UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security

Three faces of different ethnicities shown in right-facing half-profile, alongside the stylised hand mirror of Venus — the symbol of the female sex. To the lower left: the issuing state "MALTA" and the year "2022". Along the right edge: the inscription "WOMEN, PEACE, SECURITY", punctuated by three-leaved olive branches. Along the lower edge: the designer's initials "A.NAPOLIONE" and above them the UN resolution reference "UNSCR 1325".

In September 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 — a milestone in international security policy because it was the first to formally recognise that women in armed conflicts are not merely victims but play a central role as active agents in peace negotiations, reconstruction processes and violence prevention. The resolution came about partly at the urging of women's rights organisations, which had for years pointed out that sexualised violence was being used as a weapon of war and that women remained systematically excluded from political processes. With the "Women, Peace and Security" agenda, the Security Council has since established a distinct thematic framework that more than 100 national action plans worldwide have followed to this day.

Malta, a small island state in the Mediterranean with a long history as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, has traditionally taken a strong stance in multilateral institutions on questions of peaceful conflict resolution and international humanitarian law. Maltese foreign policy has emphasised neutrality and dialogue for decades — a stance arising from the country's geographic and historical position. With its 2022 commemorative coin, Malta recalls the significance of the UN resolution and its follow-up documents for a fairer participation of women in global security processes — 22 years after the Security Council's historic decision.