Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, October 2011

The Council has consistently recognized the significance of women in preventing, managing and resolving conflict, including as recently as through two important recent resolutions, resolution 2014 (2011) on Yemen and resolution 2009 (2011) on Libya.

I should like to reiterate my congratulations to you, Madam, as you crown your presidency of the Security Council by devoting this open debate to the issue of women and peace and security 11 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), on the basis of which the United Nations has adopted a strategic framework and standard indicators to assess the implementation of the resolution and its time frame at the regional and international levels, as reflected in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2011/598*) before us. On this occasion, we evoke the need to push forward in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in the coming decade by adopting comprehensive and cohesive regional action plans. In that respect, we note the importance of strengthening the capacities of countries emerging from conflict, especially given the fact that the issue of women and peace and security has become one of the most prominent items on the Council's agenda over the past decade.

The situation of women in armed conflict is closely linked to the integrated efforts to deal with the root causes of conflicts. We therefore agree with what is stated in the report as regards the plan of action, which is based on the principle of dealing with the root causes of conflict, including poverty, lack of development, climate change, and given the fact that in the end, war is war. Wherever war occurs, its negative consequences affect vulnerable sectors of society, including women and children. My country therefore once again stresses the fact that a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement to conflict is central to addressing the issue of women in conflict situations.

My country continues to attach particular importance to the issue and would like to underscore its commitment to promoting the rights of women, particularly women in conflict situations, as well as to promoting the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in all its aspects.

It is clear that resolution 1325 (2000) has defined a framework of standards guiding United Nations efforts on policies for integrating gender issues into the whole of the work of the Organization.

National ownership of resolution 1325 (2000) is the best way to ensure its effective implementation, given that primary responsibility for combating rape as a weapon of war falls to Member States, whose duty it is to urgently take measures to deal with this phenomenon, measures that educate as well as enforce. Tunisia has already launched a national action plan for implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). In particular, it promotes training women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding so that we can deploy qualified personnel in United Nations operations on the ground.

Tunisia intends to continue implementing that resolution as apart of its comprehensive approach to gender equality and the empowerment of women, and will make itself available to the United Nations concerning any aspect of implementing resolution 1325 (2000) and other international instruments dealing with the welfare of women and their participation in decision-making processes, as well as promoting a culture of respect for women.

Eleven years ago, the Security Council adopted the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. Thereafter, several resolutions, such as resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010), have been adopted to buttress the process initiated in resolution 1325 (2000). We are, however, disappointed to note that violence against women and girls continues, as detailed in various reports. As we have mentioned in the past, women and girls suffer most as victims of conflict, while in the peace process they are mostly deprived of the dividends. Therefore, the onus lies on us to ensure that the oppression of women and girls, particularly that based on gender, is stopped forever.

Last year, we commemorated 10 years since the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 (2000). That resolution, together with other international instruments, constitutes the basis for cooperation among all actors engaged in this field and contributes to the wider agenda of gender equality and empowerment of women.

In conclusion, I wish to once again reiterate Kenya's commitment to implementing resolution 1325 (2000). In so doing, we must ensure greater coherence and coordination in addressing women's issues in conflict and post-conflict situations in a holistic manner. I emphasize once again that the establishment of UN-Women accords us a very strong platform for addressing issues affecting women in general, and the acceleration of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in particular. It is Kenya's expectation that UN-Women will rise to the challenge expeditiously.

Research by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security reveals that the Council does not consistently apply the principles of the women, peace and security agenda in its country-specific work.

Ukraine considers that ensuring gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women is not only an important objective, but is also an essential part of the pursuit of democracy and development. In recognition of the essential contribution of women towards achieving those objectives, Ukraine co-sponsored a draft resolution on women and political participation.

Ukraine recognizes the instrumental role that a stronger United Nations gender architecture could play in advancing women's rights. It is a great responsibility for my country to be represented on the Executive Board of UN-Women. Ukraine's activity in this entity is focused on implementing policies and practices that seek to reduce gender inequality in all its manifestations in every sphere of life, including decision-making and leadership, the elimination of violence against women and girls, and trafficking in women and girls. We welcome the Council's efforts to pay special attention to the concrete needs of women and girls affected by armed conflicts in such spheres as health, education, legal support, and water and sanitation.

As a member of the “Group of Friends of Security Council Resolution 1325” Germany has always attached great importance to all aspects of the issue “Women and Peace and Security” – in particular to turn, 11 years after the adoption of this ground breaking resolution, words into action. Therefore, we applaud the timely decision of the Nobel Prize Committee to honor three courageous and inspirational women who are exemplary models of how women can make a difference. Germany very much welcomes the Secretary General's comprehensive report and the analysis and recommendations it contains, including the strategic framework and the first set of indicators which he brought forward.

Nationally, two ministries are leading the charge in implementing resolution 1325 (2000), namely, the Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace and the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children's Affairs. Their work on gender goes beyond resolution 1325 (2000), as has been clarified in the concept paper (S/2011/654, annex). It covers the other resolutions, 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010).

We are in a transitional phase of providing and improving women's access to food, water, health, education and economic opportunities. The Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 has a gender orientation to it. It calls for investment in the productive sector within our countries, especially in infrastructure, agriculture and energy, with the ambitious goal to transform and graduate 50 per cent of LDCs by 2020. As my colleague from Vanuatu will state later on, the Pacific SIDS are developing a regional action plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), which will be complemented by a national action plan. On that note, Solomon Islands wishes to register its appreciation to UN-Women, which has provided financing to assist us in working on our national action plan.

My delegation is mindful of the deep gaps within resolution 1325 (2000), as it deals merely with peace and security, not development. Our reading of the resolution is that it engages women becoming agents of change in conflict prevention, management and peacebuilding, acting as fire-fighters putting out fires without looking at the causes of conflict. Peace and security, however, can be sustained by having a sustainable development context to them.

To implement resolution 1325 (2000), the Government of Burundi has decided that no strategy will be adopted or implemented without taking into clear account the gender dimension, so as to guarantee the full participation of women in decision-making, in prioritizing plans of action and in implementing them. As things stand, our National Plan of Action on resolution 1325 (2000) has been drafted and its adoption by the Council of Ministers is expected next month. The plan is designed to respond to the Government's national and international priorities, which are reflected in national policy documents, such as the “Strategic Framework for Combating Poverty, Second Generation”, “Vision 2025” and the revised version of the national gender policy. The substance of resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security is chiefly built around four pillars — participation, prevention, protection and recovery. In terms of participation in decision-making, Burundi has made significant progress. For example, the 30 per cent rate stipulated by the country's Constitution has been exceeded during the post- election nominations in 2010. Nine of the 21 ministerial positions are currently held by women — equal to 43 per cent. With that percentage Burundi leads the rest of Africa. Our rate of women's representation in the Senate places Burundi in first place in Africa and in second place worldwide, after Bolivia.

For a start, I would like to emphasize that women's security is part of overall peace and security and that women can contribute to peace processes and are very able to do so. The involvement of women in peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention is of the utmost importance to ensure the success of the operations, as it is the only way to reach the whole population.

The indicators and strategic framework in the reports of the Secretary-General contribute to identifying the gaps and addressing those limitations in a more systematic manner. Japan, for its part, will continue to do its utmost to close the implementation gaps before the fifteenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000), in cooperation with our partners and, in particular, with women's organizations and civil society.

Our country welcomes the report of the Secretary- General (S/2011/598*), which comprehensively reflects the important role that women play in preventive diplomacy, peace negotiation processes, and post-conflict reconstruction. The merit of resolution 1325 (2000) is specifically that the Security Council recognizes therein the key role that women can play as protagonists in peace processes. The international community must pool its efforts to ensure that this protagonist role remains possible. We are convinced that lasting peace can be attained only if women participate in all phases of peace processes. We therefore welcome the idea of compiling lists of women candidates to mediate conflicts.

With the support and cooperation of all, we intend to translate our commitments into actions. Ensuring the effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) will have a long-term salutary impact on the international community as a whole. It ensures the rightful place of women as peacemakers, peacebuilders and peacekeepers in this turbulent world. That is what we need the most at this time. This debate is therefore a step forward in charting our course for the effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

We also recognize the importance of the concept note (S/2011/654, annex) prepared by the delegation of Nigeria, where proper emphasis is placed on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

We agree with the Secretary-General that UN-Women constitutes the cornerstone for articulating the mandates of the United Nations system in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. In this context, we emphasize the role that broad and inclusive intergovernmental consultations have in evaluating the gender architecture and the advancement of women, as well as the agreements between States on models and practices adopted in that area. All of that is an essential element for progress in improving national capacity to generate greater participation of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

I would like to highlight the fact that the report of the Secretary-General notes progress made in Colombia in connection with the four aspects of resolution 1325 (2000), namely, prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery. I think that it is also important to highlight other important actions that are being pursued in these areas in my country on the basis of our conviction that the phenomenon of violence against women includes domestic violence, violence committed in the context of the community and violence caused by illegal armed groups.

In terms of prevention, Colombia's armed forces have incorporated into their training programmes courses in the prevention of gender-based violence, sexual violence, sexual and reproductive health, sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) was hailed as a landmark and groundbreaking resolution. For the first time, the importance of women's full participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding at all levels was recognized. Since then, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its sister resolutions have paved the way for the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in United Nations peacekeeping operations and missions worldwide. In a similar vein, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which also addresses women and armed conflict, should continue to be implemented. Those various international frameworks on women are complementary and mutually reinforce our efforts to protect the rights of women in conflict situations.

Our annual debate on women and peace and security is built upon various premises, among them, first, that women in conflict are often victims and shoulder multiple consequences of conflict, and secondly, that despite being vulnerable, in many instances women in conflict have continued to demonstrate their transformative role and their potential for creating sustainable peace. Indonesia shares the common view that through the promotion of women's role as agents of peace, their plight as victims of conflict can be overcome. Embedded in that common view is the paramount importance of conflict prevention.

In this context, our efforts in waging peace should nurture an environment that accommodates the contribution of women to conflict prevention. That would mean, among other things, enhancing women's participation in decision-making processes, building a culture of peace that respects life, and promoting a way of life that values non-violence and dialogue and is characterized by cooperation and social responsibility.

In a peaceful atmosphere, women can fulfil their role as transmitters of values, as economic resource managers and as solidarity supporters and networkers. If they have the space to build networks, women can encourage social and political groups to take preventive measures before conflicts break out. Given their unique perspectives and insights on women in conflict, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) would benefit by the presence of more women in formal institutions of conflict prevention and resolution, including in preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts.

But women are not just victims. They are often the key to preventing conflict and violence from emerging, to resolving conflict and to rebuilding societies once guns fall silent.

The Council has consistently recognized the significance of women in preventing, managing and resolving conflict, including as recently as through two important recent resolutions, resolution 2014 (2011) on Yemen and resolution 2009 (2011) on Libya.

Of course, when we talk about conflict prevention we are talking not just about involving women in preventive diplomacy. We also speak of the much broader agenda of ensuring that drivers of conflict do not have the chance to surface. Democratic institutions, the rule of law and economic development are foundations of peaceful societies. We cannot expect such societies to flourish without embracing the role that women play in shaping them.

South Africa welcomes the convening of this important meeting. The adoption of the historic resolution 1325 (2000) 11 years ago was a significant milestone in the recognition of the role that women can play in the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in decision-making processes relating to conflict prevention and resolution. In light of that achievement, South Africa is encouraged by the various frameworks that have been created to ensure the implementation of that resolution, in particular the creation of UN-Women under the leadership of Ms. Michele Bachelet.

Indeed, inroads have been made in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*). However, let us be clear that gaps remain in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as glaring disparities pertaining to the role of women in preventive diplomacy, formal peace processes and mediation. We therefore welcome the institutional and policy frameworks elaborated in the Secretary-General's report, in particular his seven point action plan for gender-responsive peacebuilding, which seeks to establish standard operating procedures for gender issues in the United Nations, conflict resolution and peacebuilding architecture.

We further welcome the practical recommendations and the strategic results framework outlined in the Secretary-General's report, which constitute a concrete proposal to include women in conflict prevention and mediation. In particular, we wish to highlight the importance of nominating women to lead negotiation processes and increasing the number of women in the foreign services and security establishments.

Women also suffer disproportionately from poverty. An important dimension in advancing peace and preventing conflict is to ensure greater and more equitable economic justice and development. Despite advances in positioning women to assume leadership roles in conflict prevention and mediation, those advances will be meaningless if the root causes of conflict, which are by and large developmental in nature, are not sufficiently addressed.

The conflict-prevention and mitigation efforts of women through civil society and governmental channels deserve our increased financial, political and technical support. Civil society participation serves a double aim: it fosters inclusive dialogue and development. It also builds the capacity of women to engage in more formal processes. Increasing the number of women in Government structures, for example in the security and justice sectors, makes such institutions more democratic, gender-responsive and accountable. This contributes to conflict prevention.

As members know, two years ago Gabon underwent a political transition that was outstandingly led by two women, one the President of the Senate and the other the President of the Constitutional Court. When Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, addressed the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, he recalled the high priority Gabon gives to the effective participation of women in mediation and conflict prevention (see A/66/PV.16). A few weeks ago, we welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to three women: Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, Ms. Leymah Gbowee, Liberian activist, and Ms. Tawakkul Karman, Yemeni activist. This year, those three women clearly embody the very issue we are discussing.

In the matter under discussion, three areas seem to us essential for coherent and fruitful action. First, we must strengthen our normative framework at the international, regional and national levels. Secondly, we must work to strengthen capacities, especially through peacekeeping missions and in the post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction phase. Finally, we must establish a stronger link between the protection of women and children and the prevention of armed conflict by focusing on the root causes of those conflicts.

We note that much progress has been made in developing a normative framework to strengthen the action of the international community. Resolution 1325 (2000) is the foundation of that structure. That foundation has expanded and now forms a body with resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Together, those resolutions offer the Council and the international community as a whole a vast body of values and principles that can guide our action in matters of participation, protection, capacity building and the fight against impunity, but also in the rehabilitation and reintegration of women in society in the context of peacebuilding.

An important aspect of our debate is the link between preventive diplomacy and the Council's initiatives to promote the role of women in peace processes. More than 10 years of continued efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000) have revealed the limits of a reactive approach. Gabon supports a more comprehensive approach aimed at incorporating conflict prevention as a fundamental part of an effective strategy to protect women and young girls from the agony of conflict and war. Through such a strategy, women would have leading roles, which of course entails women playing a part in the policy sphere in peacetime so that they can be fully involved in the different stages of mediation and political negotiation in times of crisis. In this regard, regional and sub-regional organizations, namely African organizations, should also adopt such a strategy. The African Union's incorporation of gender parity in the highest positions of its hierarchy is a strong indication of a move in that direction.

Those opportunities, however, can be enhanced significantly depending on how the international community sets its priorities for recovery and uses its strategies for peacebuilding. Those priorities should consist of specific national and international policies aimed at increasing women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, mediation, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. The integrationof the resolution has to be country-driven, and Member States need to take responsibility for its success by ensuring that it is integrated into national policies. We urge countries to apply a broad gendermainstreaming approach across Government, for instance through a system-wide approach that links development, humanitarian and defence issues. All plans should include civil society consultations, as well as monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

As a country with authentic experience in the field of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as mediation and peacebuilding, Croatia is actively contributing to the realization of the objective of the resolution during both times of conflict and times of peace. As a way of contributing to international peace and security, Croatia is increasingly taking part in peacekeeping operations, thereby informing
our perception of the role of women in preserving peace as special and unique. The lack of women's empowerment poses a major setback to the full achievement of human rights and overall economic and political development and progress.

Although Ms. Bachelet aptly highlighted the modest progress made by Member States and the United Nations in advancing the agenda of resolution 1325 (2000), we must heed her warning that we are very far from sufficiently and systematically integrating women into the process of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We believe that this is an auspicious moment in the history of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The draft presidential statement that is to be adopted today could not have come at a better time, coming as it does in the aftermath of the recognition by the Nobel Committee of the role and participation of the three eminent women in conflict resolution and peace processes in their respective communities. While congratulating President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman for their groundbreaking achievement, we share the hope of the Nobel Committee that this recognition of the important place of women in the peace process, which the draft presidential statement echoes loudly, is a watershed moment and paradigm shift in the global effort to implement resolution 1325 (2000).

