The Nordic Countries and the future of Women, Peace and Security – Defenders of status quo or progressive champions?

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Marking the 25th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), the journal Internasjonal Politikk published a special issue in October 2025 on “25 years of Women, Peace and Security in Nordic foreign policy” Guest editors are Jenny Lorentzen (NUPI), Torunn L. Tryggestad (Peace Research Institute Oslo, PRIO) and Inger Skjelsbæk (UiO). The special issue includes contributions by authors from all five Nordic countries.

Over the past 25 years, the Nordic countries have been important supporters and drivers of the global efforts to promote and implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and have built significant status as leading actors in this field. However, there are several rocks in the sea for the future of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Internationally, we are facing major aid cuts, global setbacks against women’s rights, and an increase in war and conflict. The rapidly changing geopolitical landscape has also had a considerable impact on the security discourse and priorities in our regional neighbourhood. It remains unclear how this will affect the status of the Women, Peace, and Security in the foreign policy of Nordic countries. Will the Nordic countries remain progressive champions of the agenda? Or are we entering an era where the focus will be on defending the status quo?

In this webinar, editors and contributors to the special issue will discuss the following topics:

• What can we learn from the different approaches to WPS of the Nordic countries over the years?
• Where does the WPS agenda stand in Nordic foreign policy today?
• Will the Nordic countries have the ability and willingness to continue to play a leading role in advancing Women, Peace and Security in the current geopolitical climate?
• What can we expect from Nordic cooperation on Women, Peace and Security in the years to come?

Participants:

• Jenny Lorentzen, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
• Torunn L. Tryggestad, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
• Inger Skjelsbæk, University of Oslo (UiO)
• Marie Kolling, Danish Institute of International Studies (DIIS)
• Louise Olsson, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
• Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, University of Iceland
• Leena Vastapuu, Swedish Defence University
• Minna Lyytikäinen, University of Helsinki
• Elsa Hedling, Lund University

The webinar is organised by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) in collaboration with the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), and the University of Oslo (UiO).

Read the special issue articles here!