Women must be involved in peace talks, says UN chief

MEN must stop excluding women from peace talks around the world, António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said yesterday, warning that in conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the situation is actually “going backwards”.

The lack of female representation in negotiations from Ukraine to Afghanistan, Myanmar and Mali shows “how enduring power imbalances and patriarchy are continuing to fail us,” Mr Guterres told the UN Security Council.

He noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of women and children to flee. Those staying behind were “at the forefront of healthcare and social support”, said Mr Guterres. Their perspectives were “critical to understanding conflict dynamics”, he added, making their participation “essential for resolving conflicts”.