Together with men, women have always been essential to fostering and sustaining peaceful, stable, and free societies. When women from war afflicted societies stepped forward to help rebuild their countries at the turn of the last millennium, the UN Security Council saw an opportunity to forge better peace deals in the future by including the wisdom and insight these women provided. Since 2000, the Council has debated the “WPS agenda.”

What was meant to be a forum for including women in peace processes and protecting them from sexual violence in conflict has at times become contentious. While some nations seek to preserve national sovereignty and the dignity of women in the family, more progressive nations have sought to insert gender ideology and create policies that ignore the natural and complementary nature of human relationships. The United States has been on both sides of these debates. ACWPS seeks a consistent U.S. policy that fosters human flourishing by protecting women’s role in the family, community, and society.

Even small investments in education and economic empowerment for women pays significant dividends for a country’s prosperity. This is a key reason why women’s advancement long has been a component of the U.S. diplomatic and development operational approach. U.S. lawmakers recognized this when they passed the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, signed by President Donald Trump. The purpose of the law is as simple as it is challenging:

“To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation of women in mediation and negotiation processes seeking to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.”

No matter what the legal and policy landscape, valiant women will persevere in peacebuilding. We work for U.S. foreign policy that supports and does not harm their efforts.