WILPF Statement to the Preparatory Meeting of States on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management

The following is the WILPF Statement to the 2025 Preparatory Meeting of States on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, held under UN General Assembly auspices on 23-27 June 2025. The statement was delivered by Emma Bjertén, Reaching Critical Will of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

25 June 2025

Thank you Chair. 

I am speaking on behalf of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the world’s oldest global feminist peace organisation.

If we want to end armed conflict, gender-based violence and armed violence more broadly, conventional ammunition cannot be ignored. This is what WILPF, and many other civil society organisations have advocated for decades. We’ve seen how the flow and proliferation of weapons, parts of weapons and their ammunition––both legal and illegal – impact societies, undermines social justice and have different impacts depending on people’s age and gender. Through-life conventional ammunition management can prevent ammunition diversion and hinder ammunition to be used in committing sexual and gender-based violence, and intimate partner violence. It can also prevent the risks and help us address immediate and long-term consequences of unplanned explosions at munition sites, including gendered and environmental impacts.

Ammunition management is still a male-dominated and militarised field but as more civilian and diverse stakeholders are being engaged, we see increased opportunities for the participation of women in the field. Diverse participation can influence decision making and policies leading to more effective and improved outcomes - meaning safer societies for all.

As participants in this first meeting of a new global framework, member states have a rare opportunity and responsibility to set the direction and shape the future of these meetings to address the challenges ammunition cause in our societies, and to ensure that gender perspectives are at the core of this work. We specifically welcome objective 14 on strengthening gender mainstreaming and ensuring the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women, and objective 15 that encourages dialogue and strengthens the exchange of information and good practices with relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations and civil society.

Moving forward towards the implementation of the Global Framework on Ammunition we urge states to ensure that civil society, women’s groups and feminist organisations are invited to participate and contribute to future panels, briefings and expert meetings related to the work of the Global Framework on Ammunition.

We also urge states to recognise diversity in terms of all genders, moving beyond a socially prescribed men-women binary. Binary understanding of gender leaves vulnerable groups behind. This is important for states to consider not least in relation to Objective 13 on data collection and analysis that reflects the differential impacts of ammunition.

Thank you for your attention.

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