Major corporations are realigning their strategies to pursue peace, and a crucial aspect to this is a long-overlooked truth: when women are economically empowered, societies become more stable, businesses grow, and conflict recedes.
The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, once the domain of diplomats and development agencies, now finds champions among CEOs and procurement officers. A policy framework born in the halls of the United Nations is increasingly shaping decisions in the private sector, as companies wake up to the geopolitical and financial power of women.
Our Secure Future (OSF), an organization dedicated to advancing the WPS agenda, recently underscored the private sector’s critical role in fostering sustainable peace through its May 2025 policy brief “The Role of the Private Sector in Advancing Women, Peace and Security.”
This publication spotlights the impact of corporate investments in peacebuilding, which can help create stability while driving economic growth, particularly in regions affected by conflict. This alignment between profit motives and peacebuilding objectives reflects a broader shift: 85% of global consumer spending now flows through women’s decisions, making their economic participation a strategic imperative for forward-looking corporations.
The Economic Power of Women
Women control 32% of global wealth, equivalent to $72 trillion. That share is projected to reach 50% by 2030. They also drive 85% of global consumer spending, amounting to more than $31 trillion annually. According to the World Bank, closing gender gaps in leadership and economic participation could unlock up to $172 trillion in human capital wealth and increase global GDP by as much as 35%.
In fragile and conflict-affected areas, this economic power is applaudable. Reducing inequality between men and women in such contexts enhances stability, boosts financial resilience, and builds resistance to violence. Yet, despite their potential, women remain underrepresented in decision-making processes, particularly in sectors tied to peace and security.
The WPS agenda, anchored in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, positions women’s full and meaningful participation in peacebuilding and recovery as essential. The private sector is increasingly seen as a crucial player in realizing this vision.
From Supply Chains to Peace Platforms
Procter & Gamble (P&G) offers a positive example of how procurement can be used as a tool for inclusion. In 2021, the company pledged $10 billion in spending with women-owned and -led businesses by 2025. This move leverages purchasing power to foster opportunity and stability in supplier communities.
Similarly, Coca-Cola’s 5by20 initiative set out to economically empower five million women by 2020. By the end of that year, it had surpassed its goal, reaching over six million women in 100 countries, from farmers to artisans, across its global value chain.
Meanwhile, Dell Technologies, in partnership with the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, launched a secure digital platform offering peacebuilders tools like virtual libraries and training portals. These resources strengthen women’s capabilities while enabling cross-border collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Frameworks That Guide Action
Businesses are not operating blindly. International frameworks offer roadmaps for integrating Women, Peace and Security values into core strategies. The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), developed through the UN Global Compact, guide companies on leadership, supply chain equity, workplace safety, education, and public accountability.
The WPS-Humanitarian Action Compact further provides a thematic framework for businesses to align operations with global peace and security efforts, while advocating for transparency, partnerships, and measurable outcomes. These tools are increasingly embraced by firms that recognize the connection between stability and sustainable growth.
Peace Dividends: The Case of Northern Ireland
The business case for peace is best exemplified through history. Following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland saw its unemployment rate drop and job growth surpass other regions outside London. One reason? Business coalitions like the “Group of Seven” quietly pushed for peace, not with weapons, but with economic incentives and diplomacy.
Their advocacy, grounded in the economic value of peace, brought warring parties to the table and helped broker understanding. Their experience reveals a powerful lesson: when the private sector rallies for stability, society listens.
Partnership Is the Path
What truly moves the needle, however, is collective action. Research shows that business associations, rather than isolated corporate programs, are more effective in consolidating peace. Coordinated approaches tied into national and international peace strategies offer the scale and durability needed for lasting impact.
Businesses can engage in both operational and strategic roles in advancing WPS. They can hire women in post-conflict regions, promote inclusive leadership, or advocate for equality in corporate policy. They can also fund peacebuilding infrastructure, support diplomacy, and convene dialogues that shift cultural norms.
When done in partnership with governments, civil society, and multilateral bodies, these actions can change markets and societies.
Investing in women is no longer a side project or philanthropic checkbox. It is a core strategy for resilience, prosperity, and peace. Companies that embed this understanding into their DNA are not only building stronger brands, they’re laying the groundwork for a more stable world.