Thelma Ekiyor
CEO, Women for Women International
Roughly 676 million women were directly affected by violent conflicts in 2025, according to UN data.1 Yet when a peace deal is signed, the world often looks away.
The next morning, a woman walks to the market to find bare shelves. The daily work of sustaining peace begins after the headlines fade, and when women lack economic power, that work becomes even harder.
For three decades, Women for Women International has stood alongside women survivors of war: championing leadership, helping rebuild livelihoods and supporting efforts to restore peace in communities. When women control income and run micro-enterprises, households reinvest in education and health, and communities experience a measurable reduction in local conflict.
Impacts of lower participation of women in labour markets
In conflict-affected countries, women’s participation in labour markets remains significantly lower than men’s, leaving families and economies more vulnerable to renewed violence. Women underpin the peace economy. Investing in women’s enterprises in fragile states isn’t an act of charity; it’s a proven strategy for conflict prevention.
By investing in women at the grassroots, moving money to where peace begins, private finance, philanthropy and individuals can play a decisive role in stabilising markets and building a more peaceful world.
Investing in women’s enterprises in fragile states isn’t an act of charity;
it’s a proven strategy for conflict prevention.
Peace lasts longer when women participate, yet without economic empowerment, they’re routinely excluded from decisions that shape their lives. We work with the women powering the small-business economy in places like South Sudan, Iraq and Nigeria.
Women like Pola, who survived gender-based violence, bought a small plot of land and built a farming business from scratch. However, too much investment still flows to safer markets, bypassing places where women’s enterprise delivers the greatest impact.
Twenty-five years after Women, Peace and Security became a global rallying point, women are still being targeted in record numbers, and women’s organisations receive just 0.4% of aid in conflict zones. If we want durable peace, we must measure success by how communities recover and whether women are supported to build sustainable livelihoods. Resilience isn’t enough. It must be matched with resources.
https://womenforwomen.org.uk
[1] UN Women For All Women and Girls. (2025). Wars on women escalate as global conflicts reach record highs
