OSCE Blog: Security Matters

Today is the last day of the 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence. We’ve done a lot over these 16 days to raise attention to this horrific crime. And while this is the last day of the campaign, the work of fighting gender-based violence will continue tomorrow and in the days and months after.

Arms control. Disarmament. Non-proliferation. What images come to mind? Stocks of ammunition? Missile installations? Men in grey suits? Men in uniform? Young women from Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, and Norway? That last image might not be typical, but it could be. We know that sustainable security demands that women play an integral part in the decision-making processes around security. And while this is often raised in the context of negotiations on peace processes, which is crucial, the reality is that shaping security involves so much more – and women need to be included across the board. Yet we see that young women still face additional hurdles when it comes to areas long seen as the domain of men – including arms-control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

Today’s global energy crisis is a stark reminder of how accustomed we have become to the availability of affordable and reliable energy around the clock. As energy sustains the functioning of most critical services in our societies, supply disruptions, blackouts, and damage to critical energy infrastructure – whether man-made or as a result of natural disasters – constitute major security threats with far-reaching consequences on our health, public safety, economies, and the environment.