Peace Begins with Her

Twenty-three years ago, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was passed - a groundbreaking step towards recognizing the vital role of women in preventing conflicts, protecting and achieving peace, and calling for their full and equal participation in decision-making. 

To honor this milestone and the crucial role of women working for peace, the UN community participated in Inside Out Photobooth Action “Peace Begins with Her.” The Photobooth truck took 210 portraits in front of the United Nations Headquarters on October 25th, the day of the annual UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. 

A bright autumn sun welcomed the “Peace Begins with Her” Inside Out Action outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York | Photo: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

From governments to peace negotiations, women continue to find themselves at the margins of the decision-making process, even though history has shown that women’s participation in peace processes leads to longer lasting peace. 

As a reminder of the powerful, but often shunned voices of women in peace efforts, 50 Inside Out portraits of women who are involved in peacekeeping efforts globally were installed at the start of the Action. These impactful images welcomed visitors, Member State representatives and UN staff to the UN Headquarters as global leaders met to assess trends on women’s participation. 

Inside Out volunteers began pasting portraits of women peacebuilders, peacekeepers and peace activists from around the world at the “Peace Begins with Her” Inside Out Action outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York | Photo: UN DPO/MF Page 

From Afghanistan to Colombia, Cyprus to South Sudan, the courageous women portrayed were not merely symbols, but living testimonies to the power of women working for peace. 

“Peace begins with women,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous noted as she walked around the mosaic of 50 women’s portraits before her address to the Security Council. “We salute them. We salute their courage, their resilience, their resourcefulness, and also we salute the outcomes of the work which eventually will bring sustainable peace, development, and sustainable, peaceful societies throughout the world,” she added. 

Witnessing the public art installation growing as portraits were added, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, highlighted the crucial importance of women's role in peace processes, “Having more women in peacekeeping and having more empowerment of women in peacekeeping settings are critically important because you cannot build sustainable peace without women.”

Inside the Chamber, UN Secretary General António Guterres noted how relevant the Inside Out “Peace Begins with Her” Action was in his opening remarks at the Security Council: “Many of you here today will have visited the exhibition on display outside the United Nations building. You will have seen the images of the women who embody the agenda we are discussing [...] women who are fighting injustice, building peace, and taking their rightful place at the table. It is a snapshot of the immense contribution women are making to peace and security around the world and a testament to the power of women’s leadership,” he said. 

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, at the "Peace Begins with Her" Inside Out Action outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York | Photo: UN DPO/MF Page 

Local visitors, students and UN staff also added their pledges to support the global push for women's participation by having their portrait taken in the Photobooth and added to the installation.

Visitors and students lined up at the Inside Out Photobooth to add their pledge to the global push for women’s participation | UN Photo/Loey Felipe

“It’s amazing to see the images of so many women all together,” Chiara from Italy expressed as she looked at the portraits. We asked her what she thought about the activation and she answered, “you cannot miss it. It is an amazing idea. [...] Peace is something that the world really needs especially in these times and I think that as women, we should have our voices heard in order to find solutions that do not involve war of violence.”

Lola Ibrahim made sure she captured a memento of her joining the action. Her foundation, Wo-Men Against Violence and Exploitation [W.A.V.E], strives to end gender-based violence in her home country of Nigeria. | Photo: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Commander Marcia Braga, a Brazilian Naval officer who previously worked with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) attended the activation. Marcia was awarded with the 2019 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award and now works as a Strategic Communications Officer at the UN Headquarters. 

Watching her portrait being pasted alongside 49 other formidable women peacebuilders, activists and peacekeepers, Marcia explained why her own, and women’s participation in UN peace operations, is so crucially important: “Conflict affects men and women, boys and girls differently. When we include different perspectives, we can see the entire picture about what is happening,” she said. 

Ivana, a UN Peacekeeper from Brazil, took her portrait in the Photobooth at the “Peace Begins with Her” Inside Out Action outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York | UN DPO/MF Page 

Throughout the day, over 200 portraits were added to the mosaic. From the Chamber of the UN Security Council to the streets of New York, UN leaders, visitors, students, and allies passionately echoed the message of this Inside Out Action, “Peace Begins with Her.” We cannot have sustainable peace without women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace- and political processes. The powerful quotes and portraits serve as a chorus of voices, echoing that peace truly begins with women.

Click here to learn more about this Action!