Global Call to Action: Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace

Women's Days for a Culture of Peace, SDG5, Women
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Why We Need Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace

The Crisis: Aid Cuts Hit Global Development

The world faces a development funding crisis. International aid from official donors fell in 2024 by 7.1% in real terms compared to 2023, the first drop after five years of consecutive growth. This decline comes at a critical time when humanitarian needs are escalating worldwide.

Through 2024, a number of donors announced intentions to reduce future ODA — the significant donors Germany, the UK, France and Canada, along with smaller donors the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and Finland. These cuts threaten decades of progress in gender equality and peacebuilding efforts.

Meanwhile, global military spending tells a different story. World military expenditure reached $2718 billion in 2024, an increase of 9.4 per cent in real terms from 2023 and the steepest year-on-year rise since at least the end of the cold war. This stark contrast highlights misplaced priorities in global resource allocation.

The Impact: Women’s Organizations Face Extinction

The consequences of aid cuts are devastating for women’s organizations worldwide. According to a UN Women report released in May 2025, the situation has reached a breaking point.

The survey reveals alarming statistics about women’s organizations in humanitarian crises:

  • 47% may shut down within six months if current funding levels persist
  • 90% are being pushed to a breaking point due to funding shortfalls
  • 51% have already suspended programs, including support for gender-based violence survivors
  • 72% have been forced to lay off staff at significant levels

These organizations provide critical services. They offer protection, healthcare, livelihoods support, and multi-purpose cash assistance. Their closure would leave vulnerable women without essential resources during crises.

Furthermore, many suspended programs specifically support survivors of gender-based violence. This creates dangerous protection gaps precisely when women need help most. The timing could not be worse for global stability and peace.

Women, Peace, and Security Under Threat

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda faces its greatest funding challenge in 15 years. Despite overwhelming evidence of women’s positive impact on conflict prevention and peace processes, resources remain scarce.

Research consistently shows that women’s participation strengthens peace agreements. Countries with higher gender equality experience fewer conflicts. Women’s leadership in peacebuilding creates more sustainable outcomes. Yet funding fails to match these proven benefits.

The UN Women analysis highlights a persistent problem. A striking disparity exists between policy commitments to gender equality and actual financial allocations. Governments pledge support, but fail to provide adequate resources for implementation.

This funding gap undermines the entire WPS framework. Without proper investment, women cannot fully participate in peace processes. Their voices remain marginalized in critical decisions affecting their communities and futures.

The Numbers Tell the Story

The funding disparity becomes clearer when comparing different sectors. The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) found that the combined budget of the global feminist movement was merely $106 million in 2013. This supported 740 women’s organizations worldwide.

To put this in perspective, a single F-35 fighter jet costs approximately $156 million today. The acquisition cost for each F-35 had nearly doubled, from $81 million to $156 million by 2010, and costs have continued rising since then.

The entire global feminist movement’s budget was less than the cost of one military aircraft. This comparison highlights the severe underfunding of women’s rights work globally.

Meanwhile, world military expenditure rose to $2718 billion in 2024, meaning that spending has increased every year for a full decade, going up by 37 per cent between 2015 and 2024. Defense spending grows while development aid shrinks.

Arms vs. Aid: A Critical Comparison

The contrast between military and development spending reveals troubling priorities. The US remains the world’s largest defense spender, outlaying $916 billion last year, a 2.3 percent annual increase. This single country’s military budget exceeds total global development aid by more than four times.

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is the Department of Defense’s most ambitious weapons program with costs exceeding $2 trillion over several decades. This amount could fund women’s organizations globally for centuries at current funding levels.

European countries follow similar patterns. They announce aid cuts while increasing defense budgets. These decisions reflect political priorities that favor military solutions over preventive approaches to conflict.

Such resource allocation ignores evidence about effective conflict prevention. Investing in women’s leadership and gender equality prevents conflicts more cost-effectively than military interventions after violence erupts.

The Urgent Need for Action

These trends create an urgent need for Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace. Traditional approaches to international relations are failing. Military spending increases while humanitarian needs grow unmet.

The initiative offers an alternative framework. It highlights women’s contributions to peace and security throughout the year. Rather than relying on military force, it promotes prevention through gender equality and social justice.

Each of the 193 national Women’s Days can showcase effective alternatives to militarization. Countries can demonstrate how investing in women creates more security than purchasing weapons. They can share successful models of conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

The campaign also creates advocacy opportunities. Citizens can compare their government’s military spending with aid budgets. They can demand greater investment in women’s organizations and peace programs.

Moreover, the initiative builds international solidarity. Countries facing similar challenges can share strategies and resources. They can coordinate responses to funding cuts and develop alternative financing mechanisms.

Beyond Crisis: Building Sustainable Change

Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace addresses both immediate crises and long-term structural problems. The current aid cuts represent symptoms of deeper issues in international cooperation and resource allocation.

The initiative promotes systemic change by reframing security concepts. True security comes from social justice, not military dominance. Sustainable peace requires gender equality, not weapon stockpiles.

Each national Women’s Day can challenge conventional security thinking. Countries can explore how women’s leadership prevents conflicts and builds resilient communities. They can examine connections between gender equality and sustainable development.

The framework also creates space for innovative financing approaches. Countries can develop new models for supporting women’s organizations. They can explore partnerships between public and private sectors to ensure sustainable funding.

Furthermore, the initiative can influence policy debates. Regular focus on women’s contributions to peace can shift public discourse away from militaristic approaches toward collaborative solutions.

Looking Forward

The path ahead requires fundamental shifts in global priorities. Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace offers a framework for these necessary changes.

First, the initiative must document and publicize the stark contrasts between military and development spending. Citizens need clear information about how their governments allocate resources between warfare and welfare.

Second, the campaign should highlight successful examples of women’s contributions to peace and security. These stories can counter narratives that emphasize military solutions over preventive approaches.

Third, each national Women’s Day should include concrete advocacy targets. Countries can set specific goals for increasing aid to women’s organizations while reducing military expenditures.

Fourth, the initiative needs to build coalations across different sectors. Peace organizations, women’s rights groups, and development agencies must coordinate their advocacy efforts for maximum impact.

Fifth, the framework should promote innovative financing mechanisms. Countries can explore new ways to ensure sustainable funding for women’s organizations and peace programs.

Finally, Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace must connect local actions with global movements. Individual countries’ efforts gain strength through international solidarity and shared learning.

The current crisis in development funding creates an opportunity for transformation. Aid cuts and military spending increases demonstrate the failure of current approaches to global security.

Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace offers an alternative vision. It prioritizes prevention over reaction, collaboration over competition, and justice over domination. Most importantly, it places women’s leadership at the center of efforts to build a more peaceful world.

The choice is clear. We can continue funding weapons while cutting aid to those who build peace. Or we can invest in women’s organizations and create the foundation for lasting security.

The time for change is now. Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace provides the framework. The question remains whether world leaders will choose peace over profit, cooperation over conflict, and hope over fear.

Sources and Further Information

For comprehensive data on military expenditure and development assistance trends, visit the SIPRI and OECD databases respectively.

Calendar of Women’s Days

Explore 193 national Women’s Days highlighting gender equality, peacebuilding, and women’s rights across all UN countries.