We note with satisfaction that the draft presidential statement accords with the theme of this open debate, namely, “The role and participation of women in conflict prevention and mediation”. Through the draft presidential statement, the Council recognizes that women can, and do, play crucial roles in the prevention of conflict. Nevertheless, it also notes that more needs to be done to create the enabling conditions for the participation of women in all stages of the peace process.

Such efforts at creating the right conditions for ensuring women's full participation should include increasing the participation and representation of women in preventive diplomacy initiatives. It should also include strengthening the capacities of the relevant Government institutions and women's organizations involved with conflict and post-conflict issues, the adequate representation of women in the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements, support for local women's peace initiatives, the promotion and protection of the human rights of women, higher levels of representation in decision-making roles, and ensuring proper coherence and coordination among the United Nations entities responsible for implementing the women, peace and security agenda in the entire United Nations system.

Nigeria is also committed to fulfilling its obligations under the African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights on the rights of women in Africa. As Ms. Bachelet has often said, the obstacles to women's political participation, which I believe have a direct bearing on their capacity to play an active role in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention, are indeed enormous. Violence, poverty, lack of access to education and health care, and limited economic opportunities all combine to undermine the role of women and girls in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. It is therefore necessary that we develop and take measures to address these inherent obstacles. Promoting women's equality and empowerment is, in our view, one of the best ways to address the root causes of conflict and therefore prevent such conflict. I envisage a presidential statement along those lines in the near future.

We recognize the relevance and relationship between the Council's preventive diplomacy initiatives and its women, peace and security agenda. As women are usually some of the first and worst hit in any conflict, preventing conflicts from breaking out serves to ensure the peace and security of women and girls. Even as we all remain true to the provisions of resolution 1325 (2000), which focuses on armed coflict and post-conflict situations, it has become imperative to devote equal attention to conflict prevention strategies, including the use of preventive diplomacy. It is gratifying to know that the Council has the opportunity every year to review the progress made in implementation of resolution 1325 (2000)

Peru believes that the high-level review of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) proposed for 2015 will be an opportunity to comprehensively review the progress made by the United Nations system and by Member States in the priority areas of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery, as well as on the recommendations put forward by the Secretary-General or by a working group established to implement the resolution.

It is also important to recognize that there is now great awareness of the many types of violence inflicted on women in conflict, and that significant attempts have been made to address them. Since the primary victims of armed conflict are women, along with children and the elderly, it is important that they take on a key role in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and, even more urgently, in the process of prevention, to which it is never too late to devote special attention.

In the maintenance of international peace and security, we take pride in our modest contribution of troops and police forces to United Nations peacekeeping missions. The recruitment of women to the police forces and the military amply demonstrates our commitment to women's empowerment in both the national and the international arenas. We are pleased that we were able to deploy a full contingent — an all- female formed police unit — to the friendly country of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. I am pleased to report that our all-male troop contingents are fully briefed on gender issues. We provide the necessary on-the-job training to reinforce their understanding and sensitivity in that regard. We are aware that we need to mainstream a gender perspective into all conflict prevention activities and strategies, develop effective gender-sensitive early warning mechanisms and institutions and strengthen efforts to prevent violence against women, including various forms of gender-based violence.

Prevention is undoubtedly the cornerstone of any strategy to address the challenges that society faces. We note with satisfaction the various actions that have been undertaken by Member States, the United Nations system, civil society and other actors in implementing resolution 1325 (2000). We believe that countries must systematically integrate and mainstream women- specific issues in their action plans in order to tackle the growing problem of sexual and gender-based violence during conflict and even in peacetime. In this regard, it is important that more support be extended to countries in order to buttress preventive measures and support their institutions to combat these vices.

More than a decade has passed since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Throughout that period, the United Nations system, regional organizations, Member States and civil society have made significant efforts to adapt the resolution to local settings through a wide spectrum of measures and initiatives. Progress has been made in terms of discourse and evolving practice on the participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding, and awareness has increased of the threat that sexual violence constitutes to peace and security.

Despite important national, regional and international efforts, however, the conditions that women and girls still face in situations of armed conflict continue to be abhorrent. The benefits of resolution 1325 (2000) have yet to reach most women in conflict and in fragile settings. In that regard, allow me to make the following comments. First, we view the prevention of conflict as a crucial element of resolution 1325 (2000). That includes the prevention of all forms of conflict-related violence against women and girls. Sexual violence remains the least-condemned war crime in peace agreements and beyond. The elimination of impunity is perhaps the single most effective preventive tool to fight that crime. In that regard, reforming the security sector and ensuring respect for the rule of law in a gender-responsive manner is of crucial importance. Conflict and post-conflict societies should be assisted in those areas as early as possible. The preventive aspect of resolution 1325 (2000) also includes women's full and equal involvement in conflict prevention efforts. We concur with the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*) that more attention needs to be paid to women's roles in the field. We support his recommendation for the Council to use its deliberations on preventive diplomacy and mediation to consider means of enhancing the role of women in conflict prevention.

Today, women's community peace huts in counties around the country are venues for conflict mediation and resolution. They also serve as safe havens for women escaping domestic violence and as counselling centres for survivors of sexual and gender- based violence. In the peace huts, women address child support issues and work with local police to identify suspects who have committed crimes against women, so as to ensure their arrest and interrogation. Women also monitor the early warning signs of conflict and lead peaceful demonstrations on issues that affect their well-being.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), discussions have revealed many examples of women's effective contribution to conflict prevention, peace processes and peacebuilding in the various regions of the world. Women bear the consequences of conflict and are thus well placed to contribute to solutions. Having reached this realization, our common challenge is to find creative means to institutionalize this role at the national and international levels. Women must be capacitated and strategically positioned to play their rightful role.

Liberia is moving deliberately and purposefully towards the fulfilment of its commitments to women's advancement. There has been a gradual increase in women's presence in leadership and decision-making positions at the central and local Government levels. Gender-responsive policies, strategies and programmes, some of which are mentioned in the Secretary-General's report, are being integrated into all sectors of national action. In 2009, Liberia became one of the first countries to have completed its national action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). This progress has been made possible through the consistent and much-appreciated support of development partners. All the same, inadequate resources remain a challenge and hindrance to robust implementation.
We are encouraged by the recognition that has been accorded internationally to the modest achievements made by Liberia in its efforts to meaningfully involve women in national governance and to build and utilize their productive capacities, including for the consolidation of peace. Mindful that food security has a conflict preventive dimension, I cannot fail to mention that the Hunger Project's prestigious 2011 Africa Prize for Leadership was awarded a few days ago to the Liberian Minister of Agriculture, Ms. Florence Chenoweth, for her dedication to improving the livelihoods and food security of women farmers in Liberia.

Liberia pledges to make more concerted efforts to comply with reporting requirements so as to contribute meaningfully to future reports of the Secretary-General on women and peace and security. The presence of UN-Women in Liberia provides the needed support to national efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000) and reduce gender inequities. We therefore look forward to continued partnership with UN-Women towards the enhancement of women's empowerment, peacebuilding and sustainable development. It is our hope that, in the not too distant future, the capacities of women will be so fully integrated into the global peace architecture that the focus of debates on conflict prevention and mediation will not be on women's role and participation but simply on the subject matter.

Through the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, the United Nations has been able to develop, integrate and fine-tune the tools available to it to address a gender perspective in a multidimensional manner, by recognizing the importance of women's active participation in the various stages of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as in peacekeeping, reconstruction and peacebuilding.

We are also concerned about the low level of participation by women in peace negotiations. The exclusion of women and the lack of experts in gender matters in negotiations perpetuate inequality. As is indicated in the current report of the Secretary-General, issues related to women tend to be addressed at the later stages of conflict prevention and mediation. The Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to outstanding women in this field this year undoubtedly sends a positive message, but it is nonetheless insufficient.

Lithuania attaches particular importance to conflict prevention. We support the first General Assembly resolution on strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes (resolution65/283), which, inter alia, advocates the enhanced role of women in peace mediation. We welcome the joint strategy on gender and mediation launched by the Department of Political Affairs and UNWomen, and look forward to its further implementation.

