenous rights, including meaningful participation in peace agreement negotiations, transitional justice, conflict resolution, and mediation efforts. The resolution also emphasizes the role of indigenous women in advancing inclusive peace and stresses the need to address historic injustices and strengthen Indigenous institutions as a foundation for long term reconciliation.

DPPA is helping turn these commitments into reality through a range of projects backed by the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).

In Colombia, War Child’s “Intercultural Mae Kiwe” project promotes the safe and meaningful participation of Afro-Descendant and Nasa youth in political and peacebuilding activities, focusing on the protection of their rights and integrating traditional practices into local peacebuilding efforts. In Guatemala’s Polochic Valley, a joint OHCHR and FAO initiative has trained 582 Qeqchi leaders from 10 communities, strengthening their capacity to manage agrarian conflicts and engage in land and food security governance. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a collaboration among FAO, UNHCR, and UNICEF has helped reduce the marginalization of the Indigenous Twa by securing legal land titles, supporting reconciliation ceremonies, and establishing community committees with significant Twa representation. In the Philippines, IOM, UNFPA, and UN Women are facilitating dialogue between minority non-Moro Indigenous Peoples and government taskforces, building their capacity for effective participation in peace processes.

These projects reflect a broader strategic shift: recognizing Indigenous Peoples not only as beneficiaries of peacebuilding but as active agents shaping it. The initiatives also illustrate how support from the Peacebuilding Fund is helping close the implementation gap between global norms — such as A/79/455 — and realities on the ground. During the event, Member States including Australia, Guatemala and Mexico shared national experiences and emphasized the importance of Indigenous peacebuilders, mediators and facilitators. “We must ensure the strengthening of the capacities and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples to enable their participation in all peace initiatives, negotiations, and mechanisms,” said Ambassador José Alberto Bríz Gutiérrez, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations. Participants, including Indigenous representatives, echoed these calls, advocating for continued DPPA support to ensure their communities have the resources, platforms and protection needed to contribute to peace.

Participants also underscored the need to respond to long-standing sources of tension affecting Indigenous communities. The UN Permanent Forum has warned that the unprecedented demand for critical minerals is intensifying tensions between extractive industries, authorities, and Indigenous communities whose lands are rich in these resources. As these tensions grow, genuine partnership with Indigenous Peoples will be key to preventing violence and fostering sustainable peace.

“The United Nations, Member States, Indigenous Peoples, all have to engage on the way forward to include and amplify Indigenous wisdom, knowledge and voices in multilateral peace efforts — in peace talks, mediation and reconciliation processes,” said Binalakshmi Nepram, founder of the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous peacemaker from Manipur. “This is about our shared humanity, and we thank DPPA for the valuable support and partnership.”

More than 200 women from across Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Region of Bougainville convened in Arawa, Papua New Guinea, on 7 May 2025 for the first-ever Bougainville Women, Peace and Security Summit.

The two-day summit aimed to advance women’s leadership, knowledge-sharing and collective action on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Bougainville’s. The Government of Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and women’s civil society organizations organized the summit with support from UN Women, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund.

Bougainville’s President, Ishmael Toroama, and UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard opened the summit. Its theme, “sustaining peace in Bougainville,” highlighted women’s critical role in Bougainville’s peace process, including in bringing an end to the conflict in 1997, negotiating the Bougainville Peace Agreement and building and sustaining peace across the region in the decades since its signing.

Participants engaged enthusiastically in women-led and moderated discussion on topics including law and order– particularly in relation to gender-based and domestic violence– conflict resolution, and the impact of climate change and resulting food insecurity. The summit also included an evening session on cyber-security, a valuable addition for entrepreneurial women developing small, climate-resilient businesses, utilizing social media and embracing online banking.

In addition to the summit, the UN also organized trainings for Bougainville women and youth human rights defenders, equipping them with advocacy and legal skills and tools to to strengthen grassroots human rights initiatives in their communities.

The National Council of Women, fully functional for the first time in six years, played a key role in representing women from across the country and one of the summit’s follow up actions is the convening of a national women, peace and security summit in the second half of 2025.

