CEDAW/C/GC/40 A. Peace and political stability 5. Despite the escalation of conflicts and crises and women being key driving forces of sustainable peace, 2 women remain structurally and significantly underrepresented in conflict and crisis prevention and peace negotiations and peacebuilding efforts. Between 1992 and 2019, women represented only 13 per cent of negotiators, 6 per cent of mediators and 6 per cent of signatories in peace processes. 3 In 2022, women participated as negotiators or delegates on behalf of parties to conflict in 4 of the 5 active peace processes led or co-led by the United Nations. Proportionally, their level of representation stood only at 16 per cent, however, a further drop compa red with 19 per cent in 2021 and 23 per cent in 2020. 4 In 2023, none of the peace agreements reached included representatives of women’s groups as signatories. 5 Women comprise only one third of participants in international forums debating such critical issues as the threat posed by nuclear weapons, increasing military expenditure, the proliferation of arms and ammunition and the weaponization of new technologies. 6 6. Disinformation and polarization threaten to exacerbate conflicts. Although women’s leadership in political decision-making leads to greater stability and peace, stronger responsiveness to people’s needs and enhanced cooperation, 7 women’s political representation and civic space are increasingly under attack through restrictions on the activities of women’s organizations, growing attacks on and intimidation of women politicians, journalists and human rights defenders, and challenges to and reversals of generational gains made in relation to women’s and girls’ human rights. B. Sustainable, inclusive and human rights-based economy 7. The economic autonomy of women is key for accessing their rights and the pathway to inclusive economic growth, 8 poverty eradication, social justice and sustainable development. 9 It is a key step towards a human rights-based economy. However, the overrepresentation of women in many informal, low -paying, less innovative and economically less lucrative sectors largely excludes them from decision-making positions and shaping the economy. They are underrepresented in decision-making in the economic governance architecture, multilateral financial institutions, debt servicing systems, capital markets, the industrial infrastructure architecture, trade negotiations and public procurement regimes. For example, women-owned businesses are awarded only 1 per cent of government contracts in the __________________ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 4/29 United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN -Women), “Women’s participation and a better understanding of the political” in Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: A Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2015), available at https://wps.unwomen.org/participation/; The Pact for the Future, General Assembly resolution 79/1, para. 40; and UN-Women, “Facts and figures: women, peace, and security”, 18 October 2024, available at www.unwomen.org/en/whatwe-do/peace-and-security/facts-and-figures. United Nations, “Inclusive diplomacy”, available at www.un.org/en/observances/women-indiplomacy-day. S/2023/725, para. 9. University of Edinburgh, PA-X Peace Agreement Database, version 7 (plus AgtID 2467), 2023, available at https://pax.peaceagreements.org/. UN-Women, “Facts and figures: women, peace, and security”. Minna Cowper-Coles, Women Political Leaders: The Impact of Gender on Democracy, (London, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, 2021). UN-Women, “Facts and figures: economic empowerment”, February 2024, available at www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures. UN-Women, “Facts and figures: economic empowerment”. 24-20036