Successive chairmanships of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including that of Lithuania, have sought to include gender issues within the scope of OSCE activities related to peace and security. Ministerial Council Decision 14/05 builds in part on resolution 1325 (2000) and calls for engaging women in conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. In October, the OSCE held a major conference in Sarajevo entitled “UNSCR 1325: Moving Beyond Theory to Maximize Security in the OSCE”. This year, the Lithuanian OSCE Chairman-in-Office appointed his Special Representative on Gender Issues, Ms. Wendy Patten, to coordinate implementation of the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality.

The focus of today's debate on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation could not be more timely. Ukraine has always stressed the need for the widest possible use of the potential of women in the spheres of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We believe that there is still much to be done to redress the current underrepresentation of women in decision- making with regard to conflict resolution so as to make their voice heard loud and clear in peace negotiations. In that context, we welcome the adoption of the first-ever resolution on “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention and resolution” (General Assembly resolution 65/283). In that document, all Member States resolved to promote the equal, full and effective participation of women at all levels of the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to provide adequate gender expertise for all mediators and their teams.

As the President's concept note (S/2011/654) rightly points out, many gaps and challenges remain on the road to translating words into action and ensuring the full participation of women in all stages of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

The PRST to be adopted today clearly recognizes once again the significant role of women in prevention, conflict resolution and post conflict rebuilding. Including women in peace initiatives is not a benevolent act, we see it as a key requirement to any lasting, sustainable peace. Women's participation will strengthen the capacity to resolve conflict and build security and justice systems that protect the human rights of all. However, we have still existing gaps between repeated commitments and the situation on the ground. Women remain severely under-represented in peace negotiations and they are often marginalized in efforts to build sustainable peace.

Following the inter-ethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010, special importance was given to supporting female initiatives in the area of conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. In that difficult time, women activists joined together to form women's peacekeeping networks in order to put an end to conflict and violence and to prevent a recurrence of the tragic events.

Preventive actions in post-conflict countries, including comprehensive reform of judicial and law enforcement systems, are important as the only way to ensure the rule of law and better protection of the rights of women, particularly in protecting them from violence and increasing their participation in the law enforcement sector. My country believes that positive experience in that area must be mainstreamed and disseminated.

We commend you, Madam President, on your concept note (S/2011/654, annex) focusing on the role of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

Luxembourg continues to place great importance on the plight of women in crisis situations and on mainstreaming the gender dimension into the work of international and regional organizations in that respect. Last December, Luxembourg decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening women's leadership and participation in political life and in peacebuilding activities in countries emerging from conflict. With our support, concrete results are being achieved in three countries — Timor-Leste, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — through partnerships forged between national and local authorities and United Nations missions and agencies. We are determined to maintain and to reinforce that national commitment. By strengthening the role of women in conflict prevention and mediation, we will help to improve society as a whole.

My delegation is mindful of the deep gaps within resolution 1325 (2000), as it deals merely with peace and security, not development. Our reading of the resolution is that it engages women becoming agents of change in conflict prevention, management and peacebuilding, acting as fire-fighters putting out fires without looking at the causes of conflict. Peace and security, however, can be sustained by having a sustainable development context to them.

We must expand the role of women everywhere. We need women to play a greater role in preventive diplomacy, mediation and peacekeeping. We need women to play a greater role in post-conflict reconstruction and institution-building, and we need a greater role for women in sustainable development and as agents for social transformation. The integral link between peace, security, gender equality and development is evident. This interaction renders women's participation in peace processes and sustainable development mutually reinforcing. The issue of women's security should therefore be addressed through holistic methodologies rather than ad hoc solutions. In that regard, while we should put gender equality and the empowerment of women at the core of our efforts, we should further encourage and support their participation in the work of peace, including post-conflict recovery efforts and the sustainable development process.

In the area of prevention and protection, the Government of Burundi has taken stern measures to discourage abuse of girls as wives or sex slaves, by instituting a police unit for minors and morality under the ministry that handles public security. As part of the fight against gender-based violence, training sessions are regularly conducted for the military and the national police forces. On top of everything else, a national strategy to fight gender-based violence has been drawn up and will soon be adopted by the Government. The implementation of that strategy will, however, require strong support from the international community.

For a start, I would like to emphasize that women's security is part of overall peace and security and that women can contribute to peace processes and are very able to do so. The involvement of women in peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention is of the utmost importance to ensure the success of the operations, as it is the only way to reach the whole population.

we encourage the Security Council to continue to provide the political leadership and take targeted actions to ensure the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation and resolution processes.

In a region where women are too often excluded from public life, Israeli women stand out as leaders in law, politics, mediation and conflict prevention and resolution.

As part of our commitment to implementing resolution 1325 (2000), Israel's Government holds workshops to promote dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian women at the Mount Carmel International Training Center in Haifa. More than 650 Israeli and Palestinian women have participated in more than 20 workshops over the past eight years. Such seminars provide women with the tools and understanding needed to promote peace and non-violence. A wide range of similar projects are now under way in Israel.

Our national programmes on resettlement, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration have given priority to the situation of women, in close coordination with the relevant United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). In that respect, we commend the relationship of cooperation with UNIFEM in connection with women's issues and its role in the implementation of the aforementioned plan of action. We hope that the Fund, through the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), will take on a more important and active role in enhancing national capacities and efforts aimed at advancing the situation of women in the country.

Thirdly, we need to pay greater attention to the vulnerability of displaced women and girls, given their particular risk of sexual and gender-based violence. My delegation welcomes the target set out in the strategic results framework on the special measures to increase the security of female refugees and persons internally displaced by armed conflict, as well as to ensure multi-sectoral prevention and response mechanisms for sexual and gender-based violence in camp and non-camp settings alike.

Our plan is the result of a participatory and comprehensive exercise led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and involves other State and civil society agencies. In addition to incorporating the traditional contributions of the Ministries of Security and Defence, the plan includes input from stakeholders with experience in training and assistance to women victims of gender violence and human trafficking, who we believe are able to contribute to the reconstruction of societies affected by armed conflict, thereby underscoring the gender approach in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process and preventing the re-victimization of women. Moreover, we believe it necessary to include cooperation in the field of health, in particular sexual and reproductive health, and in the integration of women into the labour market and the educational system.

Maldives has expressed support for Libya's National Transitional Council. With its current transition from conflict to creating a stable Government, we urge the National Transitional Council to stay mindful of the specific needs of women and its obligations towards them. That includes everything from disarmament and reconciliation to women's participation and representation. The path towards democracy is never easy, and women are often the first to be forgotten.

We also recognize the importance of the concept note (S/2011/654, annex) prepared by the delegation of Nigeria, where proper emphasis is placed on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

We agree with the Secretary-General that UN-Women constitutes the cornerstone for articulating the mandates of the United Nations system in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. In this context, we emphasize the role that broad and inclusive intergovernmental consultations have in evaluating the gender architecture and the advancement of women, as well as the agreements between States on models and practices adopted in that area. All of that is an essential element for progress in improving national capacity to generate greater participation of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

I would like to highlight the fact that the report of the Secretary-General notes progress made in Colombia in connection with the four aspects of resolution 1325 (2000), namely, prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery. I think that it is also important to highlight other important actions that are being pursued in these areas in my country on the basis of our conviction that the phenomenon of violence against women includes domestic violence, violence committed in the context of the community and violence caused by illegal armed groups.

With regard to participation, I should also like to mention initiatives such as the creation of women's community councils, indigenous women's regional laboratories and community radio programming boards. These are tools designed to promote the involvement of women in public policies, support leaders to advance the implementation of such policies, sustain a dialogue with this sector and with women's social organizations, and promote participatory processes at regional, departmental and municipal levels.

There has been legislation in place in this area since 1992, recently updated by a law in 2011 that provides for and promotes the participation of women in the exercise of legislative policy work in the Congress, as well as in the executive and judicial branches. There are now 37 women in the Colombian parliament. The highest positions in the country's public prosecutors' and comptrollers' offices are held by women. In the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Minister and two deputy ministers are women, from whom I receive orders — I mean, instructions — every day.

