In February 2026, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women adopted the addendum to CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations. Marking the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, the addendum calls for a recommitment to the WPS agenda and a renewed dedication to multilateralism.

This addendum is considered a landmark development and addresses the changing face of conflict in light of the weaponisation of AI, climate emergencies, educational violence, food insecurity, renewed negotiations on nuclear non-proliferation, and the rise of cyberspace and outer space as new battlegrounds. The addendum addresses the critical role of women in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and post-conflict transitional justice, particularly in relation to the WPS agenda, and strengthens the call for survivor-centred access to justice and an end to the continuing cycle of impunity for gender-based violence in conflict. The addendum emphasises the full and equal participation of women in international law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. It also addresses the nexus between conflict minerals and sexual violence, enforced disappearances and forced marriage, and the continuum linking climate change, the feminisation of poverty, displacement and conflict, and structural forms of discrimination.

The session will focus on how the addendum could help to address some of the ongoing challenges faced by women globally.