India, Nov. 9 -- As conflicts increase around the world, women must be made a part of the resolution mechanisms. Studies across regions show that women's participation in peace negotiations leads to better and more long-lasting outcomes, bringing different perspectives, empathy, and strategies to the table. Despite these findings, a 2024 United Nations (UN) report revealed that women made up only 7% of negotiators, with many peace talks taking place without any women's involvement. This glaring gap points to missed opportunities for more sustainable peace. The importance of women's participation and leadership in conflict prevention, resolution, peacebuilding, and recovery is an absolute necessity. Recognising this, the global community, led by efforts such as UN Security Council Resolution 1325, has promoted the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda for 25 years. Coinciding with this, 2025 marked the silver jubilee of Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) - whose work predates even the UN's WPS initiative. WISCOMP was a pioneer long before the international community began to widely recognise the importance of gender-sensitive approaches in conflict resolution. At a meet in Delhi on October 30, WISCOMP showcased its peace building efforts in South Asia and beyond, chronicling its journey through the film Seeking Peace, Speaking Peace, directed by Radhika Chandrasekhar, which captured the organisation's efforts at advancing gender-sensitive peace building and cultivating cultures of co-existence. The evening's highlight was the release of PeaceNotes, a commemorative volume that brings together the voices of peace animators. The organisation, led by its director, Meenakshi Gopinath, has worked steadily and tirelessly in this challenging field. Reflecting on the journey, Gopinath shared, "WISCOMP started as a small initiative in 1999, pioneering the discourse on women, peace, and security in South Asia. We offered alternative narratives - on human security, peacebuilding, and the leadership of women in international affairs and diplomacy. Little did we then imagine the ground we would traverse. The incredible range of engagements and the expanding community of practice surprised even us. The trail blazed by the small but dedicated team of WISCOMP yielded rich networks, collaborators, partners, and well-wishers across policy and practice spaces." WISCOMP has built a vibrant network of women peacebuilders across South Asia - a template for the global community to follow. The overarching message is peace building requires partnerships across regions, sectors, and actors. For gender-sensitive peace building, women must acquire tools for facilitating dialogue, capacity building, and developing innovative pedagogies for peace. It requires nurturing networks and addressing both cultural and structural violence . Real change is being fostered by women at the grassroots. However, we must pay attention to the everyday resistance, activism, and agency of women. We have to move beyond tokenism and stereotypes and recognise the full spectrum of women's experiences in peacebuilding - from negotiating ceasefires, advocating for women's rights, facilitating dialogue, and leading reconciliation efforts, to reconstructing communities and healing trauma. Transformative change demands both policy shifts and societal reflection to value and centre women's voices in all peace processes. Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research, says, "Peace is neither real nor lasting without women's leadership. Their inclusion transforms negotiations into pathways for justice and reconciliation. WISCOMP's journey reaffirms that sustainable peace begins when women move from the margins to the centre of decision-making."...