Women’s Representation in Peace Processes

Lord Callanan Excerpts

Tuesday 30th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I do not hesitate to support what the noble Lord has said about the inclusion of women. I would go a little bit further and say that peace which is achieved, or pauses in conflict which are achieved, through imposition of agreements that have not been negotiated through the long, hard, diligent, inclusive process that we all know about in this Chamber rarely stand the test of time.

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

My Lords, earlier the noble Baroness referred to the importance of strong, women-led organisations. We on our Benches are very proud of our record of having strong women leaders in charge of our organisation. We are now on our fourth, so we well know the impact that women can make at the very top of politics. What role is the Government playing in encouraging our international partners to recognise the unique contribution that women can make in leadership roles?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

As a woman who has worked in politics for longer than I care to admit, I welcome the noble Lord’s sisterly solidarity. What are we doing? We fund many women-led organisations. We insist at the Security Council—when we are able to—that women’s participation is embedded in resolutions. We participate fully in multilateral organisations that are supporting the work of women in this context.