The International Day of Women in Diplomacy was marked on Tuesday. This date serves as a celebration of all the women both locally and abroad that serve their countries in the pursuit of peace and security in the world. Yet, it is also a moment to reflect on the barriers that still impede more women from joining this prestigious career. For centuries, diplomacy has been considered a man’s world. Despite countless declarations of equality, women continue to be vastly underrepresented in senior diplomatic roles. The numbers are stark. According to the United Nations (UN), only 20% of ambassadors around the world are women. The top tiers of foreign ministries remain overwhelmingly male and the pace of change is far too slow. Malta was part of the core group that established this commemorative day in 2022. We are honoured as a country to have a good number of women diplomats serving in various levels, both in Malta at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism as well as in Malta’s missions overseas. On this day, we salute the leadership and determination of our women ambassadors who have headed Malta’s efforts in Brussels during the presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2017, in New York while serving as an elected member on the UN Security Council between 2023-2024, in Vienna during Malta’s unexpected term as chair-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe last year, currently in Strasbourg as Malta has the presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe and all the other women ambassadors serving in Malta’s missions around the world. In its efforts to uphold more women in leadership, Malta is guided by the ‘Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda’, which was established through the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, together with its nine follow-up resolutions. This agenda recognises that women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict. Yet, it also recognises that women have the agency to bring about change and it is imperative that they are brought on board in all decision-making roles, including in peace and security settings. Studies have shown that when women participate fully, meaningfully and equally in peace negotiations, the resulting agreements are more likely to last longer. Why is this the case? Not only do women, particularly in conflict settings, bring their own views and ideas to the table but they tend to also account for the various segments of the population that do not usually have a voice, namely the elderly, persons with disability and children, making such agreements more inclusive, just and effective. Christianne Caruana and Lynette Camilleri are from the Directorate Global Issues, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism.