Justice, equality and human rights essential to building a lasting culture of peace: Irene Khan

New York, 2 September 2026: “A lasting culture of peace can only be built when societies uphold justice, equality, human rights and inclusive participation,” Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Irene Zubaida Khan said on Wednesday, calling for renewed global action to advance women’s leadership in peacebuilding.

Speaking at the High-Level Forum on the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace at UN Headquarters, Ambassador Khan outlined three priorities to strengthen women’s leadership.

She called for renewed efforts to ensure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation at all stages of peace processes; greater investment in adolescent girls and young women’s leadership, including their digital access and literacy; and sustained, targeted support for women-led organizations working in conflict prevention, humanitarian response, community resilience, social cohesion and peacebuilding.

Ambassador Khan said that despite the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, women remain underrepresented in peace processes and are often excluded from decisions affecting their lives and futures.

She reaffirmed Bangladesh’s strong commitment to promoting women’s leadership in building a culture of peace and highlighted the contributions of Bangladeshi women peacekeepers and women leaders in civil society.