The Duchess of Edinburgh has been hailed by the Foreign Secretary for “shining a light” on the work around women, peace and security.
Sophie attended an event at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security on Monday.
The 60-year-old attended the event in a brown blazer, a paisley print shirt and burgundy trousers.
The royal was met by the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, who said in a speech: “Can I just welcome all of you here today.
The Duchess of Edinburgh has been praised by Yvette Cooper
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"You will have already seen on the video that we’ve seen before some of the inspiring women on whose shoulders we now stand in the work around Women, Peace and Security.
“And can I particularly welcome Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh and to say thank you to you for being here today but also for the immensely powerful work that you have been doing across the world.
“Shining a light on the experiences of women in some of the most challenging circumstances – thank you.”
The Women, Peace and Security agenda is a United Nations Initiative that aims to put more women in the centre of conflict resolution and encourage women’s meaningful participation in peace processes.
The praise comes after the duchess’s recent tour of South and Central America, where she visited Peru, Panama, Guatemala and Belize, at the request of the Foreign Office.
In Guatemala, the Duchess learned about the work of La Alianza Guatemala, a non-profit organisation that helps vulnerable children and teenagers, focusing on those affected by human trafficking, sexual violence, forced migration and teenage pregnancy.
The Duchess of Edinburgh recently completed a tour of South and Central America
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She also joined Guatemalan female leaders to hear more about the evolution of leadership within the country, as well as the challenges that are still faced.
As well as working with the UN’s Women, Peace and Security, the duchess is also a supporter of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.
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She has long been a champion of preventing sexual violence in areas of conflict, and has visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo, Lebanon, South Sudan and Sierra Leone.
On Tuesday, Sophie held a dinner at St James’s Palace to mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
The Duke of Edinburgh has been on a tour of Nigeria
|PA
The Duchess is set to be reunited with the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday, after busy schedules have seen the pair both travelling overseas.
Prince Edward has just completed a week-long visit to Nigeria and Ghana to celebrate the relationship between the UK and the Commonwealth countries.