UN: Over 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflicts in 2025

The United Nations revealed that more than 37,000 civilians were killed in armed conflicts worldwide in 2025, with women and girls accounting for a quarter of the victims—a proportion that has doubled since 2021. The UN warned of increasing risks facing women in areas of armed conflict.

This came during a press briefing held by UN Women at the UN headquarters in New York, marking the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on Women, Peace and Security, which called for urgent action to end conflicts and involve women in peacebuilding efforts.

The report stated that at least 25 women and girls are killed daily in armed conflicts, while more than 750 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of conflict zones.

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, said during the briefing that wars have become more lethal for women, girls, and civilians, noting that their impacts extend to maternity wards, classrooms, homes, and places that should be safe for families.

She pointed out that the destruction of hospitals and maternal care facilities in the Gaza Strip, along with the inability to access essential supplies, contributed to a 41 percent decline in live birth rates and a 300 percent increase in abortion cases.

Regarding conflict-related sexual violence, she clarified that the UN verified 9,788 cases in 2025, more than double the number recorded the previous year and nearly four times the number recorded in 2022.

Gumbonzvanda also highlighted the continued limited participation of women in official peace processes, noting that they accounted for no more than five percent of negotiators in 57 peace processes in 2025, and none of the 13 ceasefire agreements included an explicit ban on conflict-related sexual violence.

For her part, Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy, Programs and Intergovernmental Affairs Division at UN Women, said the world witnessed more than 185 conflicts in 2025, including 65 armed conflicts involving states—the highest number recorded since 1946.

Hendriks warned that the use of drones, long-range weapons, and AI-enabled military technologies creates new risks amid declining respect for international law.

She added that global military spending reached approximately $2.9 trillion in 2025, equivalent to 776 times the UN’s regular annual budget, while international aid declined by 23 percent, and funding for organizations focused on women’s rights and women’s movements in conflict areas dropped to around $168 million.

She explained that 45 percent of women’s organizations operating in humanitarian settings had funding sufficient for only about six months, while 77 percent had already lost staff.

Conversely, she noted that the proportion of UN entities allocating funding to women-led organizations and organizations focused on women’s rights in conflict and crisis areas rose to 38 percent in 2025, compared to 25 percent the previous year.

The two officials called on the international community to respect international law, end impunity, stop the killing of civilians, reverse funding cuts for women’s organizations, and ensure women’s participation in decision-making related to war and peace.