October 31, 2025, marks the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), a landmark commitment to putting women at the center of global peace and security efforts. As the world prepares to celebrate this milestone, the WPS agenda faces a daunting challenge: growing global backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). WPS and DEI are not the same and should not be conflated, yet they are interconnected. WPS depends on institutional tools rooted in DEI, including improving gender representation and gender-responsive leadership, as well as institutional support for women-led programs, and the presence of women in peace talks, to achieve its core goals: participation, prevention, protection, relief, and recovery. These measures are not only about equity. They are essential to the success of international peace and security efforts, with studies finding that peace agreements are more effective when women are meaningfully included....