Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, October 2015

Over the past fifteen years, there have been seven Security Council Resolutions demonstrating the international commitment to the principles of protection, prevention, participation and gender mainstreaming.

Yet, despite progress at the normative level, fifteen years after the establishment of the Women Peace and Security Agenda, women continue to remain largely excluded from peace, security and political processes, while women leaders and human rights defenders are still being targeted.

Fifteen years have passed since the Security Council first recognized that women and girls experience armed conflict in particularly dramatic ways and, therefore, have specific needs, concerns and perspectives. This led to the essential acknowledgement that sustainable peace may only be attained if both female and male perspectives are fully taken into account.

Brazil sees protection and empowerment as inseparable aspects of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women and girls are not just entitled to safety, but also to an active voice. No decision concerning women should be adopted without consultation and consideration oftheir unique perspective.

At the international level, this includes formulating and implementing the mandates of peacekeeping operations and special political missions; conducting peace negotiations; and handling peacebuilding, recovery and humanitarian initiatives.

At the domestic level, governments should be ready to constantly design and improve their gender-sensitive policies.

Women and girls are caught up in these conflict situations and are subjected to rape, sexual assault, torture, human trafficking, forced marriages, forced religious conversions; they are bought and sold, or even given as gifts or trophies to terrorist fighters.

My delegation encourages the United Nations and its Member States to recruit more women for preventive diplomacy, mediation efforts, peacekeeping missions and peacebuilding processes. Women bring specific and at times decisive contributions necessary in such critical areas, helping to foster good relations with the local communities and to build trust among parties in conflict, elements that are essential to the success of any diplomatic effort and conflict resolution.

Security Council resolution 1325 put a most needed emphasis on the importance of women in peace processes. We heard today about the progress made in 15 years, about the remaining challenges and the priorities for action.

Romania believes that all actors - Member States, regional organizations, civil society and the media - should continue to work on implementing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Women's active participation in peace processes has proved to be absolutely relevant for making conflict resolution and peacebuilding more effective.

Due to this major shortcoming, the elaborate normative framework and the Secretary General's 7-Point Action Plan on gender-responsive peacebuilding, has not been achieved. The United Nations must encourage the full and meaningful participation and leadership of women in the decision making processes of conflict prevention, conflict-resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. In this context, our pioneering role in Liberia, where India became the first UN member state to send an all-female peacekeeping unit illustrates what we are calling for.

Last and most significant, only through consciousness and recognition of women and their role and impact in culture and heritage and we inherit a culture of peace to the next generations. Women share strong bonds with traditions which trace back to ancient civilizations. The indigenous woman, who is susceptible to social cultural barriers, is wise and knowledgeable and shares the aches and pain o f mother earth.

In closing, I would like to stress the importance of sufficient funding. Women's human rights and empowerment, as well as promoting the WPS Agenda are, and will remain, a high priority for Liechtenstein's budget for international cooperation. We hope that other countries, especially major donors, will take the same approach.

The successes ofthis landmark resolution, has raised international awareness, on the unique and grave issues that girls and women face during and after conflicts. It has undoubtedly increased international commitment on women empowerment at national and global levels. Since the adoption o f this resolution and the subsequent ones, we have not only seen the number o f women raising to positions of political leadership, but also in security forces over the last decade. At the same time, the number o f women in UN peacekeeping Missions has also increased.

Essential work is being carried out for the reintegration of internally displaced women into society and the promotion of their participation in political, economic and public life in Azerbaijan. Recently Azerbaijan launched a regional project on the theme “Women for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the South Caucasus”, aimed at strengthening advocacy work for an increased role of Azerbaijani women in decision-making in conflict prevention and resolution at the national, regional and international levels.

Austria supports the work of UN-Women and will continue, on a voluntary basis, to support its activities in the field of women and peace and security. Austria commits to realizing concrete results at the policy level by earmarking at least 15 per cent of all our peacebuilding spending by our development assistance agency, Austrian Development Cooperation, for programmes and projects aimed at furthering women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Civil society efforts are also a critical element for the effective implementation of resolutions on women and peace and security. Austria, through its Development Cooperation, will spend more than €1 million in the next 3 years on its cooperation with civil society activists in that field.

Finally, Austria will continue to further strengthen its training activities on resolution 1325 (2000), in particular in pre-deployment training for peace and humanitarian operations, which is now provided for civilian and military experts from around the world in Austria, as well as in its national training courses.

Our third pledge recognizes that women, girls and women’s organizations are vital to promoting gender equality in countering terrorism and violent extremism. We will therefore support new research to be conducted by Monash University in Melbourne on preventing conflict and countering fundamentalism through women’s empowerment and civil-society mobilization.

We call on the United Nations system as a whole to respond to the global study’s recommendations. Women and peace and security must be considered and implemented as part of the Secretary-General’s review of peace operations and the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in addition to this high-level review. Global leaders have now agreed to the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), recognize the links between development, human rights and peace and security, and are placing gender equality at the heart of these efforts. We must, as a global community, do more to deliver on these promises for women around the world.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), significant threats to global peace and security have emerged, the most prominent of which is the rise of violent extremism. The Balkans Regional Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, held in Tirana on 19 and 20 May 2015, recognized that women are both vulnerable to radicalization and have an important role to play in countering violent extremism.
The Summit further committed to integrating women into efforts to counter violent extremism and underscored the need to work together in the region to better understand the precise nature of violent extremist threats at the local and regional levels, including by promoting research, analysis and information-sharing on the drivers of violent extremism in all of its forms for all segments of society, including women and youth, and on how best to counter those drivers.

While fully acknowledging the progress made over the past 15 years, we note that, when it comes to State efforts, only about 50 countries have developed action plans, whose implementation is significantly hampered by the need for financing. In many developing countries, including Chad, the persistence of negative cultural aspects and misguided interpretations of religious principles remain genuine obstacles on the path towards achieving the commitments undertaken in resolution 1325 (2000). Those obstacles could and should be overcome via robust involvement on the part of local communities and traditional and religious leaders, whose major role appears to be ignored in favour of State institutions and non-governmental organizations in the course of seeking adequate solutions. It should be noted that perceptions among local communities have also evolved, and that it is quite possible to make a real difference using their own institutions that see themselves as the guardians of tradition. The integration and participation of women in every aspect of public and private decision-making will make it possible to eradicate negative social norms, reduce discrimination and promote gender equality.

Given that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the three target countries of Belgium’s national action plan, my delegation would like to thank Ms. Julienne Lusenge for her briefing on the situation in that country. Belgium actively supports the participation of women in that country and contributes to the implementation of the €2 million UN-Women project there that supports the rights and participation of Congolese women in the framework of resolution 1325 (2000).

The peace and security situation is different today as compared to 15 years ago, as the testimony of Ms. Mohammed this morning illustrated. The persistent cycles of conflicts and of fragile situations, among other things, have been exacerbated by new weapons technologies and new threats, such as the rise in violent extremism, which has spread easily thanks to the new information technologies. Women and girls have a key role to play because they can constitute one of the most effective voices in combating violent extremism — as mothers, sisters and wives, but also in the many other roles they have in the society that they live in. We must support them and provide them with the requisite tools to help them defend the values of tolerance and respect for others.

Under the inspiration of the late President Hugo Chávez Frías and as part of our 1999 constitutional process, the Bolivarian Constitution guarantees the broadest human rights for our people and establishes gender equality, while also banning any kind of discrimination against women, whether on religious, racial or ethnic grounds. We do not tolerate any kind of exclusion or violence against women.

Chile was the first Latin American country to have an action plan in 2009 on the safety and protection of women in armed conflicts. That commitment was reaffirmed in a second national plan of action announced by the President of the Republic Michelle Bachelet on International Women’s Day on 8 March. This second plan defines four areas and objectives that we would like to share as good practice: prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery. We have incorporated quantitative indicators and designated institutions responsible for their implementation in order to enhance transparency and accountability.

A joint effort by States is the best way of achieving the principles of resolution 1325 (2000). Such is the spirit of today’s debate. The Council can count on Colombia in this endeavour to address and overcome the persistent challenges around the world that are hampering progress on the agenda set forth in resolution 1325 (2000).

To remedy this disparity, the inclusion of women in peace and security processes must go beyond checking a box marked “women”. Costa Rica believes that the full and effective participation of women means much more than inserting women in the existing security structures and concepts. The original intention of resolution 1325 (2000) was never to promote women soldiers, but rather to reap the rewards obtained when women are granted space to participate as equals in the search for solutions.

Gender perspective continues to be taken into account also as a cross-cutting target within projects in countries such as Iraq, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Syria and Ukraine. In addition to traditional means of foreign policy, the Czech Republic uses a financial instrument aimed at supporting democracy and human rights, the so-called transition promotion programme, which makes use of our recent experiences with the social transition and democratization of the country. Gender mainstreaming belongs to the cross- cutting principle reflected in that programme.

We welcome the high-level review of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) as an invaluable occasion to reflect on the current status of the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda, and to make concrete commitments to its full realization. Croatia can attest from its own experience to the devastating effects of war on women and girls, and attaches particular importance to their protection and empowerment. Although we know that women are more likely to suffer in times of conflict, by no means does that imply that they should be reduced to being victims only. Indeed, women are powerful agents of peace and security, and their political participation is a path towards development, as well as for good governance and democracy. That is why we need more women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as in the maintenance of a sustainable and inclusive peace.

We will take measures to tackle the underrepresentation of women in political decision- making in order to achieve more balanced participation by women and men in Croatian political bodies and institutions at all levels. We commit to increase the number of female heads of Croatia’s diplomatic representations. We will accord high priority to the visibility of gender and women and peace and security-related policy and action at national and local levels, as well as ensure coordination among the relevant national actors.

The year 2015 has given the international community an unparalleled opportunity to reiterate the importance of the implementation of women’s and girls’ rights. We are celebrating today 15 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) and, recently, 20 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action. In addition newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (resolution 70/1) encourage us to take a look at how women are affected by each of the 17 Goals.

As an illustration of our strong commitment to the advancement of women, in collaboration with the United Nations and the European Union, on 9 and 10 November we plan to organize an international high-level conference on meeting gender equality challenges and opportunities in the European Neighbourhood Policy in Tbilisi, Georgia. We believe that the empowerment of women stands at the centre of sustainable development. In that regard, we once again welcome the stand-alone and cross-cutting gender equality Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly 70/1), adopted at the Sustainable Development Summit last month.

Hungary strongly supported the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, and the subsequent resolutions on that topic. We know that numerous initiatives and actions have been launched during the past 15 years aimed at enhancing the effective participation of women in peace processes, as well as their empowerment in peacemaking and post-conflict situations.

Hungary financed, on a bilateral basis, a gender- based training workshop in Kenya aimed at developing the security sector within the framework of our international development cooperation strategy. We have also supported UN-Women programmes, one in the Western Balkans on advancing the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, and one in Kenya for improving security and enhancing leadership for crisis-affected women and girls. Hungary also contributed to the construction of a secondary school for girls in Afghanistan.

Financing is of course key. We have heard proposals that at least 15 per cent of peacekeeping funding should be directed towards the objectives of resolution 1325 (2000). From our point of view, 15 per cent should be seen as an absolute floor, not the ceiling. As to Iceland, over 20 per cent of our contributions towards peacebuilding in 2014 had gender equality and women’s empowerment as their primary objective. That is a level we intend to maintain over the coming years, along with ensuring that other contributions strengthen gender equality and women’s empowerment in a significant way. In that respect, 71 per cent of Iceland’s total contributions towards peacebuilding in 2014 had gender equality and women’s empowerment as the primary, or at least a significant, objective.

Women are a key resource for promoting peace and stability. Research has shown that women’s participation and inclusion make humanitarian assistance more effective, strengthen the protection of civilians, contribute to the political settlement of disputes and the maintenance of sustainable peace, and accelerate economic recovery. Today, we find ourselves at a turning point in the cause of women and girls. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, all remind us that there is a strong, direct relationship between sustainable peace and security and sustainable development, and that women and girls must be at the forefront of programmes designed to encourage development, peace and security.

In closing, I would like to stress that my delegation believes that organizing a debate such as this in the Council should not undermine the work of the United Nations bodies that are most relevant to the consideration of women-related issues, that is, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly.

These challenges affirm the need for the strengthening of conflict-prevention, early- warning and early-action mechanisms, especially by the Security Council. Latvia believes that the findings of the global study, together with the other two ongoing United Nations reviews of peace operations and the peacebuilding architecture, can contribute to the strengthened United Nations response to conflicts and the recognition of the special role of women in all areas of peace and security decision-making. We support the synergies among all three United Nations reviews.

The economic empowerment of women and adolescent girls continues to be supported through microcredit, agricultural schemes and training iin business and life skills. To complement the active participation of women at the national level, the Government has integrated a gender perspective into the decentralization process, which will open up opportunities for women to serve in leadership positions at subnational and local levels. Clearly, much has been achieved, but so much more needs to be done. Many challenges persist, and are impediments to the resolution’s successful implementation in Liberia.

What can be done? Education is essential in empowering women with knowledge, skills and self- confidence. Unfortunately, in many conflicts, attacks on schools and the freedom of thought are a common reality. Furthermore, the development of quota systems could, in some cases, provide positive impetus for increased women’s involvement. The inclusion of women in Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference was instrumental in achieving a commitment that 30 per cent of places in the Parliament must be reserved for women. In Afghanistan, a quota system ensured that 28 per cent of seats in the Parliament now belong to women. That gives them an opportunity to influence major political decisions.

Each State and each international or regional organization has a role to play in advancing the role of women in the interest of peace and security. But the Security Council must also fulfil the role it has taken on in adopting this historic resolution 15 years ago. It must show political will and courage. We hope that the new resolution, of which Luxembourg is one of the sponsors, can contribute to that outcome, in particular through the creation of the informal group of experts that will assist the Council to integrate more systematically the questions of women and peace and security in its work. The call to action we are launching today can succeed only if we are all willing to hear the appeal and if everyone is ready to act.

We must build on the considerable progress that has already been made on the women and peace and security agenda. With their assistance and experience, the United Nations agencies and the organizations in the field, particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross, have made a substantial contribution by implementing our commitments and sharing their expertise. The determination of all these actors, to whom Monaco pays tribute, has helped to mobilize the international community as a whole. That collective effort is crucial if we are to achieve gender equality, empower women and girls and promote effective institutions, peaceful societies and access to justice, all Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To that end, we recognize that educating girls and women and supporting civil society are priorities.

Despite some signs of progress, the impact on women’s lives and on their role in the world has been sporadic. Conf licts have devastating consequences for everyone, but women and girls are often the target of gender-based violence and are those most excluded from the political processes that are essential to guaranteeing peace and security. Because women are the most vulnerable and the most frequently targeted members of populations in situations of conflict, they have an undeniable and unique contribution to make to peace negotiations. Members of the Council will note that the experience of both Haiti and West Africa has proven that, when women are involved in peace processes, they have been able to bring their sensitivity and creativity not only to the peace process itself but also to national reconciliation efforts and the process of socioeconomic reintegration.

Conflict prevention is an essential element of the women and peace and security programme. Women’s perspectives on the tensions in social relationships, their awareness of threats to personal, social and community safety, their knowledge of the flow of small arms and light weapons in the heart of communities, and their interpretation of extremism in local discourse help shape the primary mechanism for rapid response and early warning when conflict is imminent; yet they are rarely heeded or taken into account by the local authorities tasked with security.

The potential of women to facilitate the process of conflict resolution and peacebuilding is often unrealized, thus undermining the effectiveness and sustainability of peace initiatives. Experience shows that female experts can provide additional lines of communication to local communities that are not open to male soldiers. They help in building trust and confidence, and they can draw attention to the specific needs of women and girls, including for basic services and health and education.

The fifteenth anniversary of the Council’s landmark resolution 1325 (2000) presents us with the opportunity to review the progress made and strengthen our resolve to address the remaining challenges in alleviating the impact of conflicts on women and girls. As the global study has indicated, the nature of warfare today is changing. Today, conflicts are becoming more complex, and the number of major conflicts has risen drastically. Brutal extremist terrorism has raised its ugly head and become a major threat to global peace and security. Due to their vulnerability, women and children are the first group to bear the brunt of violent conflict. It has therefore become all the more urgent to revitalize our collective efforts to better protect women in conflict.

Nepal has been closely engaged in the Council’s work on women and peace and security from its inception, and has remained true to its commitments to the cause, both at home and globally. Nepal has been implementing resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) through a dedicated national action plan and with appropriate mechanisms at the local, district, and national levels. As the first such effort in South Asia, our action plan was the product of a transparent, inclusive and nationwide consultations process. It is now a central instrument articulating the country’s programmes on women and peace and security.

It is urgent that we break that spiral, and resolution 1325 (2000), we believe, contains the key to addressing these challenges. The thinking behind the resolution lies at the very heart of current Dutch policies on aid, trade, security and human rights, and it is paramount for our partnerships for peace, justice and development. Before the end of this year, we will issue our third national action plan, the product of a unique platform on which the Government has worked with more than 50 civil society organizations. We are providing €4 million a year to carry out the plan, supporting organizations on the ground that work to protect and politically empower women in conflict situations. We provide both diplomatic and financial support to Syrian women’s efforts to present their views on their country’s future in international forums. Women take centre stage in our vision of the future.

But over the next 15 years, the world’s fate will be largely determined by whether or not women succeed in taking their rightful place in history. Do we want to achieve our global goals? Fight inequality? Create lasting peace? We need the women of the world to do that. Let us therefore all step up our support to organizations like Karama, a regional non- governmental organization based in Cairo that works throughout the Middle East in coalition with hundreds of partners to end violence against women.

Fifteen years ago, the Netherlands, as a member of the Security Council at the time, was one of the main advocates of resolution 1325 (2000). I was personally involved then and feel very strongly about it. Now we are aspiring to become a Security Council member again, partly in order to support increasing the pace of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its successor, resolution 2242 (2015). We think we have something to offer — the desire and the capacity to stand up and invest in women who are the drivers of change. It is time, as Elvis Presley put it in one of his many classic songs, for “A little less conversation, [and] a little more action”.

At another level, we need to move beyond a security driven approach to conflict resolution. The recognition of women’s rights and perspectives must be a part of all programmes and policies for conflict resolution and post-conflict development. Women must be able to play a meaningful and integral part in conflict resolution processes and outcomes. What does that mean in practice? It means that women must be advisers, negotiators, decision-makers and implementers, as well as receivers of a peace process, if it is to have any meaningful chance of success.

Another vital aspect of the women and peace and security agenda for the Organization, in particular, is to deal effectively with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by our own people. It is a stain on the work of the United Nations and of the Council that allegations of such behaviour by United Nations peacekeepers continue to be made with a frequency and particularity that brook no easy dismissal. We have taken some satisfaction from the Secretary-General’s strong statements that such behaviours will not be tolerated and that perpetrators will be held criminally to account. We agree that there must be a means for ensuring that troop- and police-contributing countries exercise criminal jurisdiction over their nationals participating in United Nations operations when such allegations are made. We also agree with the high-level advisory group that States that do not live up to this should not be allowed to participate in future peacekeeping operations. Most of all, we insist that effective action be taken. This, too, is a problem that we must all own if it is to be dealt with effectively.

We have learned that political will and budget lines can put gender on the agenda, even in times of war. That is why Norway has earmarked funds to implement the women and peace and security agenda on the ground. For several years, we have allocated approximately $4 million to the work of civil society organizations. Ten percent of the resources spent on peace and reconciliation efforts in focus countries are to be allocated to efforts pertaining to women and peace and security. Approximately $3.6 million is earmarked specifically for the integration of the gender perspective in our humanitarian assistance in 2015.

Despite the significant achievements, significant gaps and challenges remain. Those include the leadership and political participation of women in decision-making, women’s involvement in peace efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, insufficient resources and funds, lack of disaggregated data, forced displacement exacerbated by persistent armed conflict, and continuing unprecedented levels of sexual violence and assault. Meeting those challenges is critical to making progress in the women and peace and security agenda. It requires a multistakeholder approach involving actors at the global, regional, subregional and national levels. Communities, civil society and individuals also have a pivotal role to play.

We acknowledge the contributions of civil society organizations as partners in peacebuilding, prevention and the management and resolution of disputes. The Nigerian Government will continue to engage them as key stakeholders and partners in the women and peace and security agenda.

Nigeria remains fully and firmly committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations. We shall work assiduously to enhance the participation of women in peace and security initiatives. We are determined to reinforce and implement the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) and, within that context, to address the factors that impact negatively on the lives of women and girls.

In conclusion, if we are to achieve the development we desire, we need a more feminine vision of the world. Yes, such a vision will come mainly from women, but also from engaged and informed men. The participation of 100 per cent of our people in every last phase of the search for lasting peace and security will finally release the human potential to resolve the most pressing issues we face. Perhaps the most important reference in the resolution adopted today is its last line — the Security Council “decides to remain actively seized of thematter”.

Pakistan’s adherence to the ideals of empowering women and protecting their rights stems from our faith, our Constitution and the vision of our founding fathers, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who famously said: “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless women are side by side with men”. It was my country that earned the distinction of electing the first female Prime Minister in the entire Muslim world. We therefore support Security Council efforts to pursue its women and peace and security agenda in accordance with its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

Similarly, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations has developed a registry of internally displaced persons, which has made it possible to protect the rights of women and girls in conflict and post- conflict situations. Likewise, through a law enacted in 2005, my country established a comprehensive reparations plan for the victims of acts of violence that occurred between 1980 and 2000. The national plan to combat violence against women incorporated the topic of sexual violence in the context of armed conflict, calling for its inclusion in regional policies throughout the country. The plan calls for the inclusion of all forms of sexual violence within the ambit of the comprehensive reparations plan, in particular that inflicted on women victimized during the period of terrorist violence.

In 2015, our country has enjoyed the highest percentage of female participation in awareness programmes and training for peace operations. Some 27 per cent of participants are women, and we hope to see this percentage increase through the efforts of the relevant institutions to promote the greater participation of women in the contingents of peacekeeping missions in which Paraguay is a participant. The main obstacles that prevent women’s full participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding can bee linked to gender-based discrimination and women’s economic and social exclusion, situations that entail the denial of women’s rights. That is why it is so important to work to strengthen women’s human rights from a perspective that includes devoting attention to their economic, social and cultural rights.

The past five years have enabled us to weave a meticulous overlay of legal frameworks, implementation structures, institutional mandates and, of course, as always, personal passions and inclusive and intergenerational intentions. We must ensure that the national action plan that we have begun to weave will endure the forthcoming transition to a new Administration in 2016. Its strands, emanating from strategic programmes of national and local implementing agencies, must be strengthened and enhanced in both protecting and empowering women, with the aim of bringing all Philippine internal armed conflicts to a peaceful, just and lasting end. The national action plan should be useful. It should be durable. It should make a difference one can feel on one’s skin.

At the institutional level, Rwanda’s security organs, in collaboration with other Government agencies, local communities and civil society, have launched initiatives to protect and respond to violence that targets women and girls. The one-stop centres, which are shelters run by the national police, offer, inter alia, a wide range of free services for victims of gender-based violence, as do gender desks nationwide — in police stations, army posts and offices of the national prosecution agency — which have been set up to offer gender- sensitive services to victims.

In the international arena, Rwanda is among the leading police-contributing countries for female police and correctional officers in United Nations peace-support and peacekeeping missions. These officers actively contribute to combating and raising awareness on violence against women in the communities they serve. Similarly, during the 2015 peacekeeping summit, Rwanda pledged, inter alia, to deploy an all-women police unit in the United Nations peacekeeping apparatus. Currently, we have 198 female officers; next week 33 more will be deployed to the Central African Republic.

Based on its firm commitment to the goals and objectives of the resolution, in 2010, my country adopted a national action plan to implement resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security in the Republic of Serbia over the period 2010-2015. Its seven chapters, encompassing seven general goals, 15 specific goals and 106 activities, have been successfully implemented over the past five years. The action plan established a structure of gender-equality institutions and mechanisms, such as the Government’s political council, the governmental multisector coordination body, the National Assembly Committee on Gender Equality, analytical groups and research teams, counsellors and ministers/directors for gender equality, which have been established, for the time being, only within the defence and security system. It also established a colleague-assistance mechanism, called a “person of trust”. The structure incorporated the standards of the United Nations, European Union and NATO Partnership for Peace programme in the field of gender equality.

The anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) presents us with a unique opportunity to reflect upon our activities over the past 15 years and to renew our commitments. Slovenia has been active in promoting the women and peace and security agenda in various forums. We are a member of the informal group of friends of resolution 1325 (2000) within NATO and of the EU informal task force for its implementation. In 2014, Slovenia hosted the third seminar of the Initiative on Mediation in the Mediterranean, which addressed the role of women in mediation. In September, the Bled Strategic Forum discussed ending sexual violence in conflict. Most of Slovenia’s activities on the women and peace and security agenda have been carried out as part of the implementation of the 2010-2015 national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008).

My fifth and last point is that good practices, challenges and lessons learned must be documented by all stakeholders. It is also of critical importance to secure State-level and political buy-in and commitment in the form of financial and human resources. The collection of statistics and data is pertinent to developing policies that are inclusive of women and responsive to women’s needs. That will, no doubt, ensure contributions to the already existing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms with regard to resolution 1325 (2000). A mentoring and coaching mechanism for women must also be established as a support mechanism. Mentoring is critical in sharing experiences and therefore ensures that new recruits mature in the process.

ASEAN commends the Spanish presidency of the Council for convening this high-level review of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. We thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2015/716) and the Executive Director of UN-Women for her insightful briefing. This high- level review provides us with an opportunity to look back at the past 15 years, and more importantly, to map out how the important agenda of women and peace and security can be brought forward in a more forceful and effective manner.

Most importantly, we believe that it is vital to address the root causes that give rise to
violence and conflict, such as poverty, inequality and injustice. Women have an
indispensable role to play in building inclusive and peaceful societies. ASEAN therefore
calls for the full and effective implementation of the inspiring, universal and
transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution
70/1), recognizing its strong interlinkages with the women and peace and security
agenda.

However, much more needs to be done to translate normative progress into results on the ground. We should strive to change the traditional conceptual framework in which "security" tends to be a man's narrative. Recognizing that women participation in all peace and security efforts offers important advantages is crucial for achieving progress on the issue. Gender inclusive peacekeeping, peace making and peace building can contribute effectively to the maintenance of international peace and security. Women need to be included in the decision making of all stages of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation processes.

My delegation encourages the United Nations and its Member States to recruit more women for preventive diplomacy, mediation efforts, peacekeeping missions and peacebuilding processes. Women bring specific and at times decisive contributions necessary in such critical areas, helping to foster good relations with the local communities and to build trust among parties in conflict, elements that are essential to the success of any diplomatic effort and conflict resolution.

Honduras believes women are the missing and critical link in our global pact to attain sustainable development through a culture of peace. More than half the world's population cannot be relegated or marginalized from decisions and events that affect their lives and those of the next generations entrusted to them. Women by moral and human right must exercise their freedom, liberty, and choice in becoming equal participants and partners in issues related to conflict prevention, resolution and recovery. The only means to fully empower women is by women empowering themselves through their full exercise of economic and political rights - which are fundamental to dignity, security and well-being for all.

Denmark remains as committed to implement SCR 1325 as ever. Denmark was among the first countries to formulate a national action plan for implementing this resolution and last yearwe adoptedour third national actionplan (2014-2019). We emphasize using the untapped potential of women. We seek to involve women actively, on an equal basis, in prevention and resolution o f conflicts, peace negotiations, peace building and peace keeping, humanitarian response and in post conflict reconstruction. And we commit to concrete actions in order to achieve these ends.

Women too often continue to remain unequally involved in peace, security, particularly in political and decision-making processes, and are also the target of sexual and gender based violence. Women, thus, have a great stake in peace processes and conflict prevention since they still suffer the most painful wounds of a conflict, whether or not they participate in them. The positive role women can play in such processes of conflict prevention and resolution is often ignored instead ofutilized.

Essential work is being carried out for the reintegration of internally displaced women into society and the promotion of their participation in political, economic and public life in Azerbaijan. Recently Azerbaijan launched a regional project on the theme “Women for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the South Caucasus”, aimed at strengthening advocacy work for an increased role of Azerbaijani women in decision-making in conflict prevention and resolution at the national, regional and international levels.

The prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes is always the best and most appropriate tool for preventing the harmful and devastating effects of armed conflicts on the civilian population, particularly on women and children. It is therefore essential to halt the training, equipping and supporting of non-State actors and extremists, who are used as instruments of political destabilization to overthrow Governments, acting in service to the geopolitical ambitions of foreign actors, and in most cases, they serve only to incite the commission of atrocities, acting with impunity against women and children. Such groups today have covered Africa and the Middle East in blood. They are motivated by extremist ideologies that target women and girls in the most abhorrent and unacceptable way.

Given the importance that my country places in compliance with this resolution, I am pleased to inform Council members that El Salvador has made efforts at the Government level, with the support of friendly countries and international organizations, to set up our national committee for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions. The members of the committee were sworn in on 12 November 2014, and the committee incorporates in its structure 17 Government organizations, the public ministry, academia and civil society. Its main objective is to propose policies and standards that ensure compliance with the resolutions and to ensure that we enhance the representation of women at all levels of the decision-making processes of national institutions and mechanisms, as well as national, regional and international institutions for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

Against that backdrop, one finding of the recent report of the Secretary-General (S/ 2015/716) is especially significant: the prevention of conflicts and the women and peace and security agenda are directly linked. That is why Germany will continue to push for the political empowerment of women and provide adequate capacity-building and incentives. A case in point is our long-standing effort to facilitate the inclusion of women in the peace dialogues in Colombia and in the Philippines.

Women play a crucial role in conflict prevention and resolution, the promotion of justice, the promotion of reconciliation and the rebuilding of national institutions — all essential pillars for the consolidation of lasting peace. The involvement of women in decision- making processes at all levels is important.

At the same time, it is already evident that this dangerous ideology and its consequences cannot be contained in a single region and in one way or another can easily affect other regions near and far. It is very unfortunate that women and girls have also been disproportionately victimized by bombings in Yemen and violence in Syria and elsewhere. Iran strongly condemns the barbaric acts of terrorist and violent extremist groups and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including women and children. We support the Secretary-General’s commitment to preparing and presenting his promised plan of action to prevent violent extremism and his intention to cite the participation, leadership and empowerment of women as key factors in addressing the drivers of extremist violence.

Based on our national experience, we embraced resolution 1325 (2000) and set out to apply it within our domestic context. In 2009, Liberia was the first country in Africa to complete the formulation of its five-year national action plan to give meaning to the resolution. The plan was developed as the framework to drive the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) at the national level. It rests upon four pillars, namely, protection, prevention, participation and empowerment and promotion.

We commend the Secretary-General for his renewed initiatives to promote greater representation of women in United Nations senior leadership, mediation teams and peacekeeping missions, as well as to promote better coordination among United Nations entities in mainstreaming the issue of women and peace and security.

In implementing this agenda in the immediate and short term, Malaysia intends to focus on capacity- building in the areas of protection and conflict prevention. United Nations Blue Helmets undertake a crucial aspect of protection efforts in conflict and post-conflict situations. We also fully support the implementation of mandatory predeployment training for peacekeepers on preventing sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.

Conflict prevention is an essential element of the women and peace and security programme. Women’s perspectives on the tensions in social relationships, their awareness of threats to personal, social and community safety, their knowledge of the flow of small arms and light weapons in the heart of communities, and their interpretation of extremism in local discourse help shape the primary mechanism for rapid response and early warning when conflict is imminent; yet they are rarely heeded or taken into account by the local authorities tasked with security.

We can take some satisfaction that, over the past 15 years, we have made progress in ensuring that the women and peace and security agenda is taken into account in international conflict prevention and resolution efforts. That in itself is no small achievement. However, words in resolutions and other documents, even in mandate formulations, only take us so far. As we have heard today, we need to focus on practical steps to improve the situation for women on the ground, rather than just achieving rhetoric. The issue is not new, but the landscape continues to change and, sadly, is worsening. Rising violent extremism, increased numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, and combatants who take no account of the civilians in their midst all affect women and girls disproportionately. The targeted use of sexual and gender-based violence by terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram, as part of a deliberate strategy, is a horrendous new development.

Nigeria welcomes the opportunity to reflect on the broad progress made in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda 15 years after the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000). Periodic reviews of this nature could help in galvanizing action and resources to address existing challenges and gaps in advancing the role of women within the context of the global peace and security architecture. We also welcome the positive developments achieved at the strategic and operational levels across the pillars of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery in implementing the women and peace and security agenda.

Despite the significant achievements, significant gaps and challenges remain. Those include the leadership and political participation of women in decision-making, women’s involvement in peace efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, insufficient resources and funds, lack of disaggregated data, forced displacement exacerbated by persistent armed conflict, and continuing unprecedented levels of sexual violence and assault. Meeting those challenges is critical to making progress in the women and peace and security agenda. It requires a multistakeholder approach involving actors at the global, regional, subregional and national levels. Communities, civil society and individuals also have a pivotal role to play.

At the national level, in August 2013 Nigeria launched a national action plan to fully implement the relevant provisions of resolution 1325 (2000). The plan reflects the federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the security of women and girls during armed conflict and enhancing their active and direct participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We are also committed to the provisions of resolution 1820 (2008) on ending acts of sexual violence against women in conflict situations.

We acknowledge the contributions of civil society organizations as partners in peacebuilding, prevention and the management and resolution of disputes. The Nigerian Government will continue to engage them as key stakeholders and partners in the women and peace and security agenda.

Nigeria remains fully and firmly committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations. We shall work assiduously to enhance the participation of women in peace and security initiatives. We are determined to reinforce and implement the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) and, within that context, to address the factors that impact negatively on the lives of women and girls.

Peru looks favourably on the inclusion in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1) of a Goal designed to achieve gender parity and the empowerment of women and girls. In that regard, we believe that the challenge that we most urgently need to address is the implementation of measures to achieve full respect for women and girls in line with resolution 1325 (2000), through which the international community recognized the pressing need to offer specialized training on the protection, special needs and human rights of women and children in situations of conflict around the world.

The most important Security Council resolution on the role of women in peacebuilding and conflict prevention is now 15 years old. The Republic of Paraguay joins the commemoration of the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000). The resolution is important not only because it is the first to point out the inextricable link between gender equality and the participation of women in international peace and security, but also because it recognizes the particular impact of armed conflict on women and the role they play in peace processes and post-war rehabilitation.

The Republic of Paraguay, which has participated actively in peacekeeping operations since 1993, reaffirms its commitment to prevention, protection and the participation of women before, during and, where necessary, after conflicts. In this regard, the Government of Paraguay, taking into account its international commitments to contributing to peacebuilding and the need to integrate the gender perspective into conflict prevention, management and resolution, recently finalized its national action plan, which will allow it to implement the mandates set out in resolution 1325 (2000). The national action plan, which will be officially released later this month, is the fruit of the efforts and coordination carried out by various national institutions since 2012, including the Ministry of Women, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, with the valuable support and continuing assistance of UN-Women, of which we are a faithful ally.

History has not failed to remind us about the scars and wounds of war, deeply etched in humankind’s soul, with war’s trail of blood that always leads to a bleeding woman’s doorstep and a weeping child’s nightmare. The time has come for all Governments to ensure that women are given a greater role in preventing armed conflict or, once it has broken out, in resolving it and ensuring its enduring and inclusive peace dividends.

In the Philippines, we are now striving to accomplish both. Our current endeavours draw their context from long decades of an internal armed conflict involving various armed fronts, and our current peace agenda involves five peace tables. The signing by the Philippine Government of the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on 27 March 2014 was historic, not only because it signalled the end of a long-standing war in the Southern Philippines, but also because it is the first agreement of its kind in the world to bear the signature of a total of three women, who accounted for one half of the negotiating panel of the Government and about one fourth of the total number of its signatories. It is the first such agreement to bear the signature of a woman as chief negotiator, Ms. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

Moreover, 69 per cent of the secretariat of the Government panel, including its head, and 60 per cent of the legal team, including its head, are women. The heads of those bodies are under the ages of 35 and 30 years, respectively. The Government panel has committed to enforce the right of women to “meaningful political participation and protection from all forms of violence” in its source document, the framework agreement, which yielded concrete, gender-sensitive provisions in the agreement’s four annexes, as well as in the draft Bangsamoro basic law, now pending approval in our Congress. Today, women representatives in Congress are among the staunchest champions of the proposed law, while, on the side of the executive branch, a woman co-chairs the joint normalization committee, which oversees multiple security, transitional justice and socioeconomic interventions aimed at ensuring that peace will endure — not only in the law, but on the ground.

In addition, although it is believed that no country can fully reach gender equality, Rwanda, driven by strong leadership and unfailing political will to improve the status of women, took some ground-breaking initiatives in the form of commitments that will lead to tackling this ambitious goal. Indeed, enormous strides have already been taken, ranging from breaking the world record for the highest female representation in a Parliament — at 64 per cent currently — and in other organs, such as the 43 per cent in the Cabinet and nearly 50 per cent in the judiciary, but also in recognizing women as critical actors in prevention, mediation, protection, conflict management and resolution, as well as in reconciliation processes.

I would like to conclude by noting that this landmark year of the triple review of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding together with the high- level review of resolution 1325 (2000) will continue spur action worldwide in fulfilling the imperative to better protect women, especially in conflict and post- conflict situations. Rwanda has already embarked on that irreversible path and is committed to developing a holistic approach to conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, mainly by ensuring the active participation by and protection of women.

I would like to conclude by noting that this landmark year of the triple review of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding together with the high- level review of resolution 1325 (2000) will continue spur action worldwide in fulfilling the imperative to better protect women, especially in conflict and post- conflict situations. Rwanda has already embarked on that irreversible path and is committed to developing a holistic approach to conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, mainly by ensuring the active participation by and protection of women.

Since 2000, we have made significant progress in many areas. But we still have much work to do. I would like to mention just a few areas that we should give more attention to. They include supporting women’s participation in all peace and security processes including, among other things, all justice and mediation components; strengthening our efforts to increase women’s engagement and advancement throughout the security sector, particularly in the areas of security sector reform and emphasizing conflict prevention; engaging women in key political and decision-making processes, upholding the rule of law and implementing non-discriminatory laws, policies and practices. We should also support new regional and national action plans on women and peace and security and review existing ones by, among other things, establishing inter-agency coordination systems. And we should make a dedicated effort to advance the inclusion of women in endeavours to counter violent extremism, including engagement in preventive and educational activities for youth.

Secondly, at the heart of the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) is the need to address sexual violence in conflict, which is an integral aspect of the overall women and peace and security agenda. Member States have the primary responsibility to put an end to impunity and to prosecute perpetrators responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including those relating to sexual violence against women and girls. South Africa appreciates the active role and full participation by the Executive Director of UN-Women and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict in monitoring implementation. As stated before, my delegation would like to encourage the Security Council to develop a broader framework of prevention, for example by explicitly referencing sexual violence in conflict in all relevant country- specific resolutions.

Those challenges, new and old, necessitate a stronger commitment and more determined and coordinated actions from the international community. ASEAN believes that the women and peace and security agenda must be placed within the broader framework of conflict prevention and resolution.

Peacekeeping operations and prevention and mediation efforts are two concrete examples. In the past, we might have thought that applying a gender focus to peacekeeping operations simply meant deploying a greater number of women on the ground or increasing the number of women in the armed forces. While that is still a priority, a broader concept of gender equality now allows us to realize that all the activities of a given operation — including patrols and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, security sector reform, the promotion of the rule of law and the effective enjoyment of human rights — should take into account the specific needs of women and should recognize the importance of their participation in interaction with local communities.

Over the past fifteen years, there have been seven Security Council Resolutions demonstrating the international commitment to the principles of protection, prevention, participation and gender mainstreaming.

Yet, despite progress at the normative level, fifteen years after the establishment of the Women Peace and Security Agenda, women continue to remain largely excluded from peace, security and political processes, while women leaders and human rights defenders are still being targeted.

These major priorities have been incorporated into our National Programme of Action for Substantive Gender Equality which covers a wide range of public policies at national and regional levels, aiming at empowering women and girls and promoting their participation in all policy fields on an equal basis. The National P r o g r a m m e o f A c t i o n f o c u s e s on s p e c i f i c a c t i o n s t a r g e t i n g thematic areas, where women and girls are under-represented or mostly affected, such as violence, employment and decision making.

1. Increase the participation of Women and integrate gender equality into all stages of peacebuilding processes, including at all decision-making levels;

2. Ensure the Training and Empowerment of all Women, girls and boys in peacebuilding processes, both in gender equality and gender-based violence, as well as other relevant aspects of Resolutions 1325 and 1820;

3. Promote and protect the human rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as their economic and social empowerment and participation in civil society, taking into account the need to prevent and eliminate gender- and conflict-based violence in conflict situations, and promote the empowerment of women;

4. Deepen and spread knowledge about the theme "Women, Peace and Security", including training and raising awareness in all ministerial departments, the civil society, and among political decision makers;

5. Promote the participation of the civil society in the implementation of Resolution 1325;
6. Promote the socio-economic development of rural communities, raise awareness of their rights, increase food security and contribute to poverty eradication;
7. Include a gender perspective in the national budget with a view to fulfilling the commitments set in Resolution 1325.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense has adopted an Action Plan aimed at implementing the seven resolutions in the field of women, peace and security. Based on our Constitutional provisions, it promotes a fair and balanced access of men and women, military or civilian personnel, to both senior-level and executive positions. As a result, we have women who reached the rank of general and, starting with 2009, there is an increased number of military female staff participating in international missions. Furthermore, women from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were deployed in UN, OSCE and EU peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions.

Due to this major shortcoming, the elaborate normative framework and the Secretary General's 7-Point Action Plan on gender-responsive peacebuilding, has not been achieved. The United Nations must encourage the full and meaningful participation and leadership of women in the decision making processes of conflict prevention, conflict-resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. In this context, our pioneering role in Liberia, where India became the first UN member state to send an all-female peacekeeping unit illustrates what we are calling for.

Last and most significant, only through consciousness and recognition of women and their role and impact in culture and heritage and we inherit a culture of peace to the next generations. Women share strong bonds with traditions which trace back to ancient civilizations. The indigenous woman, who is susceptible to social cultural barriers, is wise and knowledgeable and shares the aches and pain o f mother earth.

The Global Study also provides unequivocal evidence that full and equal participation of women at all levels, especially in decision-making and conflict resolution, is essential for the establishment and maintenance of peace. However, ensuring meaningful participation of women will only be possible if we change attitudes and make sure everybody is on board - including men and boys. Harmful stereotypes and violent ideas of manhood persist in many parts of the world. The only way to change cultural patterns is to educate the young, before they adopt discriminatory attitudes towards women. We therefore commend projects such as the "Young Men Initiative" by Care International, reaching out to teenage boys in post-conflict situations; UNFPA's "husband schools", informing men and boys about the many benefits of preventing early pregnancies and keeping girls in schools; or Women Without Borders' work with mothers to combat violent extremism.

Today this debate is very important as it gives us the opportunity to review progress made since 2000. No doubt same remarkable progress has been made both at national and global levels. I therefore, believe as nations we have a lot to share around resolution 1325. Though the resolution is known as the one on Woman, Peace and Security, the main element is the importance ofworld peace. Therefore, the full and equal participation o f women at all level as subjects o f peace making and peace building is very central to sustainable world peace, for sustainable development to be achieved.

Those charged with leading and supporting peace processes, especially the UN Department of Peace Operations and regional bodies, should be committed to bring talented women to the peace processes where negotiations are conducted; and peace agreements signed and implemented. There is a need for the Security Council to move the agenda forward from the general calls to concrete directives on how the peacekeeping department should promote the participation of women as Special Envoys, Special Representatives, Peacekeepers, Mediators and Negotiators.

It is widely acknowledged that the absence o f women from early peace negotiations and reconstruction measures can have a long-lasting negative impact on development o f good governance. No society can afford the luxury o f leaving out half o f their population from decision-making processes.

Therefore, the SecurityCouncilmust send a strong messagein support ofwomen's political participation in peace and development processes to the benefit o f all women and men.

Denmark has identified a number of 1325 commitments of which I will just mention a few:

• We will focus on promoting women as peace-builders in Danish funded programmes in fragile and conflict-affected states,

• Our military deployments to peacekeeping missions will all receive mandatory training on the role o f gender in peace support operations,

• We will immediately investigate suspected criminal misconduct during deployments and when relevant ensure prosecution o f the alleged perpetrators,

• We will continue to focus on recruitment of Danish female police officers to international missions including for leadership functions.

(3) Capacity Enhancement
Thirdly, we must not tolerate impunity for security-related personnel perpetrating violence against women.
It is urgent to involve national military forces, the police and judiciary sectors with the Women, Peace and Security agenda in countries under conflicts situation. Capacity enhancement for those sectors is key. The international community should mobilize every possible means for supporting this objective.

Japan will increase its assistance to the office of Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative for the Secretary-General in charge of sexual violence in conflict, which is making tremendous efforts in this regard.

The Network calls upon member states, UN entities, regional and sub- regional organization to support member states in their efforts to implement resolution 1325. The Network also calls for greater efforts to promote and respect the human rights of both women and girls, as well as to strengthen the efforts that address gender-based violence through a people-centered approach. Specifically, this can be done by ensuring and implementing strategies that protect their integrity, and promoting women's representation at all decision-making levels and in mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution o f conflict.

Women's empowerment and participation are essential to any prevention and protection response. As such, strategies for effective integration of gender perspective should be pursued to promote women's empowerment and participation.

The importance of women's participation in peace processes as well as peacekeeping operations has been underlined in Resolution 1325. We call for greater recognition and support for their participation in all stages of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation processes so peace agreements can be reached and are more likely to last.

While addressing different aspects of the women and peace and security agenda, it is necessary to recognize the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conf licts, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, humanitarian responses and post-conflict reconstruction. We are called upon to focus on the importance of furthering the equal rights of women and their right to equal participation in decision-making.

Essential work is being carried out for the reintegration of internally displaced women into society and the promotion of their participation in political, economic and public life in Azerbaijan. Recently Azerbaijan launched a regional project on the theme “Women for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the South Caucasus”, aimed at strengthening advocacy work for an increased role of Azerbaijani women in decision-making in conflict prevention and resolution at the national, regional and international levels.

We are committed to completing a review of the Austrian national action plan, originally dating from 2007, by the end of 2016 — with the broad participation of civil society and women’s organizations — which will reflect findings of the United Nations high- level review. Our inter-ministerial working group on resolution 1325 (2000), which was established under the national action plan and works with civil society and women’s organizations, will organize at least one big public event per year.

Civil society efforts are also a critical element for the effective implementation of resolutions on women and peace and security. Austria, through its Development Cooperation, will spend more than €1 million in the next 3 years on its cooperation with civil society activists in that field.

First, Australia is committing an additional 4 million Australian dollars over three years to the Global Acceleration Instrument on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, bringing our total contribution to 5.5 million Australian dollars. This is in recognition of the fact that more is needed to support the critical role of women’s organizations in preventing and resolving conflict, building peace and ensuring relief and recovery.

Secondly, the women and peace and security agenda must be implemented across the military. Accordingly, the Australian Defence Force is deploying more women and increasing their number in senior decision-making roles; has introduced recruitment targets for women in non-traditional roles; and is developing a gender adviser and female engagement team capability. The Australian Defence Force will also provide a technical expert for women and peace and security to UN-Women for five years from 2016.

Women in Argentina make up 16 per cent of the military component, and therefore one important recent milestone was the promotion of the first woman in our military to the rank of general. We have also promoted the presence of women in the army’s infantry and cavalry, which were closed to women until 2012. The armed forces have created gender desks that work with the various military units and have strengthened gender focal points in order to conduct predeployment training of participants in peacekeeping operations.

In implementing resolution 1325 (2000), the Government of Albania identified and focused its efforts on several key objectives that take account of the need to enhance women’s leadership; increase the participation of women in political and public decisionmaking; increase the participation of women in the police and armed forces; and enhance the relevant programmes for professional training on gender issues and violence against women.

On the normative framework, the national action plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), adopted in 2011, provides for enhanced institutional gender capacities, which made it possible, starting that year, for eight women to participate in international peacekeeping operations.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), significant threats to global peace and security have emerged, the most prominent of which is the rise of violent extremism. The Balkans Regional Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, held in Tirana on 19 and 20 May 2015, recognized that women are both vulnerable to radicalization and have an important role to play in countering violent extremism.
The Summit further committed to integrating women into efforts to counter violent extremism and underscored the need to work together in the region to better understand the precise nature of violent extremist threats at the local and regional levels, including by promoting research, analysis and information-sharing on the drivers of violent extremism in all of its forms for all segments of society, including women and youth, and on how best to counter those drivers.

First, we must reinforce the participation of women and mainstream the gender perspective in conflict- resolution and peacekeeping operations. We must provide the necessary training for the mediators and envoys who participate in mediation and ceasefires and in achieving peace and preventive diplomacy. We must ensure that peace agreements include provisions to strengthen the role of women in conflict-resolution, such as the Algiers Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.

The fight against sexual violence is not limited to the United Nations. At the regional level, the African Union has adopted a its own solidarity initiative to promote international consultations on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. At the national level, Algeria, under the able leadership of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and in implementation of his programmes, has been working hard to reinforce its legal system and to review its laws on the protection and promotion of women at all levels, based on our belief in the effective role of women in achieving peace, promoting social equality and combating all forms of violence and inequality. Thanks to the Government’s belief in the effective role of women, Algerian women have made great strides within Algerian society. They participate in decision-making and in the political process. Algerian women currently represent 30 per cent of members of the Algerian Parliament and over 40 per cent of our judges. The chief justice of one of our most important courts is a woman. Algerian women also fought against colonialism and played a major role during the 1990s — the dark years — when they also contributed to reconciliation. They have also participated in the implementation of numerous development projects in my country.

The main pillars of resolution 1325 (2000) are ensuring women’s increased participation in decision-making; their involvement in mechanisms aimed at preventing, managing and resolving conflicts; their engagement in peace negotiations and their mainstreaming into peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, with an emphasis on training and raising awareness about sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Resolution 1325 (2000) and the subsequent seven resolutions that compose the women and peace and security agenda highlight how emergency and conflict situations seriously exacerbate threats to the human rights, dignity and welfare of women and girls, and the vital role of the meaningful participation of women and girls in furthering international peace and security.

Given that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the three target countries of Belgium’s national action plan, my delegation would like to thank Ms. Julienne Lusenge for her briefing on the situation in that country. Belgium actively supports the participation of women in that country and contributes to the implementation of the €2 million UN-Women project there that supports the rights and participation of Congolese women in the framework of resolution 1325 (2000).

In addition, women are underrepresented in forums devoted to peacebuilding and the prevention and resolution of conflicts. The situation provides clear evidence that, throughout recent years, genuine political commitment to the issue has been lacking. We are convinced that the participation and contributions of women at all levels, stages and areas related to conflict management are essential in order to prevent conflicts and achieve lasting peace. There can be no international peace and security if we do not include or have due consideration for and incorporate half of the world’s population, namely, women and girls.

Venezuela is a land of peace. We have no areas of armed conflict in our territory, and we do not participate in any. That is why our Bolivarian revolution is at the forefront of ensuring gender equality and empowering women so that they have the possibility of serving as leaders in our society. Our major battle is against poverty and exclusion. We understand clearly that women have a leading role to play in that fundamental development effort, because women embody and represent the spiritual foundation of our society and the umbilical cord to our culture and our future.

The prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes is always the best and most appropriate tool for preventing the harmful and devastating effects of armed conflicts on the civilian population, particularly on women and children. It is therefore essential to halt the training, equipping and supporting of non-State actors and extremists, who are used as instruments of political destabilization to overthrow Governments, acting in service to the geopolitical ambitions of foreign actors, and in most cases, they serve only to incite the commission of atrocities, acting with impunity against women and children. Such groups today have covered Africa and the Middle East in blood. They are motivated by extremist ideologies that target women and girls in the most abhorrent and unacceptable way.

Costa Rica stands firmly in support of holistic approaches that enable women to participate in addressing the root causes of conflict, but it is impossible to move forward without also ensuring justice for those who have been victims of the systemic violence that accompanies conflict and war. In 1998, during her tenure on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Costa Rican judge Elizabeth Odio Benito worked successfully to have rape and other forms of sexual assault be considered forms

of torture. Odio Benito’s interpretation, based on the case of two Serbian women who were raped in the Celebici detention camp, is now an accepted principle of international law.

I am pleased to say that Croatia has taken steps to integrate the gender perspective into its national foreign and security policy, into its national policy for the promotion of gender equality and its first national action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). Croatia is currently developing its second national plan, which is expected to be adopted by 2016. The new plan will cover both our domestic and international activities by setting out and strengthening specific measures in the prevention and protection spheres, and with regard to female representation in decision-making activities and processes related to security and peacebuilding.

We will take measures to tackle the underrepresentation of women in political decision- making in order to achieve more balanced participation by women and men in Croatian political bodies and institutions at all levels. We commit to increase the number of female heads of Croatia’s diplomatic representations. We will accord high priority to the visibility of gender and women and peace and security-related policy and action at national and local levels, as well as ensure coordination among the relevant national actors.

We have an historic opportunity to continue to promote the development of a focused agenda that prioritizes the value of women’s participation as an invaluable driving force to achieve sustainable peace and security. The main role played by women in social, economic and political development in our societies makes equal economic and political rights between men and women logical and correct, especially with respect to preventing and resolving international conflicts. We believe that if women have opportunities, they can contribute at every stage of a peace process, including peacebuilding.

On the basis of that acknowledgement, as a country we believe that it is a priority to work in order to achieve greater participation by women in the various peacekeeping operations. El Salvador is making efforts to be able to enhance the participation of women in the six peacekeeping missions in which we are participating, in accordance with what is stipulated in resolution 1325 (2000) and other subsequent Security Council resolutions.

We welcome the fact that the United Nations reviews — the global study and the reviews of peace operations and the peacebuilding architecture — bring conflict prevention and mediation to the fore and stress the importance of the participation and leadership of women. Finland continues to promote conflict prevention and the role of mediation, and strives to effectively and meaningfully involve women in peace and mediation processes. Finland is committed to a joint Nordic initiative called Nordic Women Mediator’s Network, to be established this year.

It is undisputed that increasing the number of women in peacekeeping operations enhances the effectiveness and operational capacity of these operations. Strengthening the gender architecture of peace operations, both in the field and at headquarters, is crucial. Finland will continue deploying women to peacekeeping operations as military experts in numbers at least equivalent to the proportion of women in our national defence forces. We also aim to increase the number of Finnish female police officers seconded to United Nations peacekeeping operations. As a new commitment, we stand ready to deploy a specialized unit of 3-4 female police officers to the United Nations by the end of 2016.

The full participation of women in peace negotiations is all the more important in that it ensures the inclusion of their concerns in peace agreements. Similarly, their involvement in preventing violence, peacekeeping and peacebuilding is necessary for the resolution of conflicts. With respect to the reform of peacekeeping operations currently under way, more women must be involved in the theatres of operations, in mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, and in the counseling necessary for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violence in society.

Against that backdrop, one finding of the recent report of the Secretary-General (S/ 2015/716) is especially significant: the prevention of conflicts and the women and peace and security agenda are directly linked. That is why Germany will continue to push for the political empowerment of women and provide adequate capacity-building and incentives. A case in point is our long-standing effort to facilitate the inclusion of women in the peace dialogues in Colombia and in the Philippines.

Hungary strongly supported the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, and the subsequent resolutions on that topic. We know that numerous initiatives and actions have been launched during the past 15 years aimed at enhancing the effective participation of women in peace processes, as well as their empowerment in peacemaking and post-conflict situations.

Financing is of course key. We have heard proposals that at least 15 per cent of peacekeeping funding should be directed towards the objectives of resolution 1325 (2000). From our point of view, 15 per cent should be seen as an absolute floor, not the ceiling. As to Iceland, over 20 per cent of our contributions towards peacebuilding in 2014 had gender equality and women’s empowerment as their primary objective. That is a level we intend to maintain over the coming years, along with ensuring that other contributions strengthen gender equality and women’s empowerment in a significant way. In that respect, 71 per cent of Iceland’s total contributions towards peacebuilding in 2014 had gender equality and women’s empowerment as the primary, or at least a significant, objective.

One of the key messages of the study is that women’s participation is the central to sustainable peace. We know that to be true from our own experience of sustaining peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. We will continue to share our own experience and to learn from the experiences of others.

Significant developments have taken place over the past 15 years. The normative framework for women, peace and security has been strengthened by seven follow-up resolutions to resolution 1325, with the latest resolution 2242 (2015) adopted this morning, which Latvia proudly co-sponsored. The empowerment of women and girls and respect for their human rights, as well as women’s full participation in decision-making processes, including in conf lict prevention and resolution, have been recognized as crucial contributors to peacemaking and peacebuilding. There has been an important change in the way the international community views and deals with conflict-related sexual violence.

Based on our national experience, we embraced resolution 1325 (2000) and set out to apply it within our domestic context. In 2009, Liberia was the first country in Africa to complete the formulation of its five-year national action plan to give meaning to the resolution. The plan was developed as the framework to drive the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) at the national level. It rests upon four pillars, namely, protection, prevention, participation and empowerment and promotion.

Secondly, the Government commits to ensuring that the outcome of the ongoing constitutional review process will guarantee and institutionalize women’s full and equal participation in governance and national affairs.

First, much too often, mediation and peace processes remain male-dominated. While women are disproportionately affected by conflict, their critical role in negotiating, keeping and building peace in their communities is often overlooked. In Syria, women’s voices remain a minority in attempts at peace talks. In Mali, only five out of every 100 participants in negotiations that led to the Accord on Peace and Reconciliation were women.

Lithuania has adopted measures to increase women’s representation at all levels of governance. Consistent and systematic long-term implementation of gender equality policies and concrete measures, coordination of actions and synergies of all the relevant stakeholders led to a number of concrete results. Women’s education rate stands at 90 per cent. Two of the country’s highest posts — that of the President and of the Speaker of the Parliament — are currently held by women. Female staff amount to 70 per cent of the public administration.

Our Government will remain a strong advocate for women’s representation at all levels of governance, especially in countries recovering from conflicts. Lithuania welcomes the Secretary-General’s commitment to earmarking at least 15 per cent of all United Nations peacebuilding spending for programmes that further promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Secondly, the spread of terrorism and violent extremism has had a horrendous impact on the lives of women and girls. While images and stories of Yazidi women being enslaved by Daesh or girls forced to become suicide bombers by Boko Haram capture our emotions, we need to go beyond the perception of women as victims of terrorism. Seeing women as a driving force in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism is crucial. In September, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), concerning counter-terrorism, chaired by Lithuania, held the first open briefing on the subject with practitioners from the field. Furthermore, as the global study research demonstrates, countries with relative gender equality are less prone to violent extremism than those where the human rights of women are not protected. Therefore, all United Nations counter- terrorism strategies must be linked with civil assistance and human rights programmes aimed at shaping a different social environment, averting extremism and radicalization and tackling the root causes of terrorism.

We commend the Secretary-General for his renewed initiatives to promote greater representation of women in United Nations senior leadership, mediation teams and peacekeeping missions, as well as to promote better coordination among United Nations entities in mainstreaming the issue of women and peace and security.

In implementing this agenda in the immediate and short term, Malaysia intends to focus on capacity- building in the areas of protection and conflict prevention. United Nations Blue Helmets undertake a crucial aspect of protection efforts in conflict and post-conflict situations. We also fully support the implementation of mandatory predeployment training for peacekeepers on preventing sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.

With regard to post-conf lict peacekeeping, Malaysia is presently undertaking efforts to offer relevant technical assistance and cooperation to women from countries in transition and that are newly emerging from conflict, under the auspices of the Malaysian technical cooperation programme. These commitments will be reviewed from time to time and will be adjusted accordingly, taking into account the relevant needs and requirements of both recipients and donors.

Peacekeeping operations and prevention and mediation efforts are two concrete examples. In the past, we might have thought that applying a gender focus to peacekeeping operations simply meant deploying a greater number of women on the ground or increasing the number of women in the armed forces. While that is still a priority, a broader concept of gender equality now allows us to realize that all the activities of a given operation — including patrols and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, security sector reform, the promotion of the rule of law and the effective enjoyment of human rights — should take into account the specific needs of women and should recognize the importance of their participation in interaction with local communities.

Women’s voices are distinctively underrepresented on issues that concern them, including armed conflicts as one of the most critical challenges that they are facing today. Because women do not get a chance to make their views known, the needs, interests and views of half of the world’s population are not taken into account.

After eight years of consultations, an inclusive and democratic Constitution, written by elected representatives, was promulgated in Nepal last month. It has brought our home- grown peace process to its logical conclusion and has ushered in an era of promise for peace, progress and prosperity. The Constitution is extraordinarily progressive, especially in empowering women through representation. At least one third of the members of the federal Parliament must be women. No two persons of the same gender or community may, at any given time, occupy the elected offices of President and Vice-President. Similarly, the offices of either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the Lower House and the Chair or the Vice-Chair of the Upper House must be held by women. That spirit, which is reflected in the Constitution, will be instrumental in our efforts to undertake further steps towards the greater empowerment and participation of women. The Constitution has institutionalized many of our achievements in the past and inspires many more.

There is clear evidence that increasing political participation by women results in better negotiations, better and more sustainable agreements, better governance, more wealth, distributed more equitably, more and better conflict prevention and ultimately, therefore, more peace and security. The Kingdom of the Netherlands works with women’s organizations on peace, justice and development, and empowering women and girls is crucial in all those areas. But huge challenges remain. Conflict is still rife, and we are confronted with ever more extreme violence. In such situations, women do badly. And when women do badly, the world suffers. Guns take over, and the result is violence, impunity and spiral of more poverty and conflict. One appalling example of that was the assassination of one of our partners, the Libyan lawyer Salwa Bugaighis, on 25 June 2014.

Nigeria welcomes the opportunity to reflect on the broad progress made in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda 15 years after the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000). Periodic reviews of this nature could help in galvanizing action and resources to address existing challenges and gaps in advancing the role of women within the context of the global peace and security architecture. We also welcome the positive developments achieved at the strategic and operational levels across the pillars of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery in implementing the women and peace and security agenda.

Despite the significant achievements, significant gaps and challenges remain. Those include the leadership and political participation of women in decision-making, women’s involvement in peace efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, insufficient resources and funds, lack of disaggregated data, forced displacement exacerbated by persistent armed conflict, and continuing unprecedented levels of sexual violence and assault. Meeting those challenges is critical to making progress in the women and peace and security agenda. It requires a multistakeholder approach involving actors at the global, regional, subregional and national levels. Communities, civil society and individuals also have a pivotal role to play.

ECOWAS has put in place very strong mechanisms regarding the role of women in conflict prevention and management, such as the Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security and the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Those mechanisms serve as the basis for the ECOWAS conflict-prevention framework. The women, peace and security component of that framework aims at consolidating women’s role, participation and impact at all stages of conflict management, including humanitarian provisions, while reinforcing various national and regional mechanisms for protecting and promoting them.

We acknowledge the contributions of civil society organizations as partners in peacebuilding, prevention and the management and resolution of disputes. The Nigerian Government will continue to engage them as key stakeholders and partners in the women and peace and security agenda.

Nigeria remains fully and firmly committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations. We shall work assiduously to enhance the participation of women in peace and security initiatives. We are determined to reinforce and implement the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) and, within that context, to address the factors that impact negatively on the lives of women and girls.

Panama aligns itself with the statement made earlier today by the representative of Thailand on behalf of the Human Security Network. Panama is a sponsor of resolution 2242 (2015), adopted by the Security Council today, which reflects the complexity and scale of the issue. The numerous armed conflicts we see at the global level unfortunately have demonstrated that women have available to them few resolutionesources to protect themselves, yet, together with their sons and daughters, they represent the majority of the displaced and refugee population. Women have also claimed space and, in some cases, led peace movements that promoted the recovery of their communities following conflicts. Yet, women have remained invisible, which is a historical failure we must overcome. That exclusion has limited women’s access to opportunities for recovery, their ability to obtain justice for violations of their human rights and their participation in legal and institutional reforms.

Fifteen years have passed, and women’s contributions are still undervalued and underutilized. The claims and spaces created through women’s participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts should be enhanced to guarantee them the primary role they have been called on to play. The post- 2015 development agenda (General Assembly resolution 70/1), recently adopted by our Heads of State, follows that path. It is an important step towards achieving the goal of women’s broad and equal participation, without discrimination. The world needs such a fundamental transformation. We cannot continue to do what we have been accustomed to doing; that is no longer an option. The issues of peace and security are a commitment that is intrinsically related to the promotion of human development, seen as people-centred sustainable development, in the context of governance, into which women’s presence and actions must be interwoven. From the home to public life, the State must ensure the empowerment of women and men alike so as to build better citizens, better fathers, better mothers, promoting a platform of education that helps to raise children who are peaceful and non-aggressive.

History has not failed to remind us about the scars and wounds of war, deeply etched in humankind’s soul, with war’s trail of blood that always leads to a bleeding woman’s doorstep and a weeping child’s nightmare. The time has come for all Governments to ensure that women are given a greater role in preventing armed conflict or, once it has broken out, in resolving it and ensuring its enduring and inclusive peace dividends.

In the Philippines, we are now striving to accomplish both. Our current endeavours draw their context from long decades of an internal armed conflict involving various armed fronts, and our current peace agenda involves five peace tables. The signing by the Philippine Government of the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on 27 March 2014 was historic, not only because it signalled the end of a long-standing war in the Southern Philippines, but also because it is the first agreement of its kind in the world to bear the signature of a total of three women, who accounted for one half of the negotiating panel of the Government and about one fourth of the total number of its signatories. It is the first such agreement to bear the signature of a woman as chief negotiator, Ms. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

Moreover, 69 per cent of the secretariat of the Government panel, including its head, and 60 per cent of the legal team, including its head, are women. The heads of those bodies are under the ages of 35 and 30 years, respectively. The Government panel has committed to enforce the right of women to “meaningful political participation and protection from all forms of violence” in its source document, the framework agreement, which yielded concrete, gender-sensitive provisions in the agreement’s four annexes, as well as in the draft Bangsamoro basic law, now pending approval in our Congress. Today, women representatives in Congress are among the staunchest champions of the proposed law, while, on the side of the executive branch, a woman co-chairs the joint normalization committee, which oversees multiple security, transitional justice and socioeconomic interventions aimed at ensuring that peace will endure — not only in the law, but on the ground.

From the outset, Portugal has been a strong and consistent supporter of the women and peace and security agenda in order to address the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls and enhance their participation in peace processes. We were therefore very pleased to co-sponsor resolution 2242 (2015), adopted by the Council yesterday.

In that regard, and to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), Portugal commits to promoting increased participation by women in international missions for the strengthening and maintenance of peace and security, and for humanitarian aid and crisis management; to continuing to actively promote the women and peace and security agenda in the main multilateral forums to which Portugal is a party, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO; to raising awareness in all the relevant international forums of the importance of establishing national actions plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000); to providing information for the United Nations indicators in order to track the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and for relevant documents on the implementation of the resolution; to conducting training programmes on gender equality and violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking in human beings, for national personnel in the field of justice and for members of the armed and security forces assigned to international peacekeeping missions; to including the women and peace and security agenda in Portuguese development aid programmes; and, finally, to continuing to engage with civil society organizations on women and peace and security agenda issues.

I would like to conclude by noting that this landmark year of the triple review of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding together with the high- level review of resolution 1325 (2000) will continue spur action worldwide in fulfilling the imperative to better protect women, especially in conflict and post- conflict situations. Rwanda has already embarked on that irreversible path and is committed to developing a holistic approach to conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, mainly by ensuring the active participation by and protection of women.

The political representation of women in Slovenia is very good — 47 per cent of the Government and 34 per cent of the Parliament. Significant improvement was made in women’s equal participation in the armed forces. The percentage of female members of Slovene armed forces is now approximately 15 per cent, which ranks Slovenia among the top countries in the world. I would like to highlight the following with regard to Slovenia’s future commitments.

It is also vital that we engage domestic actors from the grass roots to the highest echelons of Government to ensure ownership of the peacebuilding processes and to guarantee long-term sustainability. In all those endeavours, we are committed to including women as essential participants in the conversation. That can be done only by acknowledging the existence of structural institutionalized gender bias, identifying the problems and sincerely seeking solutions.

Fourthly, it is also important to emphasize that women should be involved in every phase of the peace and security agenda, including being provided with a greater role in preventive diplomacy, formal peace processes and mediation. We believe that promoting the role of women in the mediation of conflict will strengthen the potential to find sustainable solutions to conflict that cover a wider range of interests, especially those of women and children, whose interests are not sufficiently reflected in outcomes. We therefore support the inclusion of a clear component stressing women’s participation in the terms of reference of mediation and peacebuilding processes.

Women have an important role to play in that regard and must be empowered to play an active role in conflict resolution and peace processes. As reaffirmed in the global study, the meaningful participation of women, particularly in decision-making, will enable early conflict prevention, sustainable peace and strong post-conflict recovery and resilience. It is essential to mainstream gender-sensitive approaches in efforts to promote more inclusive and effective responses to conflicts and emergencies.

Regional organizations play an essential role in implementing global obligations and commitments to better protect women and girls from sexual violence, discrimination and social exclusion and to promote the role of women in conf lict resolution and peace processes, including by supporting their member States in their efforts to do so. The ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation held a workshop in March in Cebu City, the Philippines, to strengthen women’s participation in peace processes and conflict resolution. The workshop aimed at highlighting the level of women’s participation in peace processes and conflict resolution in the region and at raising awareness of resolution 1325 (2000) and existing national action plans on women and peace and security.

Over the past fifteen years, there have been seven Security Council Resolutions demonstrating the international commitment to the principles of protection, prevention, participation and gender mainstreaming.

Yet, despite progress at the normative level, fifteen years after the establishment of the Women Peace and Security Agenda, women continue to remain largely excluded from peace, security and political processes, while women leaders and human rights defenders are still being targeted.

These major priorities have been incorporated into our National Programme of Action for Substantive Gender Equality which covers a wide range of public policies at national and regional levels, aiming at empowering women and girls and promoting their participation in all policy fields on an equal basis. The National P r o g r a m m e o f A c t i o n f o c u s e s on s p e c i f i c a c t i o n s t a r g e t i n g thematic areas, where women and girls are under-represented or mostly affected, such as violence, employment and decision making.

1. Increase the participation of Women and integrate gender equality into all stages of peacebuilding processes, including at all decision-making levels;

2. Ensure the Training and Empowerment of all Women, girls and boys in peacebuilding processes, both in gender equality and gender-based violence, as well as other relevant aspects of Resolutions 1325 and 1820;

3. Promote and protect the human rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as their economic and social empowerment and participation in civil society, taking into account the need to prevent and eliminate gender- and conflict-based violence in conflict situations, and promote the empowerment of women;

4. Deepen and spread knowledge about the theme "Women, Peace and Security", including training and raising awareness in all ministerial departments, the civil society, and among political decision makers;

5. Promote the participation of the civil society in the implementation of Resolution 1325;
6. Promote the socio-economic development of rural communities, raise awareness of their rights, increase food security and contribute to poverty eradication;
7. Include a gender perspective in the national budget with a view to fulfilling the commitments set in Resolution 1325.

My delegation encourages the United Nations and its Member States to recruit more women for preventive diplomacy, mediation efforts, peacekeeping missions and peacebuilding processes. Women bring specific and at times decisive contributions necessary in such critical areas, helping to foster good relations with the local communities and to build trust among parties in conflict, elements that are essential to the success of any diplomatic effort and conflict resolution.

Security Council resolution 1325 put a most needed emphasis on the importance of women in peace processes. We heard today about the progress made in 15 years, about the remaining challenges and the priorities for action.

Romania believes that all actors - Member States, regional organizations, civil society and the media - should continue to work on implementing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Women's active participation in peace processes has proved to be absolutely relevant for making conflict resolution and peacebuilding more effective.

This is an area the Global Study gives evidence that, when controlling for other variables, peace processes that included women as witnesses, signatories, mediators, and/or negotiators demonstrated a 20 per cent increase in the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years. This percentage increases over time, with a 35 per cent increase in the probability ofa peace agreement lasting 15 years. While I quote these numbers for you from the study, this has been a personal experience for Namibia since we emerged from armed liberation struggle 25 years ago. Women's meaningful participation in our post-conflict reconstruction has been pivotal to the peace and stability in our country today.

Those charged with leading and supporting peace processes, especially the UN Department of Peace Operations and regional bodies, should be committed to bring talented women to the peace processes where negotiations are conducted; and peace agreements signed and implemented. There is a need for the Security Council to move the agenda forward from the general calls to concrete directives on how the peacekeeping department should promote the participation of women as Special Envoys, Special Representatives, Peacekeepers, Mediators and Negotiators.

Denmark remains as committed to implement SCR 1325 as ever. Denmark was among the first countries to formulate a national action plan for implementing this resolution and last yearwe adoptedour third national actionplan (2014-2019). We emphasize using the untapped potential of women. We seek to involve women actively, on an equal basis, in prevention and resolution o f conflicts, peace negotiations, peace building and peace keeping, humanitarian response and in post conflict reconstruction. And we commit to concrete actions in order to achieve these ends.

It is widely acknowledged that the absence o f women from early peace negotiations and reconstruction measures can have a long-lasting negative impact on development o f good governance. No society can afford the luxury o f leaving out half o f their population from decision-making processes.

Therefore, the SecurityCouncilmust send a strong messagein support ofwomen's political participation in peace and development processes to the benefit o f all women and men.

Women too often continue to remain unequally involved in peace, security, particularly in political and decision-making processes, and are also the target of sexual and gender based violence. Women, thus, have a great stake in peace processes and conflict prevention since they still suffer the most painful wounds of a conflict, whether or not they participate in them. The positive role women can play in such processes of conflict prevention and resolution is often ignored instead ofutilized.

Women's empowerment and participation are essential to any prevention and protection response. As such, strategies for effective integration of gender perspective should be pursued to promote women's empowerment and participation.

The importance of women's participation in peace processes as well as peacekeeping operations has been underlined in Resolution 1325. We call for greater recognition and support for their participation in all stages of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation processes so peace agreements can be reached and are more likely to last.

While addressing different aspects of the women and peace and security agenda, it is necessary to recognize the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conf licts, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, humanitarian responses and post-conflict reconstruction. We are called upon to focus on the importance of furthering the equal rights of women and their right to equal participation in decision-making.

In its national capacity, Austria commends the extensive review exercises that have been carried out in parallel, on the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), involving the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, United Nations peace operations and the women, peace and security agenda. We welcome the launch of the global study that was made public earlier today and which Austria has supported from its inception. This exercise was not only necessary in terms of taking stock, but it also provides us with important lessons learned.

Secondly, the women and peace and security agenda must be implemented across the military. Accordingly, the Australian Defence Force is deploying more women and increasing their number in senior decision-making roles; has introduced recruitment targets for women in non-traditional roles; and is developing a gender adviser and female engagement team capability. The Australian Defence Force will also provide a technical expert for women and peace and security to UN-Women for five years from 2016.

As far as the international aspects of our national plan are concerned, we have to face certain realities and challenges on the ground. Twenty-one years after the conclusion of the trilateral ceasefire agreement that ended the active military phase of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the physical security and survival of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is still under threat. By the same token, the civilians residing in Armenia’s border territory have been systematically and indiscriminately targeted by Azerbaijani armed forces. Armenia strongly condemns these violations of international humanitarian law and the tragedy that occurred at the end of September, in which three women in Armenian border settlements were killed.

A global study demonstrates that genuine participation by women increases the effectiveness of humanitarian aid, the credibility and quality of peacekeeping operations, the speediness of economic recovery in post-conflict situations and the stain ability of peace agreements. It is therefore disappointing to note that the same study reveals that, 15 years later, the participation of women in peace processes and in post-conflict political transitions remains a significant challenge.

In addition, women are underrepresented in forums devoted to peacebuilding and the prevention and resolution of conflicts. The situation provides clear evidence that, throughout recent years, genuine political commitment to the issue has been lacking. We are convinced that the participation and contributions of women at all levels, stages and areas related to conflict management are essential in order to prevent conflicts and achieve lasting peace. There can be no international peace and security if we do not include or have due consideration for and incorporate half of the world’s population, namely, women and girls.

The prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes is always the best and most appropriate tool for preventing the harmful and devastating effects of armed conflicts on the civilian population, particularly on women and children. It is therefore essential to halt the training, equipping and supporting of non-State actors and extremists, who are used as instruments of political destabilization to overthrow Governments, acting in service to the geopolitical ambitions of foreign actors, and in most cases, they serve only to incite the commission of atrocities, acting with impunity against women and children. Such groups today have covered Africa and the Middle East in blood. They are motivated by extremist ideologies that target women and girls in the most abhorrent and unacceptable way.

I am pleased to say that Croatia has taken steps to integrate the gender perspective into its national foreign and security policy, into its national policy for the promotion of gender equality and its first national action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). Croatia is currently developing its second national plan, which is expected to be adopted by 2016. The new plan will cover both our domestic and international activities by setting out and strengthening specific measures in the prevention and protection spheres, and with regard to female representation in decision-making activities and processes related to security and peacebuilding.

We welcome the fact that the United Nations reviews — the global study and the reviews of peace operations and the peacebuilding architecture — bring conflict prevention and mediation to the fore and stress the importance of the participation and leadership of women. Finland continues to promote conflict prevention and the role of mediation, and strives to effectively and meaningfully involve women in peace and mediation processes. Finland is committed to a joint Nordic initiative called Nordic Women Mediator’s Network, to be established this year.

It is undisputed that increasing the number of women in peacekeeping operations enhances the effectiveness and operational capacity of these operations. Strengthening the gender architecture of peace operations, both in the field and at headquarters, is crucial. Finland will continue deploying women to peacekeeping operations as military experts in numbers at least equivalent to the proportion of women in our national defence forces. We also aim to increase the number of Finnish female police officers seconded to United Nations peacekeeping operations. As a new commitment, we stand ready to deploy a specialized unit of 3-4 female police officers to the United Nations by the end of 2016.

Hungary strongly supported the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, and the subsequent resolutions on that topic. We know that numerous initiatives and actions have been launched during the past 15 years aimed at enhancing the effective participation of women in peace processes, as well as their empowerment in peacemaking and post-conflict situations.

Unfortunately, Israel is facing a generation of women, teens and even young children incited to hatred, martyrdom and killing innocents, and not to peace and coexistence. A 13-year old boy, instead of going to play outside, comes to kill after being brainwashed. A student who has her whole life in front of her comes to murder. As a woman and as a mother, I believe that education is the key to raising a generation of young people committed to understanding and tolerance. In Israel, the very first words our children learn at school are shalom and salam — peace.

I am here today as Israel’s Minister for Social Equality — a ministry established for the first time in Israel’s history to deal with minorities and gender issues and to enhance Israel’s efforts to fight prejudice and combat social inequality. Since its founding, Israel has been committed to a vision of a society of equal opportunities. Our Declaration of Independence guarantees equal rights for all citizens, regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion.

Secondly, the spread of terrorism and violent extremism has had a horrendous impact on the lives of women and girls. While images and stories of Yazidi women being enslaved by Daesh or girls forced to become suicide bombers by Boko Haram capture our emotions, we need to go beyond the perception of women as victims of terrorism. Seeing women as a driving force in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism is crucial. In September, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), concerning counter-terrorism, chaired by Lithuania, held the first open briefing on the subject with practitioners from the field. Furthermore, as the global study research demonstrates, countries with relative gender equality are less prone to violent extremism than those where the human rights of women are not protected. Therefore, all United Nations counter- terrorism strategies must be linked with civil assistance and human rights programmes aimed at shaping a different social environment, averting extremism and radicalization and tackling the root causes of terrorism.

Despite some signs of progress, the impact on women’s lives and on their role in the world has been sporadic. Conf licts have devastating consequences for everyone, but women and girls are often the target of gender-based violence and are those most excluded from the political processes that are essential to guaranteeing peace and security. Because women are the most vulnerable and the most frequently targeted members of populations in situations of conflict, they have an undeniable and unique contribution to make to peace negotiations. Members of the Council will note that the experience of both Haiti and West Africa has proven that, when women are involved in peace processes, they have been able to bring their sensitivity and creativity not only to the peace process itself but also to national reconciliation efforts and the process of socioeconomic reintegration.

We can take some satisfaction that, over the past 15 years, we have made progress in ensuring that the women and peace and security agenda is taken into account in international conflict prevention and resolution efforts. That in itself is no small achievement. However, words in resolutions and other documents, even in mandate formulations, only take us so far. As we have heard today, we need to focus on practical steps to improve the situation for women on the ground, rather than just achieving rhetoric. The issue is not new, but the landscape continues to change and, sadly, is worsening. Rising violent extremism, increased numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, and combatants who take no account of the civilians in their midst all affect women and girls disproportionately. The targeted use of sexual and gender-based violence by terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram, as part of a deliberate strategy, is a horrendous new development.

At another level, we need to move beyond a security driven approach to conflict resolution. The recognition of women’s rights and perspectives must be a part of all programmes and policies for conflict resolution and post-conflict development. Women must be able to play a meaningful and integral part in conflict resolution processes and outcomes. What does that mean in practice? It means that women must be advisers, negotiators, decision-makers and implementers, as well as receivers of a peace process, if it is to have any meaningful chance of success.

I am proud to say that in all peace and security efforts where Norway is engaged, women’s and men’s needs, priorities and rights are to be taken into account. Sexual violence in conflict will be fought. The Norwegian national joint headquarters requires knowledge of resolution 1325 (2000) as a generic demand for all Norwegian personnel who are to be deployed to international operations. The gender perspective is an integral part of all Norwegian predeployment training.

We are proud of the role we have played as facilitator in the Colombia process, where women are at the table and are making their voices heard. Norway aims to increase the participation of women in peace processes. Inspired by the African women mediators’ network, we are now establishing a Nordic women mediators’ network.

Pakistan believes that it is the collective responsibility of the United Nations and the entire international community to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to those refugee women and to ensure their safety and security in camp settings and in transit to safer destinations. Here, I must underline the crucial importance of conflict prevention and conflict resolution to the women and peace and security agenda. The hardships faced by displaced women and girls and the grave crimes committed against them are mostly a direct consequence of conflict situations. The Council, we feel, should adopt a hands-on, strategic approach to conflict prevention and conflict resolution.

The Republic of Paraguay, which has participated actively in peacekeeping operations since 1993, reaffirms its commitment to prevention, protection and the participation of women before, during and, where necessary, after conflicts. In this regard, the Government of Paraguay, taking into account its international commitments to contributing to peacebuilding and the need to integrate the gender perspective into conflict prevention, management and resolution, recently finalized its national action plan, which will allow it to implement the mandates set out in resolution 1325 (2000). The national action plan, which will be officially released later this month, is the fruit of the efforts and coordination carried out by various national institutions since 2012, including the Ministry of Women, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, with the valuable support and continuing assistance of UN-Women, of which we are a faithful ally.

History has not failed to remind us about the scars and wounds of war, deeply etched in humankind’s soul, with war’s trail of blood that always leads to a bleeding woman’s doorstep and a weeping child’s nightmare. The time has come for all Governments to ensure that women are given a greater role in preventing armed conflict or, once it has broken out, in resolving it and ensuring its enduring and inclusive peace dividends.

In 2010, the Philippine Government adopted our national action plan on women and peace and security, becoming the first country in Asia to do so. Initiated by civil society and peace and women’s rights organizations, the Philippine national action plan rests on four pillars. There are two targeted outputs, briefly identified as protection and prevention, and empowerment and participation; and two cross-cutting support processes, namely, promotion and mainstreaming, and monitoring and evaluation.

The story of the Philippine national action plan may be best told through the metaphor of weaving, more specifically, mat-weaving, which is common to most Asian countries. Just as weaving is not learned overnight, but goes back generations, the Philippine national

action plan benefits from decades of consciousness- raising and organizing on the part of women, peace and human rights advocates. The Philippine national action plan condenses time. But, like a good mat, in which all the fibre strands are pulled tightly together, it also condenses space. Building on civil society’s energies, wisdom and experience, it wagers on the Government and its instrumentalities — in a word, the bureaucracy — to be the bearers of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Today, the Philippine national action plan has been anchored and provided a legal basis by Philippine law, led by the Magna Carta of women and recent legislation that has adopted human rights and international humanitarian standards. We also have an earlier law that requires all Government agencies and local Government units to allocate at least 5 per cent of their budgets to a dedicated gender and development fund, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for immediate start-up and mobilization needs.

It has not been left to one agency to implement the national action plan, but rather strands of the Government bureaucracy are woven in with the establishment of a national steering committee, initially composed of the heads of nine Government agencies, to which eight additional agencies were added. They are involved in implementing the Government’s PAMANA programme, which provides development and good governance interventions in conflict-affected areas. Altogether, PAMANA operates in over half of our provinces.

From the beginning, we did not want the national action plan to end up as just another document that might be good to read and display on the bookshelf, but is neither implemented nor practiced. In the same way that mats have a history of long, hard and sometimes rough use in Philippine households, we intend for the national action plan to be a felt presence, making a difference in women’s lives.

The implementation of the Philippine national action plan is a painstaking process, because we want to cover all of the bases, including policy, planning, implementation and monitoring mechanisms, as well as budget considerations. Modest initial results are being reported. Among the outcomes already being gleaned are the increased presence of women in peace negotiations and the implementation of peace accords, the establishment of women-friendly spaces that provide the necessary measure of private and safe space for internally displaced women and girls in evacuation centres, the adoption of explicit gender-equality policies and mechanisms as an integral part of the governance of the armed forces of the Philippines, culture-sensitive trauma-healing programmes for Muslim women, the inclusion of women and peace and security issues in the training programmes for foreign-service officers, and the plan to establish a dedicated team of public prosecutors for cases of sexual- and gender-based violence in conflict-affected areas. Additionally, local Government units in those areas have been given the means to issue

their local versions of the national action plan, which complements major funding support from their own resources. And, just two weeks ago, we launched the first Government executive course on women and peace and security, in partnership with a leading national university.

From the outset, Portugal has been a strong and consistent supporter of the women and peace and security agenda in order to address the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls and enhance their participation in peace processes. We were therefore very pleased to co-sponsor resolution 2242 (2015), adopted by the Council yesterday.

In 2009, Portugal adopted its first national action plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and a second edition of the plan for 2014-2018 was approved last year. During our term in the Security Council in 2011-2012, the women and peace and security agenda ranked high among our priorities. We were then and remain now firm supporters of mainstreaming the women and peace and security agenda in all Security Council resolutions, as we are very convinced that women should be involved in all aspects of conflict prevention, conf lict resolution and post-conf lict processes. We also joined other Security Council members in organizing Arria Formula meetings whose purpose was to give voice to women’s organizations and raise awareness among Security Council members on women’s specific needs in conflict-affected settings.

In that regard, and to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), Portugal commits to promoting increased participation by women in international missions for the strengthening and maintenance of peace and security, and for humanitarian aid and crisis management; to continuing to actively promote the women and peace and security agenda in the main multilateral forums to which Portugal is a party, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO; to raising awareness in all the relevant international forums of the importance of establishing national actions plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000); to providing information for the United Nations indicators in order to track the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and for relevant documents on the implementation of the resolution; to conducting training programmes on gender equality and violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking in human beings, for national personnel in the field of justice and for members of the armed and security forces assigned to international peacekeeping missions; to including the women and peace and security agenda in Portuguese development aid programmes; and, finally, to continuing to engage with civil society organizations on women and peace and security agenda issues.

In addition, although it is believed that no country can fully reach gender equality, Rwanda, driven by strong leadership and unfailing political will to improve the status of women, took some ground-breaking initiatives in the form of commitments that will lead to tackling this ambitious goal. Indeed, enormous strides have already been taken, ranging from breaking the world record for the highest female representation in a Parliament — at 64 per cent currently — and in other organs, such as the 43 per cent in the Cabinet and nearly 50 per cent in the judiciary, but also in recognizing women as critical actors in prevention, mediation, protection, conflict management and resolution, as well as in reconciliation processes.

I would like to emphasize three words here: role, ability and power. The role of women in peace and security is indispensable. The ability of women to inf luence negotiations increases the likelihood that peace agreements will be reached. The power of women has a positive effect on the durability of peace and influences other actors, including young people. Resolution 1325 (2000) has been followed by six others addressing the importance of women’s participation and leadership. Yet we must admit that women are still underrepresented in the area of security. The current share of female negotiators is 9 per cent. Only 4 per cent of the military components in United Nations missions are women, and only 54 countries have formulated national action plans on women and peace and security.

Fourthly, it is also important to emphasize that women should be involved in every phase of the peace and security agenda, including being provided with a greater role in preventive diplomacy, formal peace processes and mediation. We believe that promoting the role of women in the mediation of conflict will strengthen the potential to find sustainable solutions to conflict that cover a wider range of interests, especially those of women and children, whose interests are not sufficiently reflected in outcomes. We therefore support the inclusion of a clear component stressing women’s participation in the terms of reference of mediation and peacebuilding processes.

Before I conclude, I would like to emphasize, in my national capacity, that Viet Nam remains committed to addressing the issue of women and peace and security. We are pleased to have been able to introduce and facilitate the adoption of resolution 1889 (2009) under that agenda item. While the protection of and support for women as victims are essential, Viet Nam strongly believes in the value that women can bring and the contributions they can make to conflict prevention and resolution and to post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction.

The complex humanitarian crises arising from conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa should highlight the plight of women and girls who have been subject to many forms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, and who are also forced to abandon their homes and communities becoming refugees and internally displaced persons. Within this context, we should ensure particular attention to women and girls who belong to vulnerable groups, including indigenous or older women, those with disabilities, and members ofethnic or religious minorities, among others.

(1) Addressing Violent Extremism
First, violent extremism has emerged as a new challenge. Women are its primary victims.
At the same time, they can become assailants by leading to extremism. Addressing the root cause of violent extremism is critical.
But how?

As the Secretary·General's report and the Global Study point out, the economic empowerment of and participation by women is key to resolving conflicts effectively, sustain peace, and prevent violent extremism from happening in the first place.

Let me show an example.

In cooperation with UN·Women, Japan has supported the refugees and IDPs in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon through training and cash·for·work programs.

We believe that women's engagement in peace and security, its empowerment and protection, will serve as bulwarks against the spread of extremist ideologies.

From this standpoint, Japan continues to respond to the current refugee crisis, and will carry out approximately 810 million dollars in assistance this year to refugees and !DPs from Syria and Iraq.

The Network calls upon member states, UN entities, regional and sub- regional organization to support member states in their efforts to implement resolution 1325. The Network also calls for greater efforts to promote and respect the human rights of both women and girls, as well as to strengthen the efforts that address gender-based violence through a people-centered approach. Specifically, this can be done by ensuring and implementing strategies that protect their integrity, and promoting women's representation at all decision-making levels and in mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution o f conflict.

The resolutions adopted by the Council have created a comprehensive body of norms and stimulated progress on the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Resolution 1325 (2000) was the first document of the Security Council that reflected in detail the impact of conflicts on women during armed conflicts and in their aftermath, and in particular on the important issue of ensuring the equal participation of women in peace processes and their protection from the devastating consequences of armed conflicts. In the context of armed conflict, parties must respect their obligations under international, humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, especially women and girls. The continued practice of using gender-based violence as a tactic of war is both legally and morally unacceptable.

Azerbaijan reiterates its strong condemnation of all acts of sexual violence committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. There can be no tolerance for such acts, and all necessary measures must be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and to put an end to impunity. The scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict has rightly been the subject of the Council’s attention.

Austria is alarmed by the current spread of brutal and systemic violence, which is not only causing unspeakable suffering to civilian populations, but has also triggered the biggest wave of refugees and displacement in recent history. We must develop answers on how to deal with the growing spread of violent terrorism and extremism, which are marked by unprecedented levels of sexual violence, abuse, and violations of women’s and girls’ rights. The perpetrators must be held accountable for their acts before the International Criminal Court. We must also empower and support the work of women activists and women human rights defenders. Therefore, a conference in Austria in June 2016 will bring together local women leaders with political representatives and discuss ways forward in tackling sexual violence in armed conflict.

This year marks 15 years since the historic, unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) by the Security Council. Since then, we have seen notable progress in favour of women, such as the establishment in 2010 of UN-Women and the international recognition of sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security. Andorra, as everyone knows, does not have armed forces but has nonetheless continued to support United Nations peacekeeping operations and a various initiatives of the Organization. I cannot fail to note our co-sponsorship of resolution 2225 (2015) of 18 June 2015, concerning children in armed conflict, which has some bearing on today’s debate and which reiterates concern over sexual violence against girls and encourages States to continue to implement the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy concerning sexual exploitation and abuse.

Yet, despite the efforts of the international community to establish a normative and legal framework, including Security Council resolutions, sexual violence in conflict is on the rise and becoming more complex. Sexual violence is still used as a weapon in war in order to subjugate and humiliate opponents in conflict. With the appearance of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham and Boko Haram, collective public rape, sexual enslavement, the selling of women and girls under 14 years of age, along with the ensuing pregnancies and abortions have become signs of the present age of terror and injustice.

Secondly, we must break the silence and raise awareness so as to prevent sexual violence, protect victims and provide them with the opportunity to be reintegrated into their societies. We must also work to reinforce the legal arsenal to protect the victims and punish the perpetrators of such violence. In addition, we must encourage civil society to work to change the mentality and improve the economic and social conditions that lead to an increase in sexual violence.

Fifteen years later, many credible reports state that violence against women and girls is on the rise. Women and girls continue to suffer most as victims of conflicts, while they generally do not benefit from the dividends of peace processes. Women and girls are viewed as bearers of cultural and ethnic identities and thus become prime targets for the perpetrators of violence. The onus therefore lies on us to ensure that the oppression of women and girls, particularly through gender-related acts, is stopped forever.

In response to these situations, Canada supports projects to address the specific needs of women and girls in conflicts and emergencies. We are mounting a strong response to sexual violence in conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Iraq and Syria. Our programming includes providing access to justice for survivors and holding perpetrators to account, including through the deployment of Justice Rapid Response experts. This work is undertaken within the context of Canada’s national action plan on women and peace and security.

The peace and security situation is different today as compared to 15 years ago, as the testimony of Ms. Mohammed this morning illustrated. The persistent cycles of conflicts and of fragile situations, among other things, have been exacerbated by new weapons technologies and new threats, such as the rise in violent extremism, which has spread easily thanks to the new information technologies. Women and girls have a key role to play because they can constitute one of the most effective voices in combating violent extremism — as mothers, sisters and wives, but also in the many other roles they have in the society that they live in. We must support them and provide them with the requisite tools to help them defend the values of tolerance and respect for others.

We have created the Ministry for the Popular Power for Women, and community councils are, in the vast majority, headed by women, through which they manage resources and direct projects aimed at benefiting their communities. Today, women in our country direct fundamental aspects of our society on an equal basis with men. We therefore have full moral authority to demand an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls, and to repudiate the notion of women as sex objects in consumer society or as the spoils of war at the hands of extremists. This world, wracked by violence and extremism, must act more decisively, and its leaders must act with greater political determination to address this injustice.

Despite the development of policies, action plans, guidelines, programmes and training in the 15 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), women continue to face significant barriers to successfully participating and playing roles in those processes. The number of women participating in decision-making in the peace and security spheres worldwide remains unacceptably low, while grave abuses and violence against women, including sexual violence and rape, continue to be devastating. The rise of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism only further aggravates the atrocities and human rights violations women and girls are subjected to. Therefore, the protection of women in armed conflict, parallel to the enhancement of their contribution to peace processes and in rebuilding their communities, still remains a crucial challenge.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) on 31 October 2000, we have seen genuine progress in protecting women in conflict situations and in moving towards their full and total participation in equal conditions in international peace and security processes. We welcome the progress that has been made in implementing resolution 1325 (2000), but we understand that we need to coordinate action in implementing the resolution in order to achieve a more global approach.

“The protection of women is a priority of the Gambia’s peacebuilding efforts, since it is women who tend to suffer the most from violence during and after armed conflicts. Protection of the rights of women and the girl child is also one of the main aspects of the Gambia’s human rights policy. In the international context, the Gambia makes women’s rights and the violation thereof the subject of discussions. The Gambia also points to violations of women’s rights in the context of armed conflict and multilateral negotiations as well as in bilateral demarches and interventions.

“Particular attention is paid to the gender aspect of transitional justice, which is one of the priorities of the Gambia’s policy in the area of human rights and humanitarian activities. Central to these efforts are the women’s amendment of 2012, the national agenda on women’s empowerment policy 2010-2020, the children’s act, the trafficking act, the refugee act and, most recently, the domestic violence and sexual offence acts of 2013. All these procedures are indeed very innovative in that they consistently take women’s rights into consideration. This can be seen, for example, in the definition of so-called gender crimes, the rights of women in court procedures, in the representation of the two sexes in the court’s various bodies and in the organization of the court with regard to the protection of victims and witnesses. Additional forms are to be provided for projects that support the inclusion of women in political and legal transitional processes, with a view to ending impunity in cases involving crimes against women. This is intended to facilitate implementation of the corresponding procedures and evidentiary rules contained in the statutes.

It is a long-established fact that gender issues cut across many sectors and that focusing on them can help us to attain our peace, development and human rights objectives. Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), 15 years ago, many thematic discussions and resolutions on gender have evolved from it, such as those on small arms, counter- terrorism, peacekeeping and the protection of civilians. It is particularly noteworthy that peacekeeping missions have integrated gender perspectives into their training, operations and reporting. Nevertheless, the fact remains that women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict situations are still unduly affected and underrepresented, even with the addition of all the resolutions on women and peace and security adopted subsequently and aimed at strengthening action on resolution 1325 (2000), as well as the creation of relevant mechanisms within the United Nations. Ultimately, the best measure of progress is when policy gains are more meaningfully and tangibly translated into action on the ground.

Moving forward, and building on the momentum created by the high-level review of the past 15 years, I would like to suggest that the Council focus on five areas. First, it should ensure that women have the access and the capacity they need to participate meaningfully in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacebuilding and decision-making processes in public life generally. Secondly, it should support advocacy campaigns aimed at reaching out and empowering society to protect women and girls and address their specific needs. All actors and stakeholders, especially at the community level, should be able to translate international frameworks on protecting women and girls in conflict- and post-conflict- related situations into action on the ground.

I congratulate Spain on the work it did in connection with the adoption of resolution 2242 (2015) this morning. The constitutional and legal empowerment of women will not lead to any fruitful results unless we condemn all fatwas that permit the enslavement and forced marriage of women and girls, the terrorist attacks that we have been witnessing, and the acts of aggression committed in Iraq by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). There have been innumerable attacks against civilians of all factions, all of which has undermined the peaceful coexistence, sustainability and stability that have characterized Iraqi society for decades.

Conflicts in recent years, especially in the Middle East, have assumed new and abhorrent forms and dimensions, and constitute an unprecedented challenge to stability in our region. In some parts of the region, women are grappling with the scourge of terrorism and extremist violence. The spread of violent extremism and takfiri ideology threatens the lives and rights of women and girls in our region in an unprecedented way. News accounts and other reports in the past few years have shown that women and girls have suffered the most at the hands of extremists and terrorists and have been targets for systematic sexual violence, slavery and rape. The international community should make it clear at every step of the way that there will never be leniency for those who subject women and girls to such inhumane acts of violence, physical and mental.

The importance of today’s meeting lies in the fact that resolution 1325 (2000), which was adopted 15 years ago, is an important milestone in international efforts aimed at protecting women from violence and enhancing their role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as in the establishment of fair and stable societies. In the years since its adoption, the resolution has served to increased international awareness of the importance of protecting women and girls, encouraging the participation of women in national, regional and international institutions, particularly in the areas of peacekeeping, conflict management and resolution, and containing risks to humankind. It has also enhanced the legal and normative frameworks with regard to the women and peace and security agenda.

Based on our national experience, we embraced resolution 1325 (2000) and set out to apply it within our domestic context. In 2009, Liberia was the first country in Africa to complete the formulation of its five-year national action plan to give meaning to the resolution. The plan was developed as the framework to drive the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) at the national level. It rests upon four pillars, namely, protection, prevention, participation and empowerment and promotion.

We commend the Secretary-General for his renewed initiatives to promote greater representation of women in United Nations senior leadership, mediation teams and peacekeeping missions, as well as to promote better coordination among United Nations entities in mainstreaming the issue of women and peace and security.

In implementing this agenda in the immediate and short term, Malaysia intends to focus on capacity- building in the areas of protection and conflict prevention. United Nations Blue Helmets undertake a crucial aspect of protection efforts in conflict and post-conflict situations. We also fully support the implementation of mandatory predeployment training for peacekeepers on preventing sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.

The fifteenth anniversary of the Council’s landmark resolution 1325 (2000) presents us with the opportunity to review the progress made and strengthen our resolve to address the remaining challenges in alleviating the impact of conflicts on women and girls. As the global study has indicated, the nature of warfare today is changing. Today, conflicts are becoming more complex, and the number of major conflicts has risen drastically. Brutal extremist terrorism has raised its ugly head and become a major threat to global peace and security. Due to their vulnerability, women and children are the first group to bear the brunt of violent conflict. It has therefore become all the more urgent to revitalize our collective efforts to better protect women in conflict.

Over the past four and a half years, the reforms in Myanmar have promoted democratic values and opened up society, creating greater political and media freedom. They have given civil society and international organizations greater opportunities to work more actively and closely with Government institutions and local communities in protecting women. Our newfound media freedom has also had an impact on the people as a whole, through its creation of a better environment in which anyone can file a report without fear about any wrongful act in which rights are abused. With the cooperation of the United Nations, the Government has taken steps to raise public awareness about the importance of gender equality and the protection of women. In October 2013, Myanmar organized an open day on women and peace and security to mark the anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000). The event promoted greater awareness of this landmark resolution among the people, Government officials and parliamentarians.

Nigeria welcomes the opportunity to reflect on the broad progress made in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda 15 years after the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000). Periodic reviews of this nature could help in galvanizing action and resources to address existing challenges and gaps in advancing the role of women within the context of the global peace and security architecture. We also welcome the positive developments achieved at the strategic and operational levels across the pillars of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery in implementing the women and peace and security agenda.

It is up to the States, therefore, to continue to work to promote the greater participation of women at all stages of peace and security processes. Similarly, resolution 1325 (2000), which brings us together today, on the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary, is the first resolution to establish a connection between the experiences of women in conflicts and the international agenda for peace and security and to highlight the fact that conflicts have a disproportionate impact on women. This resolution becomes even more relevant today, as we see the violence levelled against women by extremist groups that violate their rights, their dignity, their integrity and their very lives. Consequently, it is essential that the Security Council call upon all parties to armed conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and sexual abuse, and all other forms of violence in situations of armed conflict.

Pakistan’s adherence to the ideals of empowering women and protecting their rights stems from our faith, our Constitution and the vision of our founding fathers, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who famously said: “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless women are side by side with men”. It was my country that earned the distinction of electing the first female Prime Minister in the entire Muslim world. We therefore support Security Council efforts to pursue its women and peace and security agenda in accordance with its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

At the international level, Peru supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy, which strongly condemns the participation of persons working under the flag of the United Nations in any form of inappropriate or immoral behaviour, especially in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse against civilians, in particular women and girls.

Moreover, my country welcomes the trend towards the systematic incorporation of a gender perspective in the mandates of peacekeeping operations, as well as the integration of women as actors in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. For that reason, Peru has increased the participation of women in each of the eight missions in which we participate. Women currently represent 10 per cent of our staff deployed on the ground, a figure that we hope to increase in the future.

In the Philippines, we are now striving to accomplish both. Our current endeavours draw their context from long decades of an internal armed conflict involving various armed fronts, and our current peace agenda involves five peace tables. The signing by the Philippine Government of the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on 27 March 2014 was historic, not only because it signalled the end of a long-standing war in the Southern Philippines, but also because it is the first agreement of its kind in the world to bear the signature of a total of three women, who accounted for one half of the negotiating panel of the Government and about one fourth of the total number of its signatories. It is the first such agreement to bear the signature of a woman as chief negotiator, Ms. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

Moreover, 69 per cent of the secretariat of the Government panel, including its head, and 60 per cent of the legal team, including its head, are women. The heads of those bodies are under the ages of 35 and 30 years, respectively. The Government panel has committed to enforce the right of women to “meaningful political participation and protection from all forms of violence” in its source document, the framework agreement, which yielded concrete, gender-sensitive provisions in the agreement’s four annexes, as well as in the draft Bangsamoro basic law, now pending approval in our Congress. Today, women representatives in Congress are among the staunchest champions of the proposed law, while, on the side of the executive branch, a woman co-chairs the joint normalization committee, which oversees multiple security, transitional justice and socioeconomic interventions aimed at ensuring that peace will endure — not only in the law, but on the ground.

The past five years have enabled us to weave a meticulous overlay of legal frameworks, implementation structures, institutional mandates and, of course, as always, personal passions and inclusive and intergenerational intentions. We must ensure that the national action plan that we have begun to weave will endure the forthcoming transition to a new Administration in 2016. Its strands, emanating from strategic programmes of national and local implementing agencies, must be strengthened and enhanced in both protecting and empowering women, with the aim of bringing all Philippine internal armed conflicts to a peaceful, just and lasting end. The national action plan should be useful. It should be durable. It should make a difference one can feel on one’s skin.

Over the past two years, there has been an increase in violence against women in the context of conflicts. Such massive violations of human rights are carried out by terrorist organizations and authoritarian regimes. There have been cases of forced marriage and sexual slavery, which deprive women of their right to a life of dignity. When addressing this issue, we must first and foremost put in place mechanisms to protect women and ensure that the existing international instruments to protect women in times of conflict are in fact implemented.

I join others in thanking the Kingdom of Spain for having organized this important high-level review of resolution 1325 (2000) on the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary. The choice of this specific topic demonstrates Spain’s continued leadership and commitment to the protection and promotion of women’s and girls’ rights in conflict and post-conflict situations and, more importantly, of its eagerness to move beyond rhetoric to concrete action.

In addition, although it is believed that no country can fully reach gender equality, Rwanda, driven by strong leadership and unfailing political will to improve the status of women, took some ground-breaking initiatives in the form of commitments that will lead to tackling this ambitious goal. Indeed, enormous strides have already been taken, ranging from breaking the world record for the highest female representation in a Parliament — at 64 per cent currently — and in other organs, such as the 43 per cent in the Cabinet and nearly 50 per cent in the judiciary, but also in recognizing women as critical actors in prevention, mediation, protection, conflict management and resolution, as well as in reconciliation processes.

I would like to conclude by noting that this landmark year of the triple review of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding together with the high- level review of resolution 1325 (2000) will continue spur action worldwide in fulfilling the imperative to better protect women, especially in conflict and post- conflict situations. Rwanda has already embarked on that irreversible path and is committed to developing a holistic approach to conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, mainly by ensuring the active participation by and protection of women.

In order to further the normative and effective protection of women, in particular protection against violence in partnership and family relations, government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media and other stakeholders have instituted a number of projects aimed at taking preventive measures to reduce violence against women and children. Projects have also been devised in the field of education, both by the Government and by civil society, and are being implemented in Serbia and the region. My country has maintained intensive cooperation with international actors, including UN-Women, the United Nations Development Programme/South-Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NATO, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

We will continue to promote the women and peace and security agenda in our activities in international and regional organizations and to strengthen cohesion among them. Slovenia will continue to raise this agenda item in the Human Rights Council, in particular when addressing country situations and within the scope of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. We will promote the role of women in the international peace and security agenda and will strengthen efforts for their protection in conflict situations. That is also one of the goals of our new national programme on equal opportunities for women and men for the period 2015-2020.

Fifteen years ago, through its resolution 1325 (2000), the Security Council acknowledged the fact that women were not playing a large enough role in the peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes. It is indeed symbolic that the fifteenth anniversary of the resolution’s adoption coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Goal 5 of our recently launched new development agenda, “Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (General Assembly resolution 70/1), explicitly addresses the need to achieve gender equality and to engage and empower all women and girls in our efforts to make our life and our planet sustainable for future generations. The targets under Goal 5 provide an appropriate balance of protection and support for women, with three aimed at protecting women and girls by ending harmful practices and the rest aimed at encouraging women’s ability to enter the public sphere in meaningful ways.

Yet we know that more remains to be done. Sri Lanka takes very seriously and as a matter of urgent priority the responsibility of ensuring the promotion and protection of the rights of women, including with regard to conflict-related sexual violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. Sri Lanka’s new Government has demonstrated the political will not merely to make international commitment statements, but also to make time-bound national commitments with a view to their speedy and effective implementation.

These major priorities have been incorporated into our National Programme of Action for Substantive Gender Equality which covers a wide range of public policies at national and regional levels, aiming at empowering women and girls and promoting their participation in all policy fields on an equal basis. The National P r o g r a m m e o f A c t i o n f o c u s e s on s p e c i f i c a c t i o n s t a r g e t i n g thematic areas, where women and girls are under-represented or mostly affected, such as violence, employment and decision making.

The complex humanitarian crises arising from conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa should highlight the plight of women and girls who have been subject to many forms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, and who are also forced to abandon their homes and communities becoming refugees and internally displaced persons. Within this context, we should ensure particular attention to women and girls who belong to vulnerable groups, including indigenous or older women, those with disabilities, and members ofethnic or religious minorities, among others.

Women and girls are caught up in these conflict situations and are subjected to rape, sexual assault, torture, human trafficking, forced marriages, forced religious conversions; they are bought and sold, or even given as gifts or trophies to terrorist fighters.

My delegation is particularly appalled by acts of sexual violence as a war strategy designed to dehumanize and demoralize women, girls and their families. These attacks have long-term, even lifelong, traumatic effects on women and girls, both physically and psychologically, and, in many cases, the victims of sexual violence are excluded from or heavily stigmatized in their own families and communities. In addition, these crimes have also a detrimental effect on younger generations, as women are most often the primary educators, caregivers and breadwinners.

The annual report underscores that armed conflict has escalated to unprecedented levels, dramatically reversing progress made, including in the area of women, peace and security. About 60 million people have been forcibly displaced, there is blatant violation of human rights, increasing gender-based sexual violence, and growing involvement of non-state actors.

Another element that will be essential for the success of the WPS Agenda is justice. We must finally put an end to the continuing culture of impunity. This is all the more true with regard to crimes of conflict-related sexual violence, which have seen a frightening increase in recent years. Extremist groups in particular strategically use rape and sexual slavery as a weapon of war to damage and undermine communities. The long-term consequences of these crimes are devastating, and we urgently need to eliminate this practice. We welcome the ICC's policy paper on sexual and gender-based crimes and the Prosecutor's focus in this regard. Conflict- related sexual violence plays a role in nearly every case under investigation and prosecution by the Court. At the same time, justice for survivors of sexual violence continues to be a great exception to the rule, and holding perpetrators accountable has proven to bJ exceedingly difficult. To ensure effective prosecution and accountability, it is crucial that evidence is professionally collected at the earliest possible stage. This process may be assisted inter a/ia by the Justice Rapid Response initiative (JRR); Liechtenstein is proud to have supported its work on sexual and gender-based violence for years.

Effective measures and immediate actions should be taken to end impunity and to prosecute and punish those responsible for violation of human rights including crimes against women and girls in conflict.

The resolutions adopted by the Council have created a comprehensive body of norms and stimulated progress on the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Resolution 1325 (2000) was the first document of the Security Council that reflected in detail the impact of conflicts on women during armed conflicts and in their aftermath, and in particular on the important issue of ensuring the equal participation of women in peace processes and their protection from the devastating consequences of armed conflicts. In the context of armed conflict, parties must respect their obligations under international, humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, especially women and girls. The continued practice of using gender-based violence as a tactic of war is both legally and morally unacceptable.

Austria is alarmed by the current spread of brutal and systemic violence, which is not only causing unspeakable suffering to civilian populations, but has also triggered the biggest wave of refugees and displacement in recent history. We must develop answers on how to deal with the growing spread of violent terrorism and extremism, which are marked by unprecedented levels of sexual violence, abuse, and violations of women’s and girls’ rights. The perpetrators must be held accountable for their acts before the International Criminal Court. We must also empower and support the work of women activists and women human rights defenders. Therefore, a conference in Austria in June 2016 will bring together local women leaders with political representatives and discuss ways forward in tackling sexual violence in armed conflict.

Argentina’s incorporation of woman info peacekeeping processes and its process for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) is its response to a political decision to mainstream a gender perspective into public policies and to defend and promote women’s human rights in every area. In that regard, in 2008 we established a national plan for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in the area of defence, and in 2012 we did the same vis-à-vis security. More recently, on 15 September, the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, approved a national plan of action for Argentina’s implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions that consolidates our various policies on the promotion and defence of women’s human rights. The plan is aimed at increasing women’s presence in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions and their participation in decision-making bodies. We intend to increase women’s political participation in peace negotiations and conflict management and in the decision-making processes for those areas. We will incorporate a gender perspective in all activities of peacebuilding and humanitarian missions, notably activities for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. We will also protect the human rights of women and girls in countries in conflict and emerging from conflict, including those in refugee camps and those who are displaced, particularly in dealing with gender-based and sexual violence, and promoting their safety and welfare.

This year marks 15 years since the historic, unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) by the Security Council. Since then, we have seen notable progress in favour of women, such as the establishment in 2010 of UN-Women and the international recognition of sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security. Andorra, as everyone knows, does not have armed forces but has nonetheless continued to support United Nations peacekeeping operations and a various initiatives of the Organization. I cannot fail to note our co-sponsorship of resolution 2225 (2015) of 18 June 2015, concerning children in armed conflict, which has some bearing on today’s debate and which reiterates concern over sexual violence against girls and encourages States to continue to implement the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy concerning sexual exploitation and abuse.

Resolution 1325 (2000) also urges Member States to incorporate women in decisionmaking processes. In that regard, I should like to highlight Andorra’s experience, which has achieved a gender-balanced Parliament without adopting legislative measures but rather as a result of a society that was able to evolve in terms of equality. Agendasensitive legislative power has made it possible to undertake important activities with respect to gender equality. For example, Andorra was the tenth State to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, thereby allowing the Convention to enter into force. On 15 January, we also adopted a law criminalizing gender-based and domestic violence. The law calls for the establishment of a national commission for the prevention of gender- based and domestic violence. Andorra has made a commitment, as it did during the second cycle of the universal periodic review, to endowing that body with the resources necessary to effectively meet its goals.

Recent legal acts such as those entitled “Protection from Discrimination” and “Military Discipline in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania” provide for appropriate legal and disciplinary measures in cases of sexual harassment, sexual violence and genderbased violence committed by military personnel in discharging their duties. All military structures under the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence have their own gender equality focal point. There are currently nine focal points altogether: seven women and two men.

Yet, despite the efforts of the international community to establish a normative and legal framework, including Security Council resolutions, sexual violence in conflict is on the rise and becoming more complex. Sexual violence is still used as a weapon in war in order to subjugate and humiliate opponents in conflict. With the appearance of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham and Boko Haram, collective public rape, sexual enslavement, the selling of women and girls under 14 years of age, along with the ensuing pregnancies and abortions have become signs of the present age of terror and injustice.

Secondly, we must break the silence and raise awareness so as to prevent sexual violence, protect victims and provide them with the opportunity to be reintegrated into their societies. We must also work to reinforce the legal arsenal to protect the victims and punish the perpetrators of such violence. In addition, we must encourage civil society to work to change the mentality and improve the economic and social conditions that lead to an increase in sexual violence.

The fight against sexual violence is not limited to the United Nations. At the regional level, the African Union has adopted a its own solidarity initiative to promote international consultations on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. At the national level, Algeria, under the able leadership of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and in implementation of his programmes, has been working hard to reinforce its legal system and to review its laws on the protection and promotion of women at all levels, based on our belief in the effective role of women in achieving peace, promoting social equality and combating all forms of violence and inequality. Thanks to the Government’s belief in the effective role of women, Algerian women have made great strides within Algerian society. They participate in decision-making and in the political process. Algerian women currently represent 30 per cent of members of the Algerian Parliament and over 40 per cent of our judges. The chief justice of one of our most important courts is a woman. Algerian women also fought against colonialism and played a major role during the 1990s — the dark years — when they also contributed to reconciliation. They have also participated in the implementation of numerous development projects in my country.

Fifteen years later, many credible reports state that violence against women and girls is on the rise. Women and girls continue to suffer most as victims of conflicts, while they generally do not benefit from the dividends of peace processes. Women and girls are viewed as bearers of cultural and ethnic identities and thus become prime targets for the perpetrators of violence. The onus therefore lies on us to ensure that the oppression of women and girls, particularly through gender-related acts, is stopped forever.

In response to these situations, Canada supports projects to address the specific needs of women and girls in conflicts and emergencies. We are mounting a strong response to sexual violence in conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Iraq and Syria. Our programming includes providing access to justice for survivors and holding perpetrators to account, including through the deployment of Justice Rapid Response experts. This work is undertaken within the context of Canada’s national action plan on women and peace and security.

Canada remains a staunch supporter of the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Zainab Bangura, whose courage and tenacity have been an inspiration to us all. We are proud to be providing $3 million in support of her Office over the next three years, recognizing that financing is key to the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda.

In the face of the new challenges linked to sexual and gender-based violence posed by such armed groups as Boko Haram and Daesh, which carry out kidnappings, traffic in women and girls and practice forced prostitution, the entire international community and individual States should further marshall their efforts to wage a battle commensurate with the stakes involved.

We have created the Ministry for the Popular Power for Women, and community councils are, in the vast majority, headed by women, through which they manage resources and direct projects aimed at benefiting their communities. Today, women in our country direct fundamental aspects of our society on an equal basis with men. We therefore have full moral authority to demand an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls, and to repudiate the notion of women as sex objects in consumer society or as the spoils of war at the hands of extremists. This world, wracked by violence and extremism, must act more decisively, and its leaders must act with greater political determination to address this injustice.

At the national level, this year the Ministry of National Defence of Chile has coordinated various activities for Chilean troops deployed in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. They have been trained in gender issues, the scope of resolution 1325 (2000), human rights and international humanitarian law, the responsibility to prevent and protect against gender violence and sexual abuse in peacekeeping operations, sexual violence and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, Chile’s National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies will be launching a joint academic programme with the Inter-American Defence College that will mainstream gender in academic activities and in the dissemination and research conducted by the two institutions.

Costa Rica stands firmly in support of holistic approaches that enable women to participate in addressing the root causes of conflict, but it is impossible to move forward without also ensuring justice for those who have been victims of the systemic violence that accompanies conflict and war. In 1998, during her tenure on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Costa Rican judge Elizabeth Odio Benito worked successfully to have rape and other forms of sexual assault be considered forms

of torture. Odio Benito’s interpretation, based on the case of two Serbian women who were raped in the Celebici detention camp, is now an accepted principle of international law.

Costa Rica is outraged by the pervasiveness of sexual violence as a weapon of war and condemns the sexual misconduct and abuse committed by United Nations peacekeepers. Odio Benito’s juridical legacy continues to form part of our efforts to have sexual violence as a weapon of war considered a crime against humanity, and this belief is reflected in our zero- tolerance position against impunity in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel.

Despite the development of policies, action plans, guidelines, programmes and training in the 15 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), women continue to face significant barriers to successfully participating and playing roles in those processes. The number of women participating in decision-making in the peace and security spheres worldwide remains unacceptably low, while grave abuses and violence against women, including sexual violence and rape, continue to be devastating. The rise of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism only further aggravates the atrocities and human rights violations women and girls are subjected to. Therefore, the protection of women in armed conflict, parallel to the enhancement of their contribution to peace processes and in rebuilding their communities, still remains a crucial challenge.

Estonia is committed to implementing resolution 1325 (2000) and is currently in the process of adopting its second national action plan. Changes do not happen overnight. We therefore have to focus on raising awareness on the women and peace and security agenda from the grass-roots level to that of international cooperation. We strongly support the inclusion of the gender perspective in the mandates of the operations and missions, and their implementation and evaluation, in the international organizations of which we are members. In parallel, we must continue to fight against impunity, especially against sexual violence in conf licts.

Sexual violence and abductions of women and girls are used as a weapon of war and a tactic of terror. The critical need to address sexual violence in conflict and to step up efforts to eliminate impunity has been forcefully recognized across the world. Finland has been a staunch financial supporter in this area and will continue to be one. We have provided multi-year financial support to the International Criminal Court Trust Fund for Victims. Finland has also contributed financially to the Justice Rapid Response initiative, the United Nations Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.

The full participation of women in peace negotiations is all the more important in that it ensures the inclusion of their concerns in peace agreements. Similarly, their involvement in preventing violence, peacekeeping and peacebuilding is necessary for the resolution of conflicts. With respect to the reform of peacekeeping operations currently under way, more women must be involved in the theatres of operations, in mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, and in the counseling necessary for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violence in society.

Despite the broad understanding of the nature of the problem and the numerous efforts made at all levels to address them, we have yet to see tangible progress on the ground. Women and girls continue to fall victim to acts of violence, murder, maiming and arbitrary detention committed by parties to conflicts across the globe. Boko Haram’s abduction of hundreds of women and girls in Chibok and the kidnappings in Syria and Iraq committed by Daesh and other terrorist groups are glaring examples of the types of gross violations to which women in armed conflict are subjected. The areas controlled by non-State actors and terrorist groups, as well as territories under illegal foreign military occupation, are zones of grave risk for women, with imminent threats to their lives posed by actors that operate in total denial of internationally recognized legal norms.

“Bearing in mind the fact that resolution 1325 (2000) emerged a decade after the end of the Cold War, when new kinds of violence and warfare were already evident, in particular it was also a recognition of the complexity of post-conflict peacebuilding in countries such as Bosnia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, when social fabric and trust within communities had been destroyed. However, although resolution 1325 (2000) and the six subsequent resolutions that followed have given much-needed international attention to the impact of conflict on women and girls, women still face a fight for recognition in both war and peace. A study conducted to mark the tenth anniversary of the resolution found that United Missions had achieved little success in improving the participation of women in peace negotiations and agreements. Women in rural areas still felt excluded. The report went on to state that while some progress had been made in passing laws against sexual and gender-based violence and improving women’s security, conflict-related sexual violence as a deliberate strategy in areas of conflict still occurred with impunity and had proved a formidable challenge for peacekeeping missions.

“Furthermore, the Gambia supports projects and actors that address the specific problem of violence against women, rape, trafficking and the exploitation of women in the context of armed conflicts, either through prevention and protection of the victim or by efforts to end impunity. We have a policy of zero tolerance with regard to the sexual exploitation of women in all cases involving civilian and military personnel seconded to peacebuilding operations. Training modules specifically address the problems of trafficking in human beings and women’s vulnerability to sexual abuse in conflicts, including by those involved in peace missions.

“Particular attention is paid to the gender aspect of transitional justice, which is one of the priorities of the Gambia’s policy in the area of human rights and humanitarian activities. Central to these efforts are the women’s amendment of 2012, the national agenda on women’s empowerment policy 2010-2020, the children’s act, the trafficking act, the refugee act and, most recently, the domestic violence and sexual offence acts of 2013. All these procedures are indeed very innovative in that they consistently take women’s rights into consideration. This can be seen, for example, in the definition of so-called gender crimes, the rights of women in court procedures, in the representation of the two sexes in the court’s various bodies and in the organization of the court with regard to the protection of victims and witnesses. Additional forms are to be provided for projects that support the inclusion of women in political and legal transitional processes, with a view to ending impunity in cases involving crimes against women. This is intended to facilitate implementation of the corresponding procedures and evidentiary rules contained in the statutes.

Germany is fully committed to ensuring that the women and peace and security agenda has the necessary financial underpinning. To that end, we will this year once again contribute €1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for use in preventing sexual violence in armed conflict and in assisting its victims.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bangura has been tireless in drawing our attention to the horrific sexual crimes being carried out in conflicts around the world. We encourage the members of the Council to resort to her expertise more frequently.

I take this opportunity to urge the international community to liberate the women captured by ISIL, who are daily subjected to systematic sexual violence. I also call on States and the relevant international organizations to provide medical and psychological treatment for sexually abused women, to rehabilitate them psychologically and socially, and to provide them with the education necessary to ensure their integration into society, so that they can reassume their important role in society and contribute to its rebuilding.

Working in collaboration with UN-Women and other United Nations agencies, as well as bilateral partners and civil society organizations, significant progress has been made in the implementation of the resolution in Liberia. Such progress includes the creation of a civil society observatory on resolution 1325 (2000) and the establishment of the Angie Brooks International Centre for training women in leadership, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. A Special Criminal Court E was established in Monrovia in 2008 for the adjudication of cases of sexual and gender-based violence. Under a joint programme of the Government of Liberia and the United Nations, psychosocial, medical and economic support is being provided for survivors of rape and sexual and gender-based violence offenses.

Thirdly, sexual abuse continues to cast a shameful shadow over United Nations peacekeeping despite all efforts by the Secretariat and Member States. We must act consistently to implement the zero-tolerance policy with a particular focus on prevention, including predeployment training and integration of gender advisory staff in all United Nations peacekeeping missions. Adequate vetting of personnel would further prevent individuals with a history of abusive conduct or sexual exploitation from serving.

Lithuania ensures that all its personnel deployed in peacekeeping missions receive mandatory training on gender mainstreaming and prevention. We are also committed to ensuring an adequate response should sexual exploitation or abuse occur, that is, bringing perpetrators to account. We will pursue expanding the involvement of women in peace operations in both the civilian and military fields.

Last but not least, as emphasized in the recent report of the Secretary-General (S/ 2015/716), women’s access to justice remains a considerable challenge. We will not achieve women’s empowerment or gender equality if perpetrators of violence against women and girls continue to go unpunished. National capacities to tackle cases of violence against women, including sexual violence and rape, must be strengthened. The international community has to support the capacity- building of Member States as they seek to build independent, impartial and strong judicial institutions.

Lithuania remains committed to supporting national and international accountability mechanisms for the investigation of sexual and gender-based violence and to ensuring that victims are provided with adequate support and redress for the harm they have suffered. The International Criminal Court continues to be an important mechanism in combating sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and should be used vigorously to pursue accountability.

As the debate focuses on translating rhetoric to effective results, my delegation wishes to share some of the steps taken in Myanmar to address the issue at hand. Sexual violence is a crime strongly abhorred by our traditional values and strictly forbidden by law and the culture of Myanmar. As such, severe legal action is taken against perpetrators of all reported cases, be they civilians or members of security forces. The penal code strongly prescribes severe penalties for committing sexual violence. We have put in place a strong legal foundation for punishing violent sexual crimes. Military personnel are given in- house training to ensure compliance with the Military Act, codes of conduct and relevant civil laws. Violent sexual crimes are condemned — and not condoned — by law and practice in Myanmar.

Nepal recognizes the close link between United Nations peacekeeping operations and resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions. As a leading and consistent troop- and police-contributor, Nepal is committed to increasing the number of women in its army and police forces, deploying more women to peacekeeping, and integrating the protection of women and girls from sexual violence into predeployment training courses. The tools and training developed with the national action plan partners for the army, police and other Government stakeholders have proved useful. The security agencies are implementing a zero- tolerance policy against gender-based discrimination within their institutions, using tools such as gender-behaviour directives and directives regarding women in the military. We welcome the Secretary-General’s zero- tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. It resonates with the action plan on gender-based violence that Nepal has been implementing since 2010.

Our Prime Minister’s Office has a dedicated unit for addressing sexual and gender-based violence, which provides protection to victims and brings perpetrators to justice. In over 50 districts now, women and girls service centres investigate and address such incidents. The Gender Equality Act of 2006, together with the amendment of 56 laws identified as being gender- discriminatory, has expedited meaningful reforms in the country. Under our laws, sexual violence is a serious crime against human rights. Rape and violence against women are serious offenses against the State. Polygamy, child marriage, forced marriage, sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as sexual and domestic violence, are punishable by law. Nepal was careful to ensure that its peace process was gender- inclusive. Women comprised 33 per cent of district peace committees, set up to address local post-conflict issues by, inter alia, providing relief to victims of conflict. The current transitional justice mechanism investigates conflict-era cases and addresses the needs of the victims.

But over the next 15 years, the world’s fate will be largely determined by whether or not women succeed in taking their rightful place in history. Do we want to achieve our global goals? Fight inequality? Create lasting peace? We need the women of the world to do that. Let us therefore all step up our support to organizations like Karama, a regional non- governmental organization based in Cairo that works throughout the Middle East in coalition with hundreds of partners to end violence against women.

Fifteen years ago, the Netherlands, as a member of the Security Council at the time, was one of the main advocates of resolution 1325 (2000). I was personally involved then and feel very strongly about it. Now we are aspiring to become a Security Council member again, partly in order to support increasing the pace of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its successor, resolution 2242 (2015). We think we have something to offer — the desire and the capacity to stand up and invest in women who are the drivers of change. It is time, as Elvis Presley put it in one of his many classic songs, for “A little less conversation, [and] a little more action”.

Another vital aspect of the women and peace and security agenda for the Organization, in particular, is to deal effectively with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by our own people. It is a stain on the work of the United Nations and of the Council that allegations of such behaviour by United Nations peacekeepers continue to be made with a frequency and particularity that brook no easy dismissal. We have taken some satisfaction from the Secretary-General’s strong statements that such behaviours will not be tolerated and that perpetrators will be held criminally to account. We agree that there must be a means for ensuring that troop- and police-contributing countries exercise criminal jurisdiction over their nationals participating in United Nations operations when such allegations are made. We also agree with the high-level advisory group that States that do not live up to this should not be allowed to participate in future peacekeeping operations. Most of all, we insist that effective action be taken. This, too, is a problem that we must all own if it is to be dealt with effectively.

At the regional level in Africa, the African Union (AU) has been a valid instrument and platform for the advancement of the women, peace and security agenda. In January 2014, the African Union Commission signed the Framework of Cooperation Concerning the Prevention and Response to Conflict-related Sexual Violence in Africa, with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Its major focus is on preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict and post- conflict situations.

The agreement complements the ongoing efforts of the African Union Peace and Security Council, which is working to institute a code of conduct and a zero- tolerance policy that clearly outlines the AU’s strong position against sexual violence and exploitation by AU troops. The agreement strengthens the collaboration and common commitment of the African Union and the United Nations to combat impunity and promote accountability, implement capacity-building and training programmes, foster better coordination, national ownership and leadership, facilitate the provision of multisectoral services, and alleviate the stigma and trauma of victims.

It is up to the States, therefore, to continue to work to promote the greater participation of women at all stages of peace and security processes. Similarly, resolution 1325 (2000), which brings us together today, on the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary, is the first resolution to establish a connection between the experiences of women in conflicts and the international agenda for peace and security and to highlight the fact that conflicts have a disproportionate impact on women. This resolution becomes even more relevant today, as we see the violence levelled against women by extremist groups that violate their rights, their dignity, their integrity and their very lives. Consequently, it is essential that the Security Council call upon all parties to armed conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and sexual abuse, and all other forms of violence in situations of armed conflict.

Similarly, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations has developed a registry of internally displaced persons, which has made it possible to protect the rights of women and girls in conflict and post- conflict situations. Likewise, through a law enacted in 2005, my country established a comprehensive reparations plan for the victims of acts of violence that occurred between 1980 and 2000. The national plan to combat violence against women incorporated the topic of sexual violence in the context of armed conflict, calling for its inclusion in regional policies throughout the country. The plan calls for the inclusion of all forms of sexual violence within the ambit of the comprehensive reparations plan, in particular that inflicted on women victimized during the period of terrorist violence.

At the international level, Peru supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy, which strongly condemns the participation of persons working under the flag of the United Nations in any form of inappropriate or immoral behaviour, especially in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse against civilians, in particular women and girls.

Moreover, my country welcomes the trend towards the systematic incorporation of a gender perspective in the mandates of peacekeeping operations, as well as the integration of women as actors in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. For that reason, Peru has increased the participation of women in each of the eight missions in which we participate. Women currently represent 10 per cent of our staff deployed on the ground, a figure that we hope to increase in the future.

In that regard, and to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), Portugal commits to promoting increased participation by women in international missions for the strengthening and maintenance of peace and security, and for humanitarian aid and crisis management; to continuing to actively promote the women and peace and security agenda in the main multilateral forums to which Portugal is a party, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO; to raising awareness in all the relevant international forums of the importance of establishing national actions plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000); to providing information for the United Nations indicators in order to track the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and for relevant documents on the implementation of the resolution; to conducting training programmes on gender equality and violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking in human beings, for national personnel in the field of justice and for members of the armed and security forces assigned to international peacekeeping missions; to including the women and peace and security agenda in Portuguese development aid programmes; and, finally, to continuing to engage with civil society organizations on women and peace and security agenda issues.

Over the past two years, there has been an increase in violence against women in the context of conflicts. Such massive violations of human rights are carried out by terrorist organizations and authoritarian regimes. There have been cases of forced marriage and sexual slavery, which deprive women of their right to a life of dignity. When addressing this issue, we must first and foremost put in place mechanisms to protect women and ensure that the existing international instruments to protect women in times of conflict are in fact implemented.

It is of great concern that the parties responsible for such violations of human rights are not prosecuted and brought to justice. It is therefore important that the Security Council use all the means available to ensure that they face international criminal justice. Such crimes must not go unpunished. In that connection, we would like to commend the efforts being made by Justice Rapid Response with regard to sexual and gender-based violence. That organization provides important support to the international community. We have contributed to its efforts by deploying experts in criminal law and by hosting meetings of the group.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as that of subsequent resolutions, was instrumental in raising our awareness as to the human rights abuses that women and girls are subjected to in armed conflict as well as in settings where insecurity prevails. The current geopolitical landscape in major parts of the world where violent conflicts are raging, coupled with the rise of extremism and terrorism, has worsened the situation and given way to unprecedented, hard- to-contain humanitarian crises in which women are particular targets. They not only suffer all sorts of ill treatment, including rape and sexual violence, but they are also denied their rights and are routinely scorned and abused.

The anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) presents us with a unique opportunity to reflect upon our activities over the past 15 years and to renew our commitments. Slovenia has been active in promoting the women and peace and security agenda in various forums. We are a member of the informal group of friends of resolution 1325 (2000) within NATO and of the EU informal task force for its implementation. In 2014, Slovenia hosted the third seminar of the Initiative on Mediation in the Mediterranean, which addressed the role of women in mediation. In September, the Bled Strategic Forum discussed ending sexual violence in conflict. Most of Slovenia’s activities on the women and peace and security agenda have been carried out as part of the implementation of the 2010-2015 national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008).

Yet we know that more remains to be done. Sri Lanka takes very seriously and as a matter of urgent priority the responsibility of ensuring the promotion and protection of the rights of women, including with regard to conflict-related sexual violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. Sri Lanka’s new Government has demonstrated the political will not merely to make international commitment statements, but also to make time-bound national commitments with a view to their speedy and effective implementation.

Secondly, at the heart of the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) is the need to address sexual violence in conflict, which is an integral aspect of the overall women and peace and security agenda. Member States have the primary responsibility to put an end to impunity and to prosecute perpetrators responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including those relating to sexual violence against women and girls. South Africa appreciates the active role and full participation by the Executive Director of UN-Women and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict in monitoring implementation. As stated before, my delegation would like to encourage the Security Council to develop a broader framework of prevention, for example by explicitly referencing sexual violence in conflict in all relevant country- specific resolutions.

We are particularly alarmed by the horrendous
phenomenon of widespread sexual violence committed against women and girls.

However, much more needs to be done to translate normative progress into results on the ground. We should strive to change the traditional conceptual framework in which "security" tends to be a man's narrative. Recognizing that women participation in all peace and security efforts offers important advantages is crucial for achieving progress on the issue. Gender inclusive peacekeeping, peace making and peace building can contribute effectively to the maintenance of international peace and security. Women need to be included in the decision making of all stages of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation processes.

Brazil sees protection and empowerment as inseparable aspects of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women and girls are not just entitled to safety, but also to an active voice. No decision concerning women should be adopted without consultation and consideration oftheir unique perspective.

At the international level, this includes formulating and implementing the mandates of peacekeeping operations and special political missions; conducting peace negotiations; and handling peacebuilding, recovery and humanitarian initiatives.

At the domestic level, governments should be ready to constantly design and improve their gender-sensitive policies.

National governments have to be encouraged and assisted in developing and implementing national strategies in the context of Resolution 1325. The key to national capacity building is not the temporary location of external humanitarian experts, but the actual process of transfer of experience in human resource development and building national institutions by member states which are willing and able to share their experiences. Our recent commitment at the Leaders' Summit on UN Peacekeeping to ramp up our contribution of enablers and skilled personnel from our armed forces, especially our police forces, is an illustration of how India proposes to address this issue. lt goes without saying that such assistance must be with the consent of the host government, so that the United Nations can actually contribute to the objectives of peacebuilding. It is logical for us to highlight to the Council that such an approach, based on our experience as a Troop Contributing Country to UN peace operations, requires the Council to implement in letter and spirit the provisions of Article 44 of the Charter, which allows troop contributing countries like us, not represented in the Council, to sit face to face with members of the Council while drawing up the mandates of UN peace operations.

The successes ofthis landmark resolution, has raised international awareness, on the unique and grave issues that girls and women face during and after conflicts. It has undoubtedly increased international commitment on women empowerment at national and global levels. Since the adoption o f this resolution and the subsequent ones, we have not only seen the number o f women raising to positions of political leadership, but also in security forces over the last decade. At the same time, the number o f women in UN peacekeeping Missions has also increased.

