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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Minister Berro-Amadeï,

Ambassador,

Dear participants,

It is a great pleasure to be here today, as we come together to talk about a reality we are facing now.

In 2026, the planet is covered in conflict.

Thousands are being killed and wounded.

Homes, hospitals, schools: destroyed.

Crops are failing, prices are rising, and economies are in freefall.

Funds that could be spent on education, healthcare and environmental management are eaten up paying for arms.

And the fighting shows no signs of ending.

I do not want to destroy the mood this morning, but this is what we are facing.

***

It begs the question:

Is there anything more important now — anything at all — than forging lasting peace?

In Ukraine — in Iran — in Gaza — in Sudan. I could make a long list.

In any of the more than one hundred and thirty armed conflicts taking place around the world.

From internal clashes to full-blown wars of aggression, like the one Russia is waging in Ukraine. With no end in sight.

***

But there are still so many barriers to peace, in Ukraine and elsewhere.

And one of them is the exclusion of women from the peace process.

In so many negotiations, women — half of the population — are restricted from contributing to crucial decisions.

As we know, the average number of women in legislative seats throughout the world is fewer than one in three.

Some countries have none at all.

***

But, even in countries where women make up half the members of parliament, some roles seem to be off limits. It is not just a question of the number; it is much more than this.

Do you know how many women currently hold the position of defence minister in the whole world? Seven.

Just seven women are ministers of defence, in the world.

In the G7, the answer is one.

I mention this because when it comes to peace processes, in nine out of ten, there is not a single woman at the table.

We are negatively impressed. It has changed a lot in the last years, but it is not going in the right direction.

***

What can we say?

This is unacceptable.

Not only because it is not fair.

But because it is not working.

It is not working for anyone — and it is having horrific consequences on women.

We are in 2026 now, but I just want to mention that in 2024 alone, more than 60 million women and girls were forced to flee their homes because of war.

Conflict-related sexual violence is increasing, and worldwide, women and girls are nearly always the victims.

***

I could talk about loss of facilities and safe space. About lack of food and health supplies. About women and children dying of cold and hunger and avoidable diseases.

But I will stop, because we know all this.

And we know that societies are stronger when women are in positions of leadership.

And that democracy suffers when women are denied full participation.

***

So what does this mean for us, not only this morning, but in general? Gender equality is an indicator of democratic security. We can make a link between gender equality and democratic security. And democratic security is the foundation of peace.

Yet, here in Europe and around the world, women remain largely absent from decisions about our security, as mentioned before.

***

At the Council of Europe, we believe that this is both dangerous and short-sighted.

The common legal space we have built over the past 70 years through the European Court of Human Rights has brought peace and stability to nations torn apart by conflict.

We have seen it in Northern Ireland with the Good Friday Agreement, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Dayton Agreement. Both agreements grounded in the European Convention on Human Rights. We have the tools.

The same is true for Ukraine, where the Council of Europe is laying the foundations for a just and lasting peace — and for recovery, reconstruction and a resilient future.

***

Those foundations must include women’s empowerment as part of this crucial process.

We all lose when women are excluded, anywhere, and from any part of our democracies.

That is why advancing gender equality should never be seen as a women’s issue.

It is everyone’s issue, just like peace itself.

And women should be involved at every level of negotiation, decision-making and peacebuilding.

***

It is not only the message, it is about what the next steps are to reach this goal. The barriers to women’s participation must come down.

So that the next conference can be called:

Forging lasting peace: dismantling barriers to conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

So we can get on with ending war and shaping a new and better future.

In this sense, I am very pleased that you are here in Strasbourg today, and I wish you a very productive meeting.
Thank you.