This week, MAG joined UN Women and the European External Action Service (EEAS) for a joint exhibition marking 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Hosted at the EEAS headquarters in Brussels, the exhibition was inaugurated by Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Through striking images, stories, and testimonies, the exhibition highlights the women who bring the agenda to life every day – those leading mediation efforts, preventing violence, supporting survivors, and strengthening the resilience of their communities.
Credit: The European Union
The exhibition showcases that Women, Peace and Security is not just a framework – it is a living commitment that continues to drive real and lasting change.
Adopted in 2000, the agenda was a landmark resolution recognising both the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls and the indispensable role of women’s leadership in building peace.
Today, as the international community marks its 25th anniversary, this milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on progress made, address persistent gaps, and reaffirm global commitments to inclusive peacebuilding.
During the event, Vice President Kallas underscored the importance and urgency of women’s leadership in building and sustaining peace, stating: “If women are not there in prevention, in response, in reconstruction, if women are not leading the work, we have to ask if the objective is really peace… There is one thing we know for sure. There is no security, no lasting peace without women as active participants in the process.”
Across the world – and in every country where MAG works – women play a critical role in helping communities recover and rebuild after war. They are peacebuilders, decision-makers, wage-earners, and caregivers.
In 2024, MAG launched the Female Lens project, highlighting the vital role that women play in our mission to save lives, ease suffering, and enable sustainable development so that people can live with dignity and choice, free from fear.
Five renowned women photographers from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia collaborated with MAG to document the experiences of our female staff and the role of women in rebuilding communities after conflict in Cambodia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
Photographer Maryam Ashrafi (pictured below), who spent time with our staff in Sri Lanka documenting their stories and daily work on the frontlines of mine action, also attended the exhibition’s opening night in Brussels, where she presented her photographs to Vice President Kallas and other attendees.
Credit: The European Union
During the inauguration, participants also heard from Ambassador for Equality in the European Diplomatic Service Aude Maio-Coliche and Kirsi Madi, Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships at UN Women, who underscored the continuing importance of implementing the WPS agenda across all areas of peace and security: “When women lead, peace follows.”
MAG extends its sincere thanks to the EEAS and UN Women for the opportunity to showcase the work of our colleagues, and to the photographers behind the Female Lens project for bringing these stories to life.
Explore the full exhibition online here.
Header image credit: The European Union
