Increasing meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding is a key priority for both the United Nations and Greece. As an elected member on the Security Council for the biennium 2025/26, the Hellenic Republic has placed particular emphasis on the promotion of the “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS) Agenda, which constitutes one of its tenure’s cornerstones at the Security Council.
Joining forces with Canada, on September 9 to 10, Greece welcomed Canada’s ambassador for Women Peace and Security, Ms Jacqueline O’ Neill to Athens in order for the two countries to advance initiatives on the matter.
The Canadian Ambassador held a series of high-level meetings with Greek officials including Social Cohesion Deputy Minister, Katerina Papakosta, Foreign Affairs Secretary General, Teresa Aggelatou, Armed Forces senior officials, civil society bodies and UN Human Rights entities.
The Canadian delegation also engaged with International Organisations Director General, Ambassador Maria Theofili. The talks provided a platform for exploring ways to operationalize the partnership between the two countries, especially during Greece’s tenure on the Security Council in 2025/26. The representatives took stock of the Agenda’s implementation progress and achievements and identified challenges still to be addressed. Both parties agreed to establish a mechanism for the exchange of best practices and lessons learned so far for the benefit of mutual and continuous improvement.
Greece remains a leading advocate in the advancement of policies regarding the participation of women in peace processes, having recently adopted its National Action Plan (2023-2028) on the matter, the basic pillars of which, were presented during a special event, held on Women’s Day, March 8, at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Watch: Empowering Women in Peace & Security- UN Resolutions and Progress