Bougainville’s Women, Peace and Security Summit, alongside the “Empower Her” Peacebuilding Fund project are part of a larger commitment by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the broader UN system to the Bougainville peace process and to prevention in Papua New Guinea.

The independent moderator for the Bougainville post-referendum peace process receives continuous political support from the DPPA Liaison Officer in collaboration with a process design expert from the Standby Team of Mediation Experts as well as the Resident Coordinator and UNDP.

“Over 100 participants traveled from both Papua New Guinea and across Bougainville to voice their perspectives and aspirations for gender-responsive development and to address shared challenges in achieving a peaceful future. Their voices carried the hopes of entire communities — and the determination to create lasting change,” said Stephen Liston, UN Liaison Officer, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

The Peacebuilding Fund has invested more than $35 million in the peace process since 2015, with recent commitments from partners including Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom ensuring ongoing support to the moderator.

From mid-2024, the UN’s PNG Country Fund and Peacebuilding Fund will commit an additional USD $18 million to a second phase of the Highlands Joint Programme on peacebuilding, gender-based violence and sorcery accusation-related violence, in addition to work on livelihoods and youth, peace and security.

Papua New Guinea’s recently adopted National Prevention Strategy, aligned with the Pact for the Future, and with close World Bank and UN collaboration, will provide an invaluable framework for Papua New Guinea’s commitment to peacebuilding in the years ahead.

The participants at the Bougainville Women, Peace and Security Summit emphasized the central role of women in this peacebuilding journey, calling for sustainable, inclusive development, safety and freedom, representation in decision-making, business opportunities and an equal stake in the future of Bougainville.

A Cambodian woman who grew up amid landmines now clears them as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon. A Sudanese civil society leader rallies displaced women to reclaim their voices in peacebuilding. Young activists from the divided communities of Cyprus foster dialogue and understanding in a deeply complex and long-standing conflict. These are just a few of the extraordinary stories captured in Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace, a striking photo exhibition that premiered on 7 June 2025 at Brooklyn Bridge Park as part of the Photoville Festival.

A joint initiative of the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), UN Women, the Elsie Initiative Fund, and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), in partnership with Photoville, the exhibit highlights the stories of women as leaders, negotiators, and protectors in conflict-affected societies — told through the lenses of women photographers from those very communities.

“Too often, women in conflict are portrayed only as victims,” said Natasha Lamoreux of UN Women. “But these photographs tell a different story. They show women as peacekeepers, negotiators, human rights defenders — leaders actively shaping peace.”

From Sudan to Cyprus, Haiti to Lebanon, the UN collaborated with local women photographers who not only document the lives of women but also share in their struggles, striving to build peace in their communities, which creates an intimate and powerful perspective.

“This exhibit is the culmination of months of partnership between the four organizing entities as well as between headquarters and field-based colleagues,” said Shatha Hussein from the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. “We worked on very difficult contexts and turbulent situations that are changing by the day. So working with women on the ground to amplify their efforts through this initiative was not easy in any of the contexts featured, but their commitment, despite the odds, made this possible.”

Preparing this exhibit has been a profound challenge — one that mirrors the obstacles women face daily in conflict zones. Intense fighting spiked early this year in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan as the photoshoots were being planned.

“These images are more than art — they are a collective story of resilience, acts of resistance, and transformation,” said Sophie Boudre of the UN Department of Peace Operations. “They declare that women’s rights must be protected, their leadership recognized, and their voices heard wherever peace is made.”

Rooted in the Women, Peace and Security agenda launched by UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the exhibit underscores both the critical roles women play in peacebuilding and the persistent challenges they face — including a rising global backlash against gender equality.

The Through Her Lens exhibit is on view through 22 June 2025 at Pier 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will also be shown at UN Headquarters in time for a Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security at the end of October. Importantly, the exhibit will travel to the regions featured in the photographs — bringing these powerful stories full circle.

To view the exhibit online, visit https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/exhibit/through-her-lens