First Ladies summit in Vienna: Women for Peace and Security!

First Ladies summit in Vienna: Women for Peace and Security!

On June 18, 2025, an important summit with nine first ladies and a first gentleman took place in the Hofburg in Vienna. Doris Schmidauer, the wife of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, and Olena Selenska, were hosts of this event, the wife of the Ukrainian president. The event, which was opened in a cooperation with Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, brought together several First Ladies from different countries, including Albania, Armenia, Estonia, Finland and Guatemala, as well as first gentleman from Slovenia. This meeting was the first summit outside of Kiev, where Selenska organized the first summit in 2021, followed by three further meetings in the years 2023 and 2024.

The topics of the summit were diverse and revolved around the role of women for peace and security, the protocol as well as the public diplomacy and soft power. As part of a panel of geopolitical developments, Zuzana Čaputová, the former President of Slovakia, spoke. Important questions about the definition of the roles of first ladies and gentlemen, available resources and obstacles were also discussed in their work. In this context, Emil Brix, director of the diplomatic academy, as well as Ursula Gamauf-Eberhardt, President of the OSCE summer academy,

peace processes and the role of women

The summit takes place in a crucial context that underlines the importance of UN Resolution 1325 to "women, peace and security". This resolution, which was unanimously passed by the UN Security Council in October 2000, emphasizes the need to participate in women in peace processes. Studies show that the participation of women in negotiations significantly increases the chances of sustainable peace. Nevertheless, between 1992 and 2019 there was only a fraction of 13% of the negotiators in peace negotiations.

Especially in crisis areas, women do crucial work, for example through negotiations with militias and the creation of protected rooms. Germany has campaigned globally for the implementation of the agenda "Women, Peace and Security" and can refer to a number of projects that aim to strengthen the political participation of women in crisis regions. These include the "Women’s Peace and Humanitrian Fund" and the "African Women Leaders Network". These initiatives show how important the integration of women in peace processes is.

challenges and next steps

Although the UN Resolution was celebrated as a sensation and numerous follow-up solutions contributed to further clarification, the actual implementation of the goals remains insufficient. The need for a separate UN-Resolution to strengthen the role of women as actors is repeatedly emphasized. Critical statements such as shadow reports from the women's security council emphasize both strengths and weaknesses of the implementation.

The discrepancy between the intentions of the resolution and the real implementation should motivate the federal government to bundle the corresponding strategies nationally and internationally. A continuous exchange and the promotion of gender research, in particular on male behavior and its influence, are urgently needed to give women a stronger voice in conflict prevention and peace processes.

The summit in Vienna not only draws attention to the role of first ladies, but also made an important contribution to discussion about the global reality of women in conflict situations. Steps to improve the participation of women in peace processes are not only necessary, but also crucial for sustainable conflict resolution.