It is our belief that the significant presence of women peacekeepers in conflict and post-conflict areas has an added advantage of creating safer spaces for girls and women who have suffered sexual violence. Studies conducted by the UN in support of resolution 1325, from experience in operations in Cambodia, Kosovo, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Liberia and the DRC, have also demonstrated that female soldiers do not face the same cultural restrictions as their male counterparts, and are able to gain information from women and children. This ability to gain the trust of local populations should be considered a vital component of any peacekeeping operation.

Argentina’s incorporation of woman info peacekeeping processes and its process for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) is its response to a political decision to mainstream a gender perspective into public policies and to defend and promote women’s human rights in every area. In that regard, in 2008 we established a national plan for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in the area of defence, and in 2012 we did the same vis-à-vis security. More recently, on 15 September, the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, approved a national plan of action for Argentina’s implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions that consolidates our various policies on the promotion and defence of women’s human rights. The plan is aimed at increasing women’s presence in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions and their participation in decision-making bodies. We intend to increase women’s political participation in peace negotiations and conflict management and in the decision-making processes for those areas. We will incorporate a gender perspective in all activities of peacebuilding and humanitarian missions, notably activities for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. We will also protect the human rights of women and girls in countries in conflict and emerging from conflict, including those in refugee camps and those who are displaced, particularly in dealing with gender-based and sexual violence, and promoting their safety and welfare.

This year marks 15 years since the historic, unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) by the Security Council. Since then, we have seen notable progress in favour of women, such as the establishment in 2010 of UN-Women and the international recognition of sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security. Andorra, as everyone knows, does not have armed forces but has nonetheless continued to support United Nations peacekeeping operations and a various initiatives of the Organization. I cannot fail to note our co-sponsorship of resolution 2225 (2015) of 18 June 2015, concerning children in armed conflict, which has some bearing on today’s debate and which reiterates concern over sexual violence against girls and encourages States to continue to implement the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy concerning sexual exploitation and abuse.

On the normative framework, the national action plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), adopted in 2011, provides for enhanced institutional gender capacities, which made it possible, starting that year, for eight women to participate in international peacekeeping operations.

The main pillars of resolution 1325 (2000) are ensuring women’s increased participation in decision-making; their involvement in mechanisms aimed at preventing, managing and resolving conflicts; their engagement in peace negotiations and their mainstreaming into peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, with an emphasis on training and raising awareness about sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Women around the world continue to face an onslaught of violence in situations of conflict, as we have witnessed in the deliberate and systematic campaign of sexual violence undertaken by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram. While these groups publicize their crimes, such atrocities also take place in other conflicts behind a curtain of silence and shame. Accountability, let alone true justice, remains elusive. Women’s rights defenders, serving as a voice for the voiceless, are themselves often targeted. The United Nations itself has witnessed shortcomings, with instances of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers and staff.

At the national level, this year the Ministry of National Defence of Chile has coordinated various activities for Chilean troops deployed in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. They have been trained in gender issues, the scope of resolution 1325 (2000), human rights and international humanitarian law, the responsibility to prevent and protect against gender violence and sexual abuse in peacekeeping operations, sexual violence and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, Chile’s National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies will be launching a joint academic programme with the Inter-American Defence College that will mainstream gender in academic activities and in the dissemination and research conducted by the two institutions.

We shall monitor accountability regarding gender violence among staff serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations within two years, and we shall appoint gender advisers and a national focal point for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in relevant ministries and departments within one year, as well as for receiving and sending information to and from missions. We shall also establish an observatory, consisting of representatives of civil society, to report on progress in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in ourcountry.

In recent years, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, we have implemented a number of projects in more than seven countries, including Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Palestine and Egypt, focused especially on protecting women’s rights and on enhancing their participation in public life. The study comprehensively demonstrates that the participation of women at all levels is the key to the operational effectiveness, success and sustainability of peace-process, peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts. That is one of the reasons why the Czech Republic has negotiated several times in Geneva a resolution on equal political participation that urges all States to eliminate the barriers that limit the full and effective participation of all segments of society, including women, in political affairs. The resolution has always been adopted by consensus and sponsored by a large number of countries.

On the basis of that acknowledgement, as a country we believe that it is a priority to work in order to achieve greater participation by women in the various peacekeeping operations. El Salvador is making efforts to be able to enhance the participation of women in the six peacekeeping missions in which we are participating, in accordance with what is stipulated in resolution 1325 (2000) and other subsequent Security Council resolutions.

The full participation of women in peace negotiations is all the more important in that it ensures the inclusion of their concerns in peace agreements. Similarly, their involvement in preventing violence, peacekeeping and peacebuilding is necessary for the resolution of conflicts. With respect to the reform of peacekeeping operations currently under way, more women must be involved in the theatres of operations, in mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, and in the counseling necessary for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violence in society.

“Bearing in mind the fact that resolution 1325 (2000) emerged a decade after the end of the Cold War, when new kinds of violence and warfare were already evident, in particular it was also a recognition of the complexity of post-conflict peacebuilding in countries such as Bosnia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, when social fabric and trust within communities had been destroyed. However, although resolution 1325 (2000) and the six subsequent resolutions that followed have given much-needed international attention to the impact of conflict on women and girls, women still face a fight for recognition in both war and peace. A study conducted to mark the tenth anniversary of the resolution found that United Missions had achieved little success in improving the participation of women in peace negotiations and agreements. Women in rural areas still felt excluded. The report went on to state that while some progress had been made in passing laws against sexual and gender-based violence and improving women’s security, conflict-related sexual violence as a deliberate strategy in areas of conflict still occurred with impunity and had proved a formidable challenge for peacekeeping missions.

“Furthermore, the Gambia supports projects and actors that address the specific problem of violence against women, rape, trafficking and the exploitation of women in the context of armed conflicts, either through prevention and protection of the victim or by efforts to end impunity. We have a policy of zero tolerance with regard to the sexual exploitation of women in all cases involving civilian and military personnel seconded to peacebuilding operations. Training modules specifically address the problems of trafficking in human beings and women’s vulnerability to sexual abuse in conflicts, including by those involved in peace missions.

We strongly condemn the reported cases of sexual violence, which continues to be used as a strategy for intimidation and terror. Furthermore, we condemn the incidents of violence and sexual abuse in peacekeeping operations. We demand the implementation of the zero- tolerance policy.

Security forces must recognize that women play a vital role in the national reconciliation dialogue. Those forces must ensure their safety and integrity as an important aspect of the peace and security equation.

It is a long-established fact that gender issues cut across many sectors and that focusing on them can help us to attain our peace, development and human rights objectives. Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), 15 years ago, many thematic discussions and resolutions on gender have evolved from it, such as those on small arms, counter- terrorism, peacekeeping and the protection of civilians. It is particularly noteworthy that peacekeeping missions have integrated gender perspectives into their training, operations and reporting. Nevertheless, the fact remains that women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict situations are still unduly affected and underrepresented, even with the addition of all the resolutions on women and peace and security adopted subsequently and aimed at strengthening action on resolution 1325 (2000), as well as the creation of relevant mechanisms within the United Nations. Ultimately, the best measure of progress is when policy gains are more meaningfully and tangibly translated into action on the ground.

Moving forward, and building on the momentum created by the high-level review of the past 15 years, I would like to suggest that the Council focus on five areas. First, it should ensure that women have the access and the capacity they need to participate meaningfully in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacebuilding and decision-making processes in public life generally. Secondly, it should support advocacy campaigns aimed at reaching out and empowering society to protect women and girls and address their specific needs. All actors and stakeholders, especially at the community level, should be able to translate international frameworks on protecting women and girls in conflict- and post-conflict- related situations into action on the ground.

The global study and its indicators have highlighted women’s vulnerability, which has worsened as conflicts, violent extremism and terrorism have proliferated. The recommendations of the high-level advisory group and the outstanding and untiring efforts of UN-Women are more relevant than ever at a time when we are reviewing peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations as well as celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action.

Peacekeeping operations and prevention and mediation efforts are two concrete examples. In the past, we might have thought that applying a gender focus to peacekeeping operations simply meant deploying a greater number of women on the ground or increasing the number of women in the armed forces. While that is still a priority, a broader concept of gender equality now allows us to realize that all the activities of a given operation — including patrols and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, security sector reform, the promotion of the rule of law and the effective enjoyment of human rights — should take into account the specific needs of women and should recognize the importance of their participation in interaction with local communities.

Another relevant aspect of this discussion concerns the need to allocate sufficient human and financial resources to programmes of proven success. For that reason, my delegation considers it essential to guarantee the deployment of specialized gender advisers in peacekeeping operations and special political missions. Such a strategy will require that we strengthen all our activities through appropriate coordination with the other organs of the United Nations system so as to avoid duplication and to respect the competencies of each separate organ.

Mexico has reported to the General Assembly on the specific steps it has taken towards its gradual return to peacekeeping operations. As part of our commitments, I would like to recall that we will increase capacity- building and specialized training for Mexican officers, in particular members of the Mexican armed forces, based on the criteria established by resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions. To that end, we have already established cooperation mechanisms with a number of countries that will enable us to strengthen our specific activities in the area of capacity- building. Just last week, for example, the Government of Mexico held one such specialized training session at the Centre for Advanced Naval Studies of Mexico, in collaboration with the Governments of Spain and the Netherlands.

Nepal recognizes the close link between United Nations peacekeeping operations and resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions. As a leading and consistent troop- and police-contributor, Nepal is committed to increasing the number of women in its army and police forces, deploying more women to peacekeeping, and integrating the protection of women and girls from sexual violence into predeployment training courses. The tools and training developed with the national action plan partners for the army, police and other Government stakeholders have proved useful. The security agencies are implementing a zero- tolerance policy against gender-based discrimination within their institutions, using tools such as gender-behaviour directives and directives regarding women in the military. We welcome the Secretary-General’s zero- tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. It resonates with the action plan on gender-based violence that Nepal has been implementing since 2010.

In our own small way, New Zealand has sought to play its part. We have had women in front-line peacekeeping roles since the year 2000. We are working to ensure that women are included at more senior levels in future peacekeeping operations. Our national action plan focuses on improving international deployment rates of senior staff within the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police to increase the numbers of women at decision-making levels in peacekeeping and assistance missions. We also recognize the importance of empowering local women and ensuring equality of access to justice. During our seven-year engagement in Afghanistan, New Zealand helped establish the first Afghan National Police women’s committee at the Bamyan provincial police headquarters. Key purposes of the committee are to advocate for and support female police, and the development and implementation of a non-discrimination and harassment policies for all police employees so as to encourage the recruitment and retention of women police officers.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has also played a constructive role in advancing the women and peace and security agenda by promoting the greater involvement of women in peacekeeping. According to United Nations data, 29 per cent of the 6,800 international civilians working in special political missions and peacekeeping missions are women. That is highly significant. Even more significant is the fact that women lead five peace operations as Special Representatives of the Secretary-General.

Multidimensional peacekeeping missions, such as those provided for in resolution 2086 (2013), play a key role in combating violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations. As a leading troop contributor, Pakistan will continue to ensure that our troops respond to the special needs of women and girls. We plan to further streamline training on gender sensitization. Pakistani women have served on the front lines as police officers, doctors and nurses in various missions in Asia, Africa and the Balkans. We are proud of the fact that a Pakistani police officer, Shahzadi Gulfam, was the recipient of the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award.

At the international level, Peru supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy, which strongly condemns the participation of persons working under the flag of the United Nations in any form of inappropriate or immoral behaviour, especially in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse against civilians, in particular women and girls.

Moreover, my country welcomes the trend towards the systematic incorporation of a gender perspective in the mandates of peacekeeping operations, as well as the integration of women as actors in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. For that reason, Peru has increased the participation of women in each of the eight missions in which we participate. Women currently represent 10 per cent of our staff deployed on the ground, a figure that we hope to increase in the future.

In 2015, our country has enjoyed the highest percentage of female participation in awareness programmes and training for peace operations. Some 27 per cent of participants are women, and we hope to see this percentage increase through the efforts of the relevant institutions to promote the greater participation of women in the contingents of peacekeeping missions in which Paraguay is a participant. The main obstacles that prevent women’s full participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding can bee linked to gender-based discrimination and women’s economic and social exclusion, situations that entail the denial of women’s rights. That is why it is so important to work to strengthen women’s human rights from a perspective that includes devoting attention to their economic, social and cultural rights.

I would like to conclude by noting that this landmark year of the triple review of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding together with the high- level review of resolution 1325 (2000) will continue spur action worldwide in fulfilling the imperative to better protect women, especially in conflict and post- conflict situations. Rwanda has already embarked on that irreversible path and is committed to developing a holistic approach to conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, mainly by ensuring the active participation by and protection of women.

First, my delegation reaffirms its commitment to the full and effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and the subsequent related resolutions as the building blocks for advancing the women and peace and security agenda. We would like to encourage the strengthening of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), given the complex and dynamic nature of conflict, which has changed the character of peacekeeping and peacebuilding practices.

The High Level Review of the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 will provide a roadmap to accelerate the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda and to address the new challenges, such as the rise in violent extremism, the humanitarian crises and the growing refugee and migration flows.

Brazil sees protection and empowerment as inseparable aspects of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women and girls are not just entitled to safety, but also to an active voice. No decision concerning women should be adopted without consultation and consideration oftheir unique perspective.

At the international level, this includes formulating and implementing the mandates of peacekeeping operations and special political missions; conducting peace negotiations; and handling peacebuilding, recovery and humanitarian initiatives.

At the domestic level, governments should be ready to constantly design and improve their gender-sensitive policies.

Denmark remains as committed to implement SCR 1325 as ever. Denmark was among the first countries to formulate a national action plan for implementing this resolution and last yearwe adoptedour third national actionplan (2014-2019). We emphasize using the untapped potential of women. We seek to involve women actively, on an equal basis, in prevention and resolution o f conflicts, peace negotiations, peace building and peace keeping, humanitarian response and in post conflict reconstruction. And we commit to concrete actions in order to achieve these ends.

Azerbaijan reiterates its strong condemnation of all acts of sexual violence committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. There can be no tolerance for such acts, and all necessary measures must be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and to put an end to impunity. The scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict has rightly been the subject of the Council’s attention.

Unfortunately, not all grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including acts of sexual violence, have received the attention they deserve or a response at the international and regional levels. Measures that are more resolute and targeted are required to end impunity in such situations. Commitments to protection must be free of selectivity and politically motivated approaches and preferences.

First, Australia is committing an additional 4 million Australian dollars over three years to the Global Acceleration Instrument on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, bringing our total contribution to 5.5 million Australian dollars. This is in recognition of the fact that more is needed to support the critical role of women’s organizations in preventing and resolving conflict, building peace and ensuring relief and recovery.

Secondly, the women and peace and security agenda must be implemented across the military. Accordingly, the Australian Defence Force is deploying more women and increasing their number in senior decision-making roles; has introduced recruitment targets for women in non-traditional roles; and is developing a gender adviser and female engagement team capability. The Australian Defence Force will also provide a technical expert for women and peace and security to UN-Women for five years from 2016.

As far as the international aspects of our national plan are concerned, we have to face certain realities and challenges on the ground. Twenty-one years after the conclusion of the trilateral ceasefire agreement that ended the active military phase of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the physical security and survival of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is still under threat. By the same token, the civilians residing in Armenia’s border territory have been systematically and indiscriminately targeted by Azerbaijani armed forces. Armenia strongly condemns these violations of international humanitarian law and the tragedy that occurred at the end of September, in which three women in Armenian border settlements were killed.

Argentina’s incorporation of woman info peacekeeping processes and its process for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) is its response to a political decision to mainstream a gender perspective into public policies and to defend and promote women’s human rights in every area. In that regard, in 2008 we established a national plan for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in the area of defence, and in 2012 we did the same vis-à-vis security. More recently, on 15 September, the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, approved a national plan of action for Argentina’s implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent related resolutions that consolidates our various policies on the promotion and defence of women’s human rights. The plan is aimed at increasing women’s presence in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions and their participation in decision-making bodies. We intend to increase women’s political participation in peace negotiations and conflict management and in the decision-making processes for those areas. We will incorporate a gender perspective in all activities of peacebuilding and humanitarian missions, notably activities for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. We will also protect the human rights of women and girls in countries in conflict and emerging from conflict, including those in refugee camps and those who are displaced, particularly in dealing with gender-based and sexual violence, and promoting their safety and welfare.

Women are victims of various forms of violence in conflicts. Their impact on women and girls is varied, disproportionate, multidimensional and complex, with devastating effects both physically and on their fundamental rights. Argentina was a sponsor of General Assembly resolution 69/293, which declared 19 June the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, with the intention of raising awareness in order to tackle the use of this scourge as a weapon of war and to help promote a culture of peace that can ensure that we can put an end to this type of cruelty, which is a threat to the dignity of persons and to respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.

At this moment, the need for stronger and more complete implementation of the parameters of resolution 1325 (2000) and guidelines is disturbingly evident in longlasting, ongoing and even newly emerged conflict around the world. It is becoming more and more apparent that the vision and agenda of resolution 1325 (2000) needs to be constantly built and improved upon, as even the substantial framework we have created has been continuously confronted with new and ever-more challenging risk factors, deteriorating humanitarian situations in the wake of conflicts, persistent disrespect and disregard for women’s rights in a number of countries and the continued violence against their person, both physical and emotional.

A global study demonstrates that genuine participation by women increases the effectiveness of humanitarian aid, the credibility and quality of peacekeeping operations, the speediness of economic recovery in post-conflict situations and the stain ability of peace agreements. It is therefore disappointing to note that the same study reveals that, 15 years later, the participation of women in peace processes and in post-conflict political transitions remains a significant challenge.

Resolution 1325 (2000) was definitely a visionary document, which perfectly recognized the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in peace negotiations, in peacebuilding and peacekeeping, in humanitarian response and in post- conflict reconstruction. We have before us, 15 years after its adoption, a global study on its implementation that shows remarkable progress according to specific indicators and identifies gaps to be filled, emerging trends and priorities for action.

I take this opportunity to urge the international community to liberate the women captured by ISIL, who are daily subjected to systematic sexual violence. I also call on States and the relevant international organizations to provide medical and psychological treatment for sexually abused women, to rehabilitate them psychologically and socially, and to provide them with the education necessary to ensure their integration into society, so that they can reassume their important role in society and contribute to its rebuilding.

However, despite the efforts to ensure the full implementation of the resolution, and despite the time that has gone by since its adoption, many challenges remain. In fact, the concepts of peace and security are now different from what they were 15 years ago. Indeed, some of the threats against women and girls are new. We are also now talking about climate change, the upsurge of religious extremism throughout the world and the unprecedented increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons, including women and girls, throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. The changing nature and form of conflicts, including civil wars, has also become an important element in the violation of human rights.

We have learned that political will and budget lines can put gender on the agenda, even in times of war. That is why Norway has earmarked funds to implement the women and peace and security agenda on the ground. For several years, we have allocated approximately $4 million to the work of civil society organizations. Ten percent of the resources spent on peace and reconciliation efforts in focus countries are to be allocated to efforts pertaining to women and peace and security. Approximately $3.6 million is earmarked specifically for the integration of the gender perspective in our humanitarian assistance in 2015.

ECOWAS has put in place very strong mechanisms regarding the role of women in conflict prevention and management, such as the Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security and the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Those mechanisms serve as the basis for the ECOWAS conflict-prevention framework. The women, peace and security component of that framework aims at consolidating women’s role, participation and impact at all stages of conflict management, including humanitarian provisions, while reinforcing various national and regional mechanisms for protecting and promoting them.

Panama aligns itself with the statement made earlier today by the representative of Thailand on behalf of the Human Security Network. Panama is a sponsor of resolution 2242 (2015), adopted by the Security Council today, which reflects the complexity and scale of the issue. The numerous armed conflicts we see at the global level unfortunately have demonstrated that women have available to them few resolutionesources to protect themselves, yet, together with their sons and daughters, they represent the majority of the displaced and refugee population. Women have also claimed space and, in some cases, led peace movements that promoted the recovery of their communities following conflicts. Yet, women have remained invisible, which is a historical failure we must overcome. That exclusion has limited women’s access to opportunities for recovery, their ability to obtain justice for violations of their human rights and their participation in legal and institutional reforms.

Pakistan believes that it is the collective responsibility of the United Nations and the entire international community to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to those refugee women and to ensure their safety and security in camp settings and in transit to safer destinations. Here, I must underline the crucial importance of conflict prevention and conflict resolution to the women and peace and security agenda. The hardships faced by displaced women and girls and the grave crimes committed against them are mostly a direct consequence of conflict situations. The Council, we feel, should adopt a hands-on, strategic approach to conflict prevention and conflict resolution.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as that of subsequent resolutions, was instrumental in raising our awareness as to the human rights abuses that women and girls are subjected to in armed conflict as well as in settings where insecurity prevails. The current geopolitical landscape in major parts of the world where violent conflicts are raging, coupled with the rise of extremism and terrorism, has worsened the situation and given way to unprecedented, hard- to-contain humanitarian crises in which women are particular targets. They not only suffer all sorts of ill treatment, including rape and sexual violence, but they are also denied their rights and are routinely scorned and abused.

1. Increase the participation of Women and integrate gender equality into all stages of peacebuilding processes, including at all decision-making levels;

2. Ensure the Training and Empowerment of all Women, girls and boys in peacebuilding processes, both in gender equality and gender-based violence, as well as other relevant aspects of Resolutions 1325 and 1820;

3. Promote and protect the human rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as their economic and social empowerment and participation in civil society, taking into account the need to prevent and eliminate gender- and conflict-based violence in conflict situations, and promote the empowerment of women;

4. Deepen and spread knowledge about the theme "Women, Peace and Security", including training and raising awareness in all ministerial departments, the civil society, and among political decision makers;

5. Promote the participation of the civil society in the implementation of Resolution 1325;
6. Promote the socio-economic development of rural communities, raise awareness of their rights, increase food security and contribute to poverty eradication;
7. Include a gender perspective in the national budget with a view to fulfilling the commitments set in Resolution 1325.

The annual report underscores that armed conflict has escalated to unprecedented levels, dramatically reversing progress made, including in the area of women, peace and security. About 60 million people have been forcibly displaced, there is blatant violation of human rights, increasing gender-based sexual violence, and growing involvement of non-state actors.

Honduras believes women are the missing and critical link in our global pact to attain sustainable development through a culture of peace. More than half the world's population cannot be relegated or marginalized from decisions and events that affect their lives and those of the next generations entrusted to them. Women by moral and human right must exercise their freedom, liberty, and choice in becoming equal participants and partners in issues related to conflict prevention, resolution and recovery. The only means to fully empower women is by women empowering themselves through their full exercise of economic and political rights - which are fundamental to dignity, security and well-being for all.

In closing, I would like to stress the importance of sufficient funding. Women's human rights and empowerment, as well as promoting the WPS Agenda are, and will remain, a high priority for Liechtenstein's budget for international cooperation. We hope that other countries, especially major donors, will take the same approach.

Effective measures and immediate actions should be taken to end impunity and to prosecute and punish those responsible for violation of human rights including crimes against women and girls in conflict.

The resolutions adopted by the Council have created a comprehensive body of norms and stimulated progress on the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Resolution 1325 (2000) was the first document of the Security Council that reflected in detail the impact of conflicts on women during armed conflicts and in their aftermath, and in particular on the important issue of ensuring the equal participation of women in peace processes and their protection from the devastating consequences of armed conflicts. In the context of armed conflict, parties must respect their obligations under international, humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, especially women and girls. The continued practice of using gender-based violence as a tactic of war is both legally and morally unacceptable.

Unfortunately, not all grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including acts of sexual violence, have received the attention they deserve or a response at the international and regional levels. Measures that are more resolute and targeted are required to end impunity in such situations. Commitments to protection must be free of selectivity and politically motivated approaches and preferences.

Austria is alarmed by the current spread of brutal and systemic violence, which is not only causing unspeakable suffering to civilian populations, but has also triggered the biggest wave of refugees and displacement in recent history. We must develop answers on how to deal with the growing spread of violent terrorism and extremism, which are marked by unprecedented levels of sexual violence, abuse, and violations of women’s and girls’ rights. The perpetrators must be held accountable for their acts before the International Criminal Court. We must also empower and support the work of women activists and women human rights defenders. Therefore, a conference in Austria in June 2016 will bring together local women leaders with political representatives and discuss ways forward in tackling sexual violence in armed conflict.

Austria supports the work of UN-Women and will continue, on a voluntary basis, to support its activities in the field of women and peace and security. Austria commits to realizing concrete results at the policy level by earmarking at least 15 per cent of all our peacebuilding spending by our development assistance agency, Austrian Development Cooperation, for programmes and projects aimed at furthering women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Our third pledge recognizes that women, girls and women’s organizations are vital to promoting gender equality in countering terrorism and violent extremism. We will therefore support new research to be conducted by Monash University in Melbourne on preventing conflict and countering fundamentalism through women’s empowerment and civil-society mobilization.

Armenia has always been at the forefront of the promotion and protection of women’s rights. With regard to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), we would like to emphasize the importance of implementing confidence-building measures, including people-to-people contacts. We should also recognize the links between resolution 1325 (2000) and other international instruments concerning gender equality, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform and Plan of Action. This year, Armenia has prepared and submitted to the relevant bodies of the United Nations two important documents, our national review for Beijing+20 and our fifth and sixth joint periodic reports on CEDAW. They give a detailed analysis of our country’s implementation of its commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Armenia has always advocated for confidence-building measures relating to the situation of women living across dividing lines, particularly in areas of conflict. Unfortunately, we have not able to exploit the great potential of such trust-building, given the position of Azerbaijan on the issue. The imprisonment of Azerbaijani peace and human rights activists involved in international projects, including Leyla Yunus, continues to be an insurmountable impediment to full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). Armenia remains committed to addressing the issues of women and peace and security in line with the aspirations of the people of Armenia and its international obligations.

Argentina makes it a priority to incorporate a gender perspective into the design and implementation of its public policies. The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions on women and peace and security, as well as the prevention and response to sexual violence in armed conflict, is embodied in Argentina’s firm commitment to international instruments aimed at protecting women’s human rights and to which it has accorded constitutional status, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Argentina has supported all of the resolutions aimed at combating sexual violence in conflict since resolution 1325 (2000) and its specific subsequent resolutions. My country’s commitment to access to justice for women and the fight against impunity can be seen through its participation in the Justice Rapid Response mechanism since February 2009. Argentina is now one of the 10 members of the Executive Board of this mechanism and regularly participates in its meetings, providing its experience in investigating human rights violations

Our experience of recent years has demonstrated yet again the effectiveness of including women in decision-making, and I can confirm that Andorra’s commitment to gender equality remains steadfast. The Government of Andorra recently set up focal point for equality policies under the auspices of the Secretary of State for Social Affairs, which is part of my Ministry for Health, Social Affairs and Labour, a Government body that is in charge of coordinating national equality policies. Andorra is also committed to adopting as soon as possible an omnibus gender-equality law to strengthen the existing legislative framework. Also with respect to this future act, the Government intends to adopt a national plan for equality that will draw on the participation of civil society.

Andorra reiterates its commitment to the role of women in the maintenance of international peace and security. There is no doubt that the implementation of and followup to resolution 1325 (2000), as well as the inclusion of women in decision-making, will promote progress in women’s rights and the strengthening of peace and security in the world. In this conviction, it is an honour for me to announce to this Chamber Andorra’s decision to co-sponsor resolution 2242 (2015), which was led by Spain and the United Kingdom and adopted thismorning.

Recent legal acts such as those entitled “Protection from Discrimination” and “Military Discipline in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania” provide for appropriate legal and disciplinary measures in cases of sexual harassment, sexual violence and genderbased violence committed by military personnel in discharging their duties. All military structures under the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence have their own gender equality focal point. There are currently nine focal points altogether: seven women and two men.

Thirdly, we have to reinforce anti-terrorism activities at all levels. Extremist terrorist groups continue to commit terrible sexual violence that violates human rights, especially those of weaker groups. We also have to support dialogue and combat violent extremism, as confirmed at the conference held in July.

In many countries, the victims of sexual violence have limited recourse. Until we remedy that situation, the perpetrators will continue to commit these crimes and justice will be out of reach. We therefore emphasize the importance of reporting, protection and prevention by women’s groups, leaders of society, religious leaders, and mass media working in human rights. We must support the efforts of the Organization to reinforce the capacities of these groups.

Resolution 1325 (2000) and the subsequent seven resolutions that compose the women and peace and security agenda highlight how emergency and conflict situations seriously exacerbate threats to the human rights, dignity and welfare of women and girls, and the vital role of the meaningful participation of women and girls in furthering international peace and security.

Women around the world continue to face an onslaught of violence in situations of conflict, as we have witnessed in the deliberate and systematic campaign of sexual violence undertaken by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram. While these groups publicize their crimes, such atrocities also take place in other conflicts behind a curtain of silence and shame. Accountability, let alone true justice, remains elusive. Women’s rights defenders, serving as a voice for the voiceless, are themselves often targeted. The United Nations itself has witnessed shortcomings, with instances of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers and staff.

While fully acknowledging the progress made over the past 15 years, we note that, when it comes to State efforts, only about 50 countries have developed action plans, whose implementation is significantly hampered by the need for financing. In many developing countries, including Chad, the persistence of negative cultural aspects and misguided interpretations of religious principles remain genuine obstacles on the path towards achieving the commitments undertaken in resolution 1325 (2000). Those obstacles could and should be overcome via robust involvement on the part of local communities and traditional and religious leaders, whose major role appears to be ignored in favour of State institutions and non-governmental organizations in the course of seeking adequate solutions. It should be noted that perceptions among local communities have also evolved, and that it is quite possible to make a real difference using their own institutions that see themselves as the guardians of tradition. The integration and participation of women in every aspect of public and private decision-making will make it possible to eradicate negative social norms, reduce discrimination and promote gender equality.

With regard to Chad’s own efforts, despite the political determination reflected in resolution 1325 (2000), to date we have not been able to complete our national plan, owing primarily to institutional and technical shortcomings and a low level of ownership. Nevertheless, since 2000, the constant efforts of our national authorities, supported by the agencies of the United Nations system, have made it possible to further integrate women at various levels in all aspects of society. In addition to boosting women’s presence in the Government and the Parliament, women have been encouraged to join our domestic security services, especially the Gendarmerie and in the Garde nationale et nomade. For some time, our national police have implemented a 30 per cent quota on recruitment, thereby contributing to promoting gender equality. Moreover, this year, in the context of national women’s week and the observance of International Women’s Day, the focus has been on the empowerment of women. To that end, for the past four years a special policy has been in place to extend microcredit to women.

From its inception, Belgium has strongly supported the women and peace and security agenda. Currently, all the relevant Belgian stakeholders are focusing their efforts on implementing the second national action plan on women and peace and security. That detailed plan, which spans 2013-2016, focuses on six priority goals, including the protection of women and girls against all forms of violence, including sexual violence, and the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes. The plan includes areas of action and follow-up instruments for each of those six goals.

Exclusion, inequality and the different forms of sexual violence against women and girls in times of armed conflict only reflect and exacerbate the imbalances and inequalities that women suffer in non-conflict periods. Those inequalities generate the conditions of specific vulnerability that require urgent attention and the highest political commitment. If we do not address that injustice in peacetime, we will be even less able to do so in times of armed conflict.

Venezuela is a land of peace. We have no areas of armed conflict in our territory, and we do not participate in any. That is why our Bolivarian revolution is at the forefront of ensuring gender equality and empowering women so that they have the possibility of serving as leaders in our society. Our major battle is against poverty and exclusion. We understand clearly that women have a leading role to play in that fundamental development effort, because women embody and represent the spiritual foundation of our society and the umbilical cord to our culture and our future.

Under the inspiration of the late President Hugo Chávez Frías and as part of our 1999 constitutional process, the Bolivarian Constitution guarantees the broadest human rights for our people and establishes gender equality, while also banning any kind of discrimination against women, whether on religious, racial or ethnic grounds. We do not tolerate any kind of exclusion or violence against women.

Gender perspective continues to be taken into account also as a cross-cutting target within projects in countries such as Iraq, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Syria and Ukraine. In addition to traditional means of foreign policy, the Czech Republic uses a financial instrument aimed at supporting democracy and human rights, the so-called transition promotion programme, which makes use of our recent experiences with the social transition and democratization of the country. Gender mainstreaming belongs to the cross- cutting principle reflected in that programme.

We strongly believe that women’s rights and gender equality are not only a human rights topic, but also an important peace and security issue. Although maintaining international peace and security is central to our Organization and especially for the Council, today we face far too often situations when the fundamental norms of international, humanitarian and human rights law, as well as other universally recognized principles, are blatantly abused. Georgia condemns in the strongest terms, all cases of violations of women’s rights and discrimination, both in wartime and in peacetime, whether committed by State or non-State actors.

Unfortunately, the human rights situation, in general, and the situation with regard to women’s and children’s rights and gender equality in particular, remain a serious challenge in the Georgian territories that are under illegal Russian military occupation. Specifically, women in the occupied regions continue to suffer grave violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of movement, the right to education in their native language and other political, economic, civil, social and cultural rights to which they are entitled under the Constitution of Georgia, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other international mechanisms. The humanitarian situation in the occupied territories requires immediate attention, especially since no international organization has been allowed to monitor the human rights situation there. We therefore call on the Russian Federation once again to abide by the August 2008 ceasefire agreement.

“The protection of women is a priority of the Gambia’s peacebuilding efforts, since it is women who tend to suffer the most from violence during and after armed conflicts. Protection of the rights of women and the girl child is also one of the main aspects of the Gambia’s human rights policy. In the international context, the Gambia makes women’s rights and the violation thereof the subject of discussions. The Gambia also points to violations of women’s rights in the context of armed conflict and multilateral negotiations as well as in bilateral demarches and interventions.

“At this fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), I wish to emphasize the importance of reflecting on what has been achieved, the lessons learned and how to become more effective in securing concrete changes not only for the prevention of violence but also the protection of human rights and for making progress on all issues related to gender equality.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) one and a half decades ago was a milestone, and we have made great strides since then. Today, it would be inconceivable for a major Security Council-mandated mission not to include a gender component. More than 50 countries, including Germany, have adopted national action plans for the implementation of the resolution.

Yet we still witness gross human rights violations, including, and particularly, against women, in crisis- ridden regions across the Middle East and elsewhere. And we are faced with millions of refugees fleeing their homes; an estimated 800,000 will have sought refuge in Germany by the end of 2015.

We also commit ourselves to stepping up all efforts aimed at strengthening justice and accountability. In that context, we support the inclusion of the perpetrators of gross violations of women’s human rights and other forms of gender-based crimes in United Nations and bilateral sanctions.

Grave crimes against women and gross violations of women’s human rights continue to horrify us. Ireland has supported the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women since 2006 and continues to do so. Furthermore, Ireland intends to partner with the Justice Rapid Response and UN-Women sexual and gender-based violence justice experts roster to support investigations, prosecutions and victim recovery in situations of conflict-related gender-based crimes.

Women are a key resource for promoting peace and stability. Research has shown that women’s participation and inclusion make humanitarian assistance more effective, strengthen the protection of civilians, contribute to the political settlement of disputes and the maintenance of sustainable peace, and accelerate economic recovery. Today, we find ourselves at a turning point in the cause of women and girls. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, all remind us that there is a strong, direct relationship between sustainable peace and security and sustainable development, and that women and girls must be at the forefront of programmes designed to encourage development, peace and security.

However, despite the efforts to ensure the full implementation of the resolution, and despite the time that has gone by since its adoption, many challenges remain. In fact, the concepts of peace and security are now different from what they were 15 years ago. Indeed, some of the threats against women and girls are new. We are also now talking about climate change, the upsurge of religious extremism throughout the world and the unprecedented increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons, including women and girls, throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. The changing nature and form of conflicts, including civil wars, has also become an important element in the violation of human rights.

Finally, the Government, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and in collaboration with partners, is conducting a review of the national action plan to develop a bridging strategy to address gaps in implementation. The Government has also embarked upon the revitalization of the resolution 1325 (2000) secretariat through the recruitment, retention and training of staff and the provision of funding.

Peacekeeping operations and prevention and mediation efforts are two concrete examples. In the past, we might have thought that applying a gender focus to peacekeeping operations simply meant deploying a greater number of women on the ground or increasing the number of women in the armed forces. While that is still a priority, a broader concept of gender equality now allows us to realize that all the activities of a given operation — including patrols and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, security sector reform, the promotion of the rule of law and the effective enjoyment of human rights — should take into account the specific needs of women and should recognize the importance of their participation in interaction with local communities.

Over the past four and a half years, the reforms in Myanmar have promoted democratic values and opened up society, creating greater political and media freedom. They have given civil society and international organizations greater opportunities to work more actively and closely with Government institutions and local communities in protecting women. Our newfound media freedom has also had an impact on the people as a whole, through its creation of a better environment in which anyone can file a report without fear about any wrongful act in which rights are abused. With the cooperation of the United Nations, the Government has taken steps to raise public awareness about the importance of gender equality and the protection of women. In October 2013, Myanmar organized an open day on women and peace and security to mark the anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000). The event promoted greater awareness of this landmark resolution among the people, Government officials and parliamentarians.

It is urgent that we break that spiral, and resolution 1325 (2000), we believe, contains the key to addressing these challenges. The thinking behind the resolution lies at the very heart of current Dutch policies on aid, trade, security and human rights, and it is paramount for our partnerships for peace, justice and development. Before the end of this year, we will issue our third national action plan, the product of a unique platform on which the Government has worked with more than 50 civil society organizations. We are providing €4 million a year to carry out the plan, supporting organizations on the ground that work to protect and politically empower women in conflict situations. We provide both diplomatic and financial support to Syrian women’s efforts to present their views on their country’s future in international forums. Women take centre stage in our vision of the future.

I am proud to say that in all peace and security efforts where Norway is engaged, women’s and men’s needs, priorities and rights are to be taken into account. Sexual violence in conflict will be fought. The Norwegian national joint headquarters requires knowledge of resolution 1325 (2000) as a generic demand for all Norwegian personnel who are to be deployed to international operations. The gender perspective is an integral part of all Norwegian predeployment training.

We are proud of the role we have played as facilitator in the Colombia process, where women are at the table and are making their voices heard. Norway aims to increase the participation of women in peace processes. Inspired by the African women mediators’ network, we are now establishing a Nordic women mediators’ network.

Panama aligns itself with the statement made earlier today by the representative of Thailand on behalf of the Human Security Network. Panama is a sponsor of resolution 2242 (2015), adopted by the Security Council today, which reflects the complexity and scale of the issue. The numerous armed conflicts we see at the global level unfortunately have demonstrated that women have available to them few resolutionesources to protect themselves, yet, together with their sons and daughters, they represent the majority of the displaced and refugee population. Women have also claimed space and, in some cases, led peace movements that promoted the recovery of their communities following conflicts. Yet, women have remained invisible, which is a historical failure we must overcome. That exclusion has limited women’s access to opportunities for recovery, their ability to obtain justice for violations of their human rights and their participation in legal and institutional reforms.

Peru looks favourably on the inclusion in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1) of a Goal designed to achieve gender parity and the empowerment of women and girls. In that regard, we believe that the challenge that we most urgently need to address is the implementation of measures to achieve full respect for women and girls in line with resolution 1325 (2000), through which the international community recognized the pressing need to offer specialized training on the protection, special needs and human rights of women and children in situations of conflict around the world.

In 2015, our country has enjoyed the highest percentage of female participation in awareness programmes and training for peace operations. Some 27 per cent of participants are women, and we hope to see this percentage increase through the efforts of the relevant institutions to promote the greater participation of women in the contingents of peacekeeping missions in which Paraguay is a participant. The main obstacles that prevent women’s full participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding can bee linked to gender-based discrimination and women’s economic and social exclusion, situations that entail the denial of women’s rights. That is why it is so important to work to strengthen women’s human rights from a perspective that includes devoting attention to their economic, social and cultural rights.

In that regard, and to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), Portugal commits to promoting increased participation by women in international missions for the strengthening and maintenance of peace and security, and for humanitarian aid and crisis management; to continuing to actively promote the women and peace and security agenda in the main multilateral forums to which Portugal is a party, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO; to raising awareness in all the relevant international forums of the importance of establishing national actions plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000); to providing information for the United Nations indicators in order to track the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and for relevant documents on the implementation of the resolution; to conducting training programmes on gender equality and violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking in human beings, for national personnel in the field of justice and for members of the armed and security forces assigned to international peacekeeping missions; to including the women and peace and security agenda in Portuguese development aid programmes; and, finally, to continuing to engage with civil society organizations on women and peace and security agenda issues.

Over the past two years, there has been an increase in violence against women in the context of conflicts. Such massive violations of human rights are carried out by terrorist organizations and authoritarian regimes. There have been cases of forced marriage and sexual slavery, which deprive women of their right to a life of dignity. When addressing this issue, we must first and foremost put in place mechanisms to protect women and ensure that the existing international instruments to protect women in times of conflict are in fact implemented.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as that of subsequent resolutions, was instrumental in raising our awareness as to the human rights abuses that women and girls are subjected to in armed conflict as well as in settings where insecurity prevails. The current geopolitical landscape in major parts of the world where violent conflicts are raging, coupled with the rise of extremism and terrorism, has worsened the situation and given way to unprecedented, hard- to-contain humanitarian crises in which women are particular targets. They not only suffer all sorts of ill treatment, including rape and sexual violence, but they are also denied their rights and are routinely scorned and abused.

Sri Lanka has emerged from a 30-year conflict that left deep-seated scars in our society and torn apart the socioeconomic fabric of our nation. Women were major victims of that conflict. A new President and Government were elected in January, committed to democratic values and to Sri Lanka moving forward as an engaged member of the international community. We have already begun taking steps aimed at achieving meaningful reconciliation, strengthening democratic institutions, good governance, the rule of law and confidence-building among communities affected by conflict for many years. We have renewed our commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Historically, Sri Lanka has made strides in the area of women’s empowerment. Universal adult franchise was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1931. Free education for both boys and girls and free health care were introduced very early after independence in 1948. Sri Lanka adopted a women’s charter two years before the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. And we have in place a national action plan on women, which is currently being updated.

We are aware that the long drawn-out conflict has resulted in a large number of victims — orphans, war widows, single mothers and female-headed households. We are committed to addressing their immediate concerns and making them participants in all areas of peacebuilding and peacekeeping. Successful peacebuilding requires gender equality and women’s empowerment, security, human rights and development to mesh together. Financial stability is also an important factor in that regard.

Thirdly, access to justice for women in conflict and post-conflict settings through conscious policies is essential to the building of fair, equitable and equal societies. Women suffer disproportionately from poverty, and the risks that they face are heightened in armed conflict and post-conflict settings. The legal framework to address issues of discrimination against women with respect to land ownership and other fields should be strengthened in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Access to development, economic opportunity, employment, education and health care is an essential component of gender-responsive peacebuilding.

ASEAN is gravely troubled by the violation of the rights of women and girls in conflicts and when they fall victim to extremist non-State actors. We particularly deplore sexual violence against women and girls, especially when it is deployed as a tactic of war. Women and girls in conflicts are also being deprived of their most basic needs, including shelter, food, water and health care. We call on the United Nations and the international community to take immediate action to end all acts of conflict-related sexual violence and to provide protection and support to women and girls in conf licts.

Brazil sees protection and empowerment as inseparable aspects of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women and girls are not just entitled to safety, but also to an active voice. No decision concerning women should be adopted without consultation and consideration oftheir unique perspective.

At the international level, this includes formulating and implementing the mandates of peacekeeping operations and special political missions; conducting peace negotiations; and handling peacebuilding, recovery and humanitarian initiatives.

At the domestic level, governments should be ready to constantly design and improve their gender-sensitive policies.

Denmark has identified a number of 1325 commitments of which I will just mention a few:

• We will focus on promoting women as peace-builders in Danish funded programmes in fragile and conflict-affected states,

• Our military deployments to peacekeeping missions will all receive mandatory training on the role o f gender in peace support operations,

• We will immediately investigate suspected criminal misconduct during deployments and when relevant ensure prosecution o f the alleged perpetrators,

• We will continue to focus on recruitment of Danish female police officers to international missions including for leadership functions.

Effective measures and immediate actions should be taken to end impunity and to prosecute and punish those responsible for violation of human rights including crimes against women and girls in conflict.

While addressing different aspects of the women and peace and security agenda, it is necessary to recognize the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conf licts, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, humanitarian responses and post-conflict reconstruction. We are called upon to focus on the importance of furthering the equal rights of women and their right to equal participation in decision-making.

We are committed to completing a review of the Austrian national action plan, originally dating from 2007, by the end of 2016 — with the broad participation of civil society and women’s organizations — which will reflect findings of the United Nations high- level review. Our inter-ministerial working group on resolution 1325 (2000), which was established under the national action plan and works with civil society and women’s organizations, will organize at least one big public event per year.

We call on the United Nations system as a whole to respond to the global study’s recommendations. Women and peace and security must be considered and implemented as part of the Secretary-General’s review of peace operations and the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in addition to this high-level review. Global leaders have now agreed to the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), recognize the links between development, human rights and peace and security, and are placing gender equality at the heart of these efforts. We must, as a global community, do more to deliver on these promises for women around the world.

As far as the international aspects of our national plan are concerned, we have to face certain realities and challenges on the ground. Twenty-one years after the conclusion of the trilateral ceasefire agreement that ended the active military phase of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the physical security and survival of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is still under threat. By the same token, the civilians residing in Armenia’s border territory have been systematically and indiscriminately targeted by Azerbaijani armed forces. Armenia strongly condemns these violations of international humanitarian law and the tragedy that occurred at the end of September, in which three women in Armenian border settlements were killed.

Women are victims of various forms of violence in conflicts. Their impact on women and girls is varied, disproportionate, multidimensional and complex, with devastating effects both physically and on their fundamental rights. Argentina was a sponsor of General Assembly resolution 69/293, which declared 19 June the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, with the intention of raising awareness in order to tackle the use of this scourge as a weapon of war and to help promote a culture of peace that can ensure that we can put an end to this type of cruelty, which is a threat to the dignity of persons and to respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.