Opinion
Honoring the Mothers of Srebrenica in Kosovo
30 Years Since the Srebrenica Genocide, 25 Years of the WPS Agenda
Susanna Kelley - 11 Jul 2025
Opinion
30 Years Since the Srebrenica Genocide, 25 Years of the WPS Agenda
Susanna Kelley
Analyst, New Lines Institute
As the international community marks three decades since the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani awarded the Presidential Medal for Service to the Mothers of Srebrenica, an advocacy group representing the survivors and families of the victims of the genocide.
This year’s commemoration coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, as enshrined in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, and the second annual International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide.
A failure of international peacekeeping paved the way for the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniak men in one week. As the Bosnian War escalated, the U.N. Security Council, concerned about attacks on civilians, unanimously adopted U.N.S.C. Resolution 819 in 1993, which designated the town of Srebrenica as the U.N.’s first civilian safe area. The U.N. deployed 300 lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers who, along with the U.N., were vastly outnumbered, inadequately equipped, and had been refused requests for additional weaponry. The peacekeepers eventually surrendered Srebrenica, and in July 1995, soldiers from the Bosnian Serb Army systematically murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town.
The massacre has since been recognized as the first legally established act of genocide in Europe since World War II. Its most senior perpetrators, Gen. Ratko Mladić and then-Republika Srpska President Radovan Karadžić, are serving life sentences for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in The Hague.
At the Republic of Kosovo’s third annual WPS conference, Osmani presented the Mothers of Srebrenica with a Presidential Medal of Service in recognition of their work in uncovering mass graves, seeking justice and reconciliation, and supporting survivors. The group is widely known for initiating civil legal action against the U.N. and the Dutch peacekeeping forces, citing a breach of their duty of care in failing to prevent the genocide.
Osmani, while presenting the medal, said:
"You have become the voice of those who cannot speak. With every photograph you have held in your hands, you have kept the memory alive. Dear Mothers of Srebrenica, during my mandate as president, I have often honored the mothers of Kosovo who have transformed their pain into strength and have never been silent in seeking justice for the children who were lost during the war. Today, I have the honor, on behalf of all citizens, based on the constitutional powers I have, to present the Mothers of Srebrenica with the Presidential Medal for Service."
As Osmani’s mandate draws to a close, this symbolic act underscores her commitment to the WPS agenda and, more broadly, to transitional justice and gender-inclusive peacebuilding. Her alignment with the Mothers of Srebrenica reaffirms the essential roles that women play in post-conflict healing and accountability processes, both formally and informally.
Osmani’s gesture is a timely reminder of the failures in Srebrenica and of the continuing responsibility of the international community to prevent contemporary and future atrocities and crimes against humanity.
Her legacy has also been defined by several key WPS initiatives she has spearheaded. She established a National Day of Mourning to honor victims of femicide and launched the International Forum on Women, Peace, and Security in Kosovo. This forum, created in tribute to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, convenes global leaders and highlights intersectional issues within the WPS agenda, including conflict-related sexual violence and the protection of children.
She also spearheaded the launch of a regional WPS Center of Excellence in Pristina, which advances WPS priorities and addresses critical challenges such as femicide through specialized training and research.
This year’s WPS Conference in Pristina, Kosovo, commemorated 25 years since the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325. The WPS agenda advocates for the formal inclusion and integration of women in peace processes, emphasizing that their participation leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.
Since its adoption, progress on WPS has been mixed. On one hand, more than 100 countries have formally incorporated WPS National Action Plans into their national legislation. On the other hand, violence against women remains alarmingly widespread: 30% of women aged 15 and older have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lives (excluding sexual harassment), and 26% have suffered intimate partner violence.
In 2023, 51,100 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members. This is further compounded by a growing global backlash against women’s political participation and a sharp rise in conservative ideologies that promote traditional gender roles, wherein violence against women is normalized and protective legal frameworks for women are less likely to be adopted.
This underscores the urgent need to uphold the principles of Resolution 1325 and to ensure women’s formal integration into transitional justice mechanisms. The Kosovo WPS Conference echoed this urgency and called for greater global accountability for the impact of war on children, drawing painful parallels with the ongoing suffering of young people in conflict zones around the world. The advocacy of the Mothers of Srebrenica reinforces a critical but frequently overlooked truth at the heart of the WPS agenda: Women continue to be sidelined in peace negotiations, and gendered perspectives are largely absent from peacemaking efforts.
Despite this, women exist at the forefront of transitional justice: rebuilding families and communities, preserving collective memory, and demanding accountability, even when excluded from official negotiations. Their efforts, often unrecognized in institutional settings, must be acknowledged, supported, and integrated into formal peacebuilding structures.
Ultimately, the anniversaries of WPS and Srebrenica serve as powerful reminders that the work remains unfinished; 25 years of WPS and 30 years since Srebrenica will pass with the sad truth that more needs to be done for prevention, for centering women’s voices, for putting aside politics to look at the actual issues. Osmani’s acknowledgment of the Mothers’ efforts reflects a clear-eyed recognition of the ongoing struggles facing the world.
The medal awarded to the Mothers of Srebrenica also represents solidarity between Bosnians and Kosovars, both of whom have suffered – and continue to seek justice for – crimes committed by Serbian forces in the 1990s. By honoring the Mothers of Srebrenica, Kosovo also reasserts its claim to justice, remembrance, and the pursuit of accountability.
At the WPS panel in Pristina, New Lines Senior Non-Resident Fellow Tanya Domi spoke about the enduring impact of war on children and families, highlighting the “forgotten children of war” in Bosnia, “Children born of wartime rape were, for the first time, officially recognized as victims and granted eligibility for reparations.”
New Lines’ report on conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine draws direct parallels to Bosnia and recommends that Ukraine adopt similar legal frameworks to support survivors and children born of rape during war.
Weekly Analysis
Protests Shake Western Balkans As Great Power Competition Takes HoldWBC Staff - 2 Jun 2026
Weekly Analysis
Banjska Attack Verdict Raises Questions on Future of Serbia-Kosovo DialogueWBC Staff - 29 Apr 2026