Advancing the Gender Agenda in Global Security: The Hague Just Peace Festival 2025
In 2025, Gender Concerns International (GCI) was a partner to Just Peace Festival 2025, reaffirming its longstanding commitment to the global peace and justice community. With over two decades of work promoting gender equality in conflict-affected regions and fragile democracies, GCI’s engagement emphasized the critical role of women’s leadership and inclusivity in peacebuilding and security dialogues.
Held from 16–26 June 2025, the Just Peace Festival transformed The Hague into a vibrant platform for dialogue, collaboration, and action on global peace and justice issues. Supported by the Municipality of The Hague and The Humanity Hub, the festival served as the culmination of the Road to the Summit programme. This initiative aimed to bring The Hague’s international role closer to the public, fostering awareness and engagement around key peace and security challenges.
The 2025 festival coincided with the NATO Summit, hosted by the Netherlands for the first time, a landmark moment for The Hague as the city welcomed global leaders and experts to discuss international security and cooperation. The appointment of former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO Secretary-General further added to the significance of the occasion.
Alongside the summit, the NATO Public Forum brought together policymakers, academics, and civil society representatives for in-depth discussions on peacebuilding and contemporary security developments.
Through its active participation, Gender Concerns International not only contributed its expertise but also conveyed a clear message: lasting peace cannot be achieved without gender equality at its core. The organisation calls for the meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security processes, the prioritization of gender perspectives in global policy decisions, and increased investment in women’s leadership as a cornerstone of sustainable peace. By engaging in the Just Peace Festival, GCI sought to remind the international community that justice and peace must always be pursued through the lens of equality and inclusion.