All of that reflects the efforts being made by the Government of Colombia to adopt policies designed to include women at all stages of peacekeeping and peacebuilding while eliminating discrimination against women and promoting their economic, political and social empowerment, as well as their more active participation in development, both in decisionmaking and in enjoying the benefits that development brings.

The commemoration of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) last year resulted in a number of renewed commitments and achievements on the part of Member States in implementing that resolution and others on women and peace and security. This year has also seen numerous actions within the United Nations and by Member States in joint efforts to implement the resolution and advance women's participation in peace and security, with particular emphasis on preventive diplomacy, mediation efforts, conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Ensuring that women are represented and participate in decision-making forums, institutions and mechanisms concerned with preventing and resolving conflict and with peacebuilding; that they are included in peace agreement negotiations and implementation; and that enabling conditions for women peacemakers and peacekeepers are created requires clear guidelines and support on the part of the United Nations and national authorities. Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations should invest more in strengthening the capacity of women's organizations. Such organizations should be provided with support for their conflict-prevention and resolution efforts and consulted more on local women's peace initiatives.

We firmly believe that women should be involved in the policymaking and post-conflict planning and programming processes. It is also important to increase the number of gender experts on the roster. Furthermore, the various implementation gaps should be addressed more systematically, including through improved coordination and accountability for results. Clarity, comparability and consistency are necessary in order to monitor the impact of various efforts on women's empowerment and their rights.

Finally, Bosnia and Herzegovina firmly believes that there can be no lasting peace and security without the full participation of women in every aspect and at every stage of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, as well as in conflict-prevention activities. We therefore remain committed to expanding our support for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), other relevant resolutions, and future efforts of the Security Council on this issue.

The five-year plans formulated by the Government of India for economic development recognize the important role of women as agents of sustained socio-economic growth and change by incorporating proposals on gender empowerment. Women's empowerment is essential to promote overall sustainable development. That is also true in conflict situations. We believe that the participation of women in all stages of the peace process — conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction — is essential for lasting peace and security.

The United Nations is being asked to do more with regard to women and peace and security, including through the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in the United Nations system and United Nations peacekeeping missions. We commend the work of the Secretary-General in mainstreaming the gender perspective in the United Nations recruitment process. The number of women at the senior decision-making level and the participation of women in mission planning, peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding efforts have increased. Nonetheless, the numbers still remain very low.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) was hailed as a landmark and groundbreaking resolution. For the first time, the importance of women's full participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding at all levels was recognized. Since then, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its sister resolutions have paved the way for the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in United Nations peacekeeping operations and missions worldwide. In a similar vein, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which also addresses women and armed conflict, should continue to be implemented. Those various international frameworks on women are complementary and mutually reinforce our efforts to protect the rights of women in conflict situations.

Our annual debate on women and peace and security is built upon various premises, among them, first, that women in conflict are often victims and shoulder multiple consequences of conflict, and secondly, that despite being vulnerable, in many instances women in conflict have continued to demonstrate their transformative role and their potential for creating sustainable peace. Indonesia shares the common view that through the promotion of women's role as agents of peace, their plight as victims of conflict can be overcome. Embedded in that common view is the paramount importance of conflict prevention.

In this context, our efforts in waging peace should nurture an environment that accommodates the contribution of women to conflict prevention. That would mean, among other things, enhancing women's participation in decision-making processes, building a culture of peace that respects life, and promoting a way of life that values non-violence and dialogue and is characterized by cooperation and social responsibility.

In a peaceful atmosphere, women can fulfil their role as transmitters of values, as economic resource managers and as solidarity supporters and networkers. If they have the space to build networks, women can encourage social and political groups to take preventive measures before conflicts break out. Given their unique perspectives and insights on women in conflict, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) would benefit by the presence of more women in formal institutions of conflict prevention and resolution, including in preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts.

Women's potential as agents of change, skilfully reshaping and rebuilding communities affected by conflict, is an important resource to tap into. However, it is not always the case that they can be readily available for such a huge task. In post-conflict situations, the deficit in experience, skills, understanding and knowledge on women and peace issues is often a hindrance to enlisting a greater involvement of women. Overcoming the trauma they have had to endure can also be a factor working against women becoming active peacebuilding actors.

To conclude, let me reiterate that the responsibility to implement relevant Security Council resolutions on enhancing women's participation in peace processes, including the protection of women, rests primarily with individual Governments. Through this debate, we can once again reaffirm our readiness to promote the participation of women in peace processes, including within the framework of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).

We are committed to gender equality and the empowerment of women. We are currently in the process of drafting a national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). Efforts are already under way to promote that resolution and to raise awareness of gender-based violence, human rights and peacebuilding through the training of women's groups, survivors of violence, men and youth. Community mediators, 50 per cent of whom are women, have been trained to assist in situations involving local conflict. Involving women at the outset has had an exponentially beneficial effect in Timor- Leste and has laid the foundation for women's participation and inclusion, not only in Government, but also across all sectors. We are proud to note that women's representation in our Parliament is at 29 per cent, and we have set a goal to reach 35 per cent representation by 2015. The recently adopted electoral law requires that every third candidate on party lists be a woman, thereby ensuring that this target will be reached.

It is not possible to create a legitimate and durable post-conflict political system that does not include the full and equal participation of women in decision-making. The role of women in economic development must be recognized in order to grow a post-conflict economy. Women, after all, are most likely to be providing direct support to children and extended kinship networks. Bringing the voice of women to the forefront of conflict prevention and mediation work will therefore help build more resilient communities and a more sustainable peace. That is key to the Security Council's work.

For example, FemLINKPacific leads a community and media policy network on women, peace and security in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. Through the production of a wide range of media initiatives, they are empowering women across the Pacific to engage with decision makers at all levels on issues that affect them.

Peace negotiations not only shape the post-conflict political landscape directly, through agreements on justice, power-sharing and constitutional issues, but also indirectly, by lending legitimacy to those represented at the peace table. A properly integrated role for women enhances the prospects of a durable and lasting peace.

Indeed, inroads have been made in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*). However, let us be clear that gaps remain in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as glaring disparities pertaining to the role of women in preventive diplomacy, formal peace processes and mediation. We therefore welcome the institutional and policy frameworks elaborated in the Secretary-General's report, in particular his seven point action plan for gender-responsive peacebuilding, which seeks to establish standard operating procedures for gender issues in the United Nations, conflict resolution and peacebuilding architecture.

We further welcome the practical recommendations and the strategic results framework outlined in the Secretary-General's report, which constitute a concrete proposal to include women in conflict prevention and mediation. In particular, we wish to highlight the importance of nominating women to lead negotiation processes and increasing the number of women in the foreign services and security establishments.

Equally, the proposal to increase the number of women police and troops in United Nations missions is highly desirable in addressing the specific needs of women in conflict and postconflict countries.

In that regard, South Africa is among the States with the highest representation of women across all spheres of Government. Women are also at the helm of ministries in the fields of international relations, cooperation and defence. In the area of peacekeeping, we have deployed gender mainstreaming officers in positions of command in peacekeeping missions to ensure that issues related to women are addressed. In addition, we are one of the top three troop-contributing countries with the largest contingent of women in peacekeeping missions.

In the recent past, South African women held the position of Deputy Police commissioner in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. We believe that the presence of women in peacekeeping missions positively benefits local women and girls, including other vulnerable groups in countries in, and emerging from, conflict.

Indeed, in congratulating the three outstanding women who were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, President Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, her compatriot Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, President Jacob Zuma underscored the important contribution that women continue to play in their ongoing struggle for women's rights, dignity, peace and development all over the world. The vast majority of women are not involved in creating wars, but they remain the primary victims of war and conflict. Long after the guns have ceased blazing, their children and families continue to suffer the devastating effects of the aftermath of conflict. Women are the ones left to pick up the pieces and to rebuild families and their communities.

Women also suffer disproportionately from poverty. An important dimension in advancing peace and preventing conflict is to ensure greater and more equitable economic justice and development. Despite advances in positioning women to assume leadership roles in conflict prevention and mediation, those advances will be meaningless if the root causes of conflict, which are by and large developmental in nature, are not sufficiently addressed.

