Just as the world evolves and changes, organized crime does as well. These changes have caused organized crime to expand far beyond drug trafficking and run a diverse array of illicit operations. Organized criminal organizations in Latin America have adapted by taking part in illegal gold mining, which has increasingly attracted the attention of many, not only because of its profitability, but also because of its profound social and environmental consequences.

Ten years after Congress passed the Women, Peace and Security Act, the United States can point to strategies, implementation plans, and training modules across the interagency. The 2019 U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security lays out four lines of effort and commits the government to supporting women’s participation, protection, and relief in times of conflict. Yet the distance between writing policy and implementing it is stark.

On Saturday, February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. President Trump announced that the strikes should serve as a catalyst for Iranian peace and freedom. This op-ed discusses that the path toward stability must center the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) framework by prioritizing the protection, rights, and political participation of Iranian women in any future transition.

With the Trump administration continuing to advance policies that restrict discussions of gender and identity in the United States, this piece asks whether Peru is moving in a similar direction. It examines a new law passed by Peru’s Congress that limits discussions on gender, identity, and sexual education.

Sudan’s conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, disproportionately harming women and children. Local women-led organizations are leading relief and peace efforts, yet they remain underfunded and overlooked. Supporting their leadership is vital to protecting the most vulnerable and rebuilding Sudan’s future.

From drones to cryptocurrency, technology is revolutionizing illicit economies across Latin America. Yet women, often at the margins of these operations, face new risks and fewer opportunities. This piece explores what happens when crime goes high-tech, but gender equality stays behind.

After the Taliban’s return to power, the loss of international aid and restrictions on women’s rights have created a crisis that disproportionately harms women and gender minorities. This op-ed calls for restoring women-led organizations and making gender inclusion central to humanitarian efforts.

Sudanese women and girls face ongoing sexual violence in war. This article highlights why global accountability and support are urgently needed.

Ukraine’s recovery depends on women’s economic equality. Women must be equally central to its reconstruction. 

Male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence remain silenced by stigma and law. Their voices must be heard.

As aid assistance shrinks and violence grows in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, international advocacy is vital to protect women from sexual violence. 

Violent extremism in the Philippines thrives on gender inequality. Protecting and empowering women is essential for peace and security. 

Life under the Taliban means gender apartheid for Afghan women. Global voices must rise where theirs have been silenced. 

Recent talks between the Russian government and the Trump administration over the Russia-Ukraine War have failed to include women, despite the WPS Act which Trump signed in 2017. Women must be meaningfully included in any high-level peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine or any peace created will not be sustainable, and it will not be true peace for all.

Despite 25 years of the WPS Agenda, women’s equal and substantive participation in conflict and peace processes is still far from being achieved. A truly feminist peace requires the recognition of gender as an essential part of conflict resolution, and a commitment to adapting security structures away from male protectionist models and towards gender-oriented solutions.

International Day of the Girl Child 2023: Analyzing the Status of Afghan Girls Two Years after the Taliban Takeover through the WPS and YPS Agendas

As a student of international affairs, imagine you’re holding up five sticks and can put down one stick for every professor who comes from a marginalized racial or gender identity. Put a stick down for every female professor you’ve had, every professor of color you’ve had, and every queer professor you’ve had. Would you be able to put all five sticks down?