Brussels, Belgium — In today’s so called ‘digital’ world, it occurred to me that there are four truly important digits that should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Those for digits are 1325. They have almost become part of my everyday vocabulary, and here’s why.

Every day I wake up and devote my time and energy to the women’s movement by way of the organization I founded: Karama. There’s no question women have come a long way, but as anyone well informed in this arena will tell you, there’s still a lot of ground we need to cover. That’s why these four numbers hold so much meaning for me.

It was nearly 12 years ago that the UN Security Council passed UN resolution 1325. For those who argue the UN is sometimes an ‘ineffective body’ here’s why that argument doesn’t stick this time. It doesn’t stick as 1325 is the most comprehensive resolution ever passed to help protect the rights of women and children in war zones and post conflict areas. It also marked the first time the Security Councill addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women; recognized the under-valued and under-utilized contributions women make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building. It also stressed the importance of women’s equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security. Building lasting peace and security requires women’s participation. Half of the world’s population cannot make a whole peace.

Read more at the Huffington Post