Exactly a week ago, the Security Council resolution on Yemen (resolution 2014 (2011)) called upon all concerned parties to improve women's participation in conflict resolution and encouraged them to facilitate the equal and full participation of women at decision making levels. Yesterday's resolution on Libya (resolution 2016 (2011)) emphasized the importance of the full and equal participation of women and the respect for the human rights of all. We welcome these very strong calls.

During this eventful year, women have taken to the streets and squares across North Africa and the Middle East and demanded change, equality, freedom and justice alongside men. We call on the Security Council to ensure that women's voices are heard and reflected in planning, actions and results. Provisions on women's full participation and on the protection and promotion of women's human rights should be included in all relevant country-specific resolutions, and they should be systematically followed up when the special envoys and Special Representatives of the Secretary-General report back to the Council.

The conflict-prevention and mitigation efforts of women through civil society and governmental channels deserve our increased financial, political and technical support. Civil society participation serves a double aim: it fosters inclusive dialogue and development. It also builds the capacity of women to engage in more formal processes. Increasing the number of women in Government structures, for example in the security and justice sectors, makes such institutions more democratic, gender-responsive and accountable. This contributes to conflict prevention.

Women must be fully involved from the very beginning of peace processes so as to enhance the quality and sustainability of peace agreements. Mediation and negotiation teams should have specialized gender expertise and carry out inclusive consultations. Further efforts are urgently needed to nominate and appoint more women mediators and to address the obstacles women face. Increasing the number of women in international organizations and in national diplomatic services is one tool for enlarging the pool of qualified women. At the same time, guidance and expertise is needed for mediators to integrate a gender perspective in ceasefire and in peace agreements. The Nordic countries welcome the work of UNWomen and fully support its joint strategy with the Department of Political Affairs on gender and mediation as an effective tool.

Secondly, we are pleased to report a clear increase in the number of women among the military, police and civilian peacekeepers deployed. We also committed to train our personnel on gender equality and human rights. The mixed police teams deployed in Haiti, Liberia and Afghanistan have all received training on resolution 1325 (2000). Some have been specifically trained to address sexual and gender-based violence. We have developed a human rights manual for all crisis management personnel and supported gender-sensitive security sector reform in Palestine and the Balkans.

As members know, two years ago Gabon underwent a political transition that was outstandingly led by two women, one the President of the Senate and the other the President of the Constitutional Court. When Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, addressed the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, he recalled the high priority Gabon gives to the effective participation of women in mediation and conflict prevention (see A/66/PV.16). A few weeks ago, we welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to three women: Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, Ms. Leymah Gbowee, Liberian activist, and Ms. Tawakkul Karman, Yemeni activist. This year, those three women clearly embody the very issue we are discussing.

The Security Council reached a consensus more than a decade ago in recognizing, through the adoption on 31 October 2000 of resolution 1325 (2000), the decisive role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding. In its presidential statement S/PRST/2001/31, the Council made commitments on this issue. In doing so, it established that without the effective participation of women in peace processes, our efforts to maintain international peace and security would always be incomplete and would yield diminished results.

We welcome the fact that a majority of Security Council resolutions focus particular attention on the question of women's effective participation. That fortunate trend should be pursued so that it becomes an essential part of the work of the Council and of the United Nations.

An important aspect of our debate is the link between preventive diplomacy and the Council's initiatives to promote the role of women in peace processes. More than 10 years of continued efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000) have revealed the limits of a reactive approach. Gabon supports a more comprehensive approach aimed at incorporating conflict prevention as a fundamental part of an effective strategy to protect women and young girls from the agony of conflict and war. Through such a strategy, women would have leading roles, which of course entails women playing a part in the policy sphere in peacetime so that they can be fully involved in the different stages of mediation and political negotiation in times of crisis. In this regard, regional and sub-regional organizations, namely African organizations, should also adopt such a strategy. The African Union's incorporation of gender parity in the highest positions of its hierarchy is a strong indication of a move in that direction.

The main action lines of that document are to apply a gender focus to the respect and promotion of human rights; to promote the equal participation of women both in peacekeeping operations and in related decision-making bodies; to bring a gender perspective in the broadest sense of the term to bear on the design, implementation and execution of our international cooperation policies; to strengthen the technical capacity of both public officials and civil society with regard to gender issues and security and conflict; and to promote the regional implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) through the exchange of experience and international cooperation, both bilaterally and via the regional peacekeeping operations in which Chile takes part, particularly in the context of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

The adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) bears testimony to the progress made during the past decade in the area of women and peace and security. That landmark resolution has brought much-needed attention to the question of women's empowerment, which represents a priority for my country. While all the resolutions on women and peace and security are equally important, resolution 1325 (2000) serves as an umbrella resolution in addressing women's empowerment, their task as peacebuilders and their fragile position as victims of war.

We call upon the Security Council to intensify its efforts in the fight against impunity and to provide strong and effective leadership in strengthening the rule of law, with the ultimate aim of eradicating this abhorrent behaviour. The Council should include sexual violence as a priority element in resolutions mandating its sanctions committees, and they should explicitly include sexual violence as a criterion for the designation of political and military leaders for targeted measures. Perpetrators of sexual violence, including commanders who commission or condone the use of sexual violence, should be held accountable. Furthermore, we encourage strengthening the coordination among United Nations agencies both at Headquarters and in the field, especially in monitoring and reporting on situations where parties to armed conflict engage in rape and other sexual violence as means of war.

Those opportunities, however, can be enhanced significantly depending on how the international community sets its priorities for recovery and uses its strategies for peacebuilding. Those priorities should consist of specific national and international policies aimed at increasing women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, mediation, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. The integrationof the resolution has to be country-driven, and Member States need to take responsibility for its success by ensuring that it is integrated into national policies. We urge countries to apply a broad gendermainstreaming approach across Government, for instance through a system-wide approach that links development, humanitarian and defence issues. All plans should include civil society consultations, as well as monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Croatia's policy in this regard is directed towards the substantial deployment of women in peacekeeping operations, in both the armed forces and police, as their presence reinforces the importance of women's perspective and represents added value for all initiatives aimed at achieving peace.

Although Ms. Bachelet aptly highlighted the modest progress made by Member States and the United Nations in advancing the agenda of resolution 1325 (2000), we must heed her warning that we are very far from sufficiently and systematically integrating women into the process of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We believe that this is an auspicious moment in the history of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The draft presidential statement that is to be adopted today could not have come at a better time, coming as it does in the aftermath of the recognition by the Nobel Committee of the role and participation of the three eminent women in conflict resolution and peace processes in their respective communities. While congratulating President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman for their groundbreaking achievement, we share the hope of the Nobel Committee that this recognition of the important place of women in the peace process, which the draft presidential statement echoes loudly, is a watershed moment and paradigm shift in the global effort to implement resolution 1325 (2000).

We note with satisfaction that the draft presidential statement accords with the theme of this open debate, namely, “The role and participation of women in conflict prevention and mediation”. Through the draft presidential statement, the Council recognizes that women can, and do, play crucial roles in the prevention of conflict. Nevertheless, it also notes that more needs to be done to create the enabling conditions for the participation of women in all stages of the peace process.

Such efforts at creating the right conditions for ensuring women's full participation should include increasing the participation and representation of women in preventive diplomacy initiatives. It should also include strengthening the capacities of the relevant Government institutions and women's organizations involved with conflict and post-conflict issues, the adequate representation of women in the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements, support for local women's peace initiatives, the promotion and protection of the human rights of women, higher levels of representation in decision-making roles, and ensuring proper coherence and coordination among the United Nations entities responsible for implementing the women, peace and security agenda in the entire United Nations system.

Nigeria is also committed to fulfilling its obligations under the African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights on the rights of women in Africa. As Ms. Bachelet has often said, the obstacles to women's political participation, which I believe have a direct bearing on their capacity to play an active role in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention, are indeed enormous. Violence, poverty, lack of access to education and health care, and limited economic opportunities all combine to undermine the role of women and girls in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. It is therefore necessary that we develop and take measures to address these inherent obstacles. Promoting women's equality and empowerment is, in our view, one of the best ways to address the root causes of conflict and therefore prevent such conflict. I envisage a presidential statement along those lines in the near future.

Resolution 1325 (2000), adopted 11 years ago, represents a fundamental milestone, because ever since its adoption the issue of the role of women in peace and security has occupied an important place on the agenda of the Security Council. As a result, it has taken on an important and essential role in the achievement of international peace and security. The resolution has served as the point of departure for subsequent developments on this issue in the Security Council when it comes to ensuring the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and, most especially, with regard to combating sexual violence against women and girls. For that reason, along with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, resolution 1325 (2000) and resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) provide the international community with a normative framework for considering the needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

As we all clearly acknowledge today, women are decisive actors in every stage of long-term peacebuilding processes, which is why we concur with the Secretary-General on the need to encourage women's participation as an integral part of efforts to establish, maintain and build peace.

Women are decisive actors in the three pillars of achieving lasting peace, namely, economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy. In that respect, it is essential that emphasis be placed in all post conflict phases on strengthening the rule of law as well as the economic and political empowerment of women in order to guarantee their full insertion in the community.

Peru believes that the high-level review of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) proposed for 2015 will be an opportunity to comprehensively review the progress made by the United Nations system and by Member States in the priority areas of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery, as well as on the recommendations put forward by the Secretary-General or by a working group established to implement the resolution.

We have moved forward in recognizing the importance of women's participation in peace and security. However, we still face many challenges. What is most important is to join forces so that women and girls are able to exercise their right to live without fear, without violence and with respect and equality of opportunity.

Regarding the level of participation of Sudanese women in the civil service, which has reached 66 per cent, I wish to note by way of example that in the judiciary alone, there are 79 women judges. Many such judges eventually become Supreme Court judges. Sudanese women have held high diplomatic posts, and many of them serve as ambassadors to various countries. A large number of women are doctors and specialize in various fields of medicine. In addition, they have assumed leading posts in the armed forces, the police and the security forces.

My country is convinced that peace, development and democracy cannot be carried out without the full participation of women in public life and in the decision-making process.

Tunisia intends to continue implementing that resolution as apart of its comprehensive approach to gender equality and the empowerment of women, and will make itself available to the United Nations concerning any aspect of implementing resolution 1325 (2000) and other international instruments dealing with the welfare of women and their participation in decision-making processes, as well as promoting a culture of respect for women.

We recognize that empowering women will lead to their taking command of resources and acquiring adequate leadership capabilities for the efficient management of those resources. Therefore, we emphasize the fulfilment of women's economic needs and the necessity of their engagement internationally at all levels and in all forms of decision-making.

In Bangladesh, through our experience of nation- building and women's empowerment, we have embraced that view and developed what our Prime Minister, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, calls a peace model. The central message of the model is to empower people, including women and vulnerable groups, by providing them with an education and helping them to build their skills, by ensuring that they exercise their right to vote and participate in governance, by raising their income level, by ending poverty and hunger and by eliminating all forms of discrimination and terrorism. In her address to the General Assembly (see A/66/PV.22), the Prime Minister of Bangladesh presented her model to the world community, as she is convinced that if peace is attained, development and prosperity will follow. We would be happy to share our experiences with interested delegates.

In Bangladesh, women occupy the top political leadership posts in the country. The Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees the equality of men and women within the broad framework of non-discrimination on the grounds of religion, race or gender. The Government has adopted a national policy for women's advancement and a national plan of action. A women's development implementation committee, headed by the Minister for Women's and Children's Affairs, monitors the implementation of policies for women's empowerment. It has also introduced gender-based budgeting. The results have been highly positive. To cite just one example, the enrolment of girls in both primary and secondary level schools exceeds that of boys, helped by tuition waivers and the provision of stipends for girls in secondary schools.

These efforts have begun to bear fruit. Kenya's next Parliament will have 48 and 16 seats reserved for women in the National Assembly and the Senate, respectively, in addition to those who will be competitively elected in the various constituencies. Furthermore, in all cases where special interests are represented in the legislature, the seats will be divided equally between men and women. Currently, women serve as members of constitutional commissions, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution and the Public Service Commission, to name just a few. Additionally, the top two positions of any public body cannot be held by people of the same gender, thus giving an equal chance to women to either lead or eventually ascend to the top leadership positions of all public institutions.

More than a decade has passed since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Throughout that period, the United Nations system, regional organizations, Member States and civil society have made significant efforts to adapt the resolution to local settings through a wide spectrum of measures and initiatives. Progress has been made in terms of discourse and evolving practice on the participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding, and awareness has increased of the threat that sexual violence constitutes to peace and security.

Despite important national, regional and international efforts, however, the conditions that women and girls still face in situations of armed conflict continue to be abhorrent. The benefits of resolution 1325 (2000) have yet to reach most women in conflict and in fragile settings. In that regard, allow me to make the following comments. First, we view the prevention of conflict as a crucial element of resolution 1325 (2000). That includes the prevention of all forms of conflict-related violence against women and girls. Sexual violence remains the least-condemned war crime in peace agreements and beyond. The elimination of impunity is perhaps the single most effective preventive tool to fight that crime. In that regard, reforming the security sector and ensuring respect for the rule of law in a gender-responsive manner is of crucial importance. Conflict and post-conflict societies should be assisted in those areas as early as possible. The preventive aspect of resolution 1325 (2000) also includes women's full and equal involvement in conflict prevention efforts. We concur with the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*) that more attention needs to be paid to women's roles in the field. We support his recommendation for the Council to use its deliberations on preventive diplomacy and mediation to consider means of enhancing the role of women in conflict prevention.

Secondly, the meaningful participation of women in decision-making forums, institutions and mechanisms related to conflict resolution and peacebuilding is essential, not only for peace but also for sustainable development and long-term security. Such participation should be treated as a requirement for building a solid and genuine democracy, which cannot be fully achieved unless the inequalities affecting half of the population are adequately addressed.

In that sense, the political participation of women and addressing their specific needs are not solely social issues, but also good governance issues. In particular, women's engagement in peace negotiations is essential to ensure that their rights and needs are taken into account in peace agreements and institutional arrangements. Peace accord provisions could have far reaching consequences on women's engagement in post-conflict governance and on their access to justice, reparations, resources and economic security.

Partnerships with male community leaders and opinion-shapers could also play an important role in raising awareness of the benefits of women's participation and could help to implement gender related programming at the local level.

Thirdly, we would like to stress the importance of investing in youth, girls and boys alike, as an essential driving force behind meaningful peacebuilding efforts. Arab youth have lately become the symbol of an uprising in the name of freedom, dignity and participation. In their legitimate struggle for a better life, Arab youth groups have exhibited immense creativity. The ideals of young people are their most valuable resource for influencing the development of their societies and the shape of their future. This has been embodied by Ms. Tawakkul Karman, the first Arab woman to become a Nobel Prize laureate, along with two great women leaders from Liberia.

Liberia continues to make progress in its efforts to involve women at decision-making levels in all areas of national governance. At critical junctures in Liberia's history, its women have demonstrated the ability to lead. Liberia holds the distinct honour of being the birthplace and home of the first woman and the first African to be appointed President of the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth session in 1970.
In recent history, during a lull in the protracted conflict, Liberia had a female interim President, in the person of Mrs. Ruth Perry, who steered the work of a transitional Government from 1996 to 1997. Then there were the unsung heroes — the countless number of women who bravely shouldered the responsibility of caring for their families, even as they participated in discussions on peace and security, while living in the internally displaced persons and refugee camps across West Africa and further afield.

Liberia is moving deliberately and purposefully towards the fulfilment of its commitments to women's advancement. There has been a gradual increase in women's presence in leadership and decision-making positions at the central and local Government levels. Gender-responsive policies, strategies and programmes, some of which are mentioned in the Secretary-General's report, are being integrated into all sectors of national action. In 2009, Liberia became one of the first countries to have completed its national action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). This progress has been made possible through the consistent and much-appreciated support of development partners. All the same, inadequate resources remain a challenge and hindrance to robust implementation.
We are encouraged by the recognition that has been accorded internationally to the modest achievements made by Liberia in its efforts to meaningfully involve women in national governance and to build and utilize their productive capacities, including for the consolidation of peace. Mindful that food security has a conflict preventive dimension, I cannot fail to mention that the Hunger Project's prestigious 2011 Africa Prize for Leadership was awarded a few days ago to the Liberian Minister of Agriculture, Ms. Florence Chenoweth, for her dedication to improving the livelihoods and food security of women farmers in Liberia.

The incidence of rape of girls and women is still unacceptable high, and women constitute only 14 per cent of the Liberian legislature. We are humbled when we consider the vastness of the challenges that still lie ahead; the gender inequities that still exist; and the high walls that we still have to scale before female mediators and peace negotiators become normal features of the international peace architecture. We believe that the systematic use of quotas at the national and international levels could help to accelerate progress towards this objective. Affirmative action programmes are also required to give the necessary impetus to our effort to place women centrally in conflict prevention, mediation and peace processes.

Through the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, the United Nations has been able to develop, integrate and fine-tune the tools available to it to address a gender perspective in a multidimensional manner, by recognizing the importance of women's active participation in the various stages of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as in peacekeeping, reconstruction and peacebuilding.

We are also concerned about the low level of participation by women in peace negotiations. The exclusion of women and the lack of experts in gender matters in negotiations perpetuate inequality. As is indicated in the current report of the Secretary-General, issues related to women tend to be addressed at the later stages of conflict prevention and mediation. The Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to outstanding women in this field this year undoubtedly sends a positive message, but it is nonetheless insufficient.

The presence of additional female peacekeepers and female staff in peacebuilding operations, at both the military police and civilian levels, would have a clear positive effect. It is therefore necessary to increase the number of women who hold high-ranking posts in such operations. We welcome the decision of the Peacebuilding Fund to allocate $5 million to the gender promotion initiative; we hope that this will lead to tangible results in the short term.

We believe that the provisions of these Security Council resolutions are relevant at both the international and national levels. In Mexico, following an approach to prevent violence, the institutions that are responsible for monitoring security, safety and law enforcement receive ongoing training in the field of gender affairs. As a result, more women have become involved in the administration of justice, with the notable example of the appointment of the Attorney- General, Marisela Morales — the first Mexican woman to hold this important post. In turn, the national defence agency has trained almost 80,000 personnel in the field of gender equity, and this year will see the graduation of the first female air force pilot. In the diplomatic sphere, a high number of female representatives have had a bearing my country's foreign policy, starting with Ms. Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General are highly useful in identifying existing shortcomings in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and in ensuring the harmonization and coordination of United Nations efforts in that area. Mexico will continue to support the protection, empowerment and participation of women in decisionmaking processes, as we are fully convinced that women are key stakeholders in strengthening the three pillars of lasting peace, namely, economic recovery; social cohesion and political legitimacy. The commitment of States Members of the United Nations and of civil society is essential in order to continue to strengthen the central role played by women in the maintenance of international peace and security.

We meet today to recognize the crucial role of women in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the tangible fruits of which have already been seen in Afghanistan in the decisive presence of women at the Consultative Peace Jirga in 2010 and in the continuing efforts to ensure women's participation in leadership positions within and outside of the Afghan Government. The debate is particularly appropriate as Afghanistan is entering the second phase of transition to Afghan leadership and ownership and increased responsibility for security and economic development.

With regard to development, we have begun to implement our 10-year national action plan for the women of Afghanistan based upon the priorities of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. As part of the action plan, we have established gender units in 14 of the 25 Government ministries. However, given the 10-year timeline, accelerated efforts are necessary to ensure the full implementation of that very comprehensive action plan, which incorporates vital goals that include achieving a 30 per cent rate of representation of women in governmental positions by the end of 2013 and their 35 per cent participation rate among university students by the end of 2012.

Ensuring the rights of women is only half of the battle; we also need to see the full participation of women, as resolution 1325 (2000) reminds us that they have a vital role to play in peace and security. The representation of women in governance and their political participation has steadily increased. We have succeeded in holding two presidential and two parliamentary elections, in which women actively participated as candidates, elections staff, poll monitors and electorates. Women comprise 25 per cent of the Parliament, thus ranking Afghanistan thirtieth among the countries of the world with the highest rate of women representatives in Parliament. The Afghanistan National parliament has also established a resource centre for women parliamentarians to enhance their capacity to effectively include women's voices and perspectives in national development and reconstruction plans. When reviewing these facts and figures, let us not lose sight of the great personal risk that these women undertake in order to participate in the governance of their country and in their future. I wish to take this opportunity to honour the women who continue take risks in order to assume an active role in the future direction, peace and security of our country.

Our international partners have assisted the Afghan Government in our endeavours. UN-Women has administered a multi-donor trust fund for the elimination of violence against women that provided grants for national organizations to combat violence against women. I am very pleased to report that, in collaboration with UN-Women, Afghanistan has submitted its first country report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The continued collaboration of our Government, international partners and both Afghan and international civil society groups will be vital to ensure the full realization of women's rights in a strong and stable Afghanistan.

Building a stable and secure environment that enables women to live free of intimidation and violence and promotes their participation and leadership in efforts to maintain peace and security is one of the core objectives of the Afghan Government.

We are also focusing on women political actors at national, subnational and local levels, as well as on capacity-building and advocacy strategies to enable them to obtain critical roles in high-level decisionmaking processes, policy and law-making positions in key Government institutions and to assist them in carrying out their significant political and social responsibilities. In conclusion, with the support of our partners and the international community, we will continue to work towards the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), while recognizing that our goal of sustainable peace and security in Afghanistan will not be achieved without the full participation of the entire Afghan nation.

As outlined in the concept note (S/2011/654, annex) circulated for this debate, the participation of women in decision-making forums related to conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding and post conflict recovery is a central goal of the women, peace and security agenda. Research has shown that the exclusion of women and the lack of gender expertise in peace negotiations lead to irreversible setbacks for women's rights. Peace accords often neglect to ensure the engagement of women in post-conflict governance and their access to economic opportunities, justice and reparations.

Last June, women leaders from all parts of the world — Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral Wallström among them — met in Vilnius at a conference entitled “Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices” under the Lithuanian presidency of the Community of Democracies, and shared their experiences and best practices in enhancing the role of women. The Working Group on Gender Equality and Women's Rights, co-chaired by the United States of America and Lithuania, discussed, among other priority issues, women and peace and security. The conference showed that, in many parts of the world, the involvement of women is still low. Indeed, women could and should play a bigger role in human rights and security monitoring and establish early warning systems to generate information about specific threats, peace talks, donor conferences, elections and decision- making.

Indeed, while acknowledging that important progress has been accomplished in the implementation of resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions on Women Peace and Security, we need to recognize that significant challenges still remain: women are still underrepresented at the several levels of peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts as they are inadequately represented in formal peace negotiations. The exclusion of women from peace talks and peacebuilding efforts often means that insufficient attention is paid to addressing gender disparities and women's needs and concerns in the post conflict phase, thus reinforcing a circle of inequality and marginalization.

Ukraine considers that ensuring gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women is not only an important objective, but is also an essential part of the pursuit of democracy and development. In recognition of the essential contribution of women towards achieving those objectives, Ukraine co-sponsored a draft resolution on women and political participation.

The focus of today's debate on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation could not be more timely. Ukraine has always stressed the need for the widest possible use of the potential of women in the spheres of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We believe that there is still much to be done to redress the current underrepresentation of women in decision- making with regard to conflict resolution so as to make their voice heard loud and clear in peace negotiations. In that context, we welcome the adoption of the first-ever resolution on “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention and resolution” (General Assembly resolution 65/283). In that document, all Member States resolved to promote the equal, full and effective participation of women at all levels of the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to provide adequate gender expertise for all mediators and their teams.

The topic of our debate is a very timely one. Today we should acknowledge the important contribution made by women in the Arab world to bring about political transformation, and the decisive role they have played and continue to play in the quest for democracy, transparent political systems, the rule of law and the promotion and protection of human rights. It is difficult to imagine the achievements of the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya without the active participation of women and young people, and it is difficult to imagine a successful and inclusive democratic transformation process without their active participation.

The women and peace and security agenda has been a catalyst for greater civil society engagement with the Council. This has enriched our work, giving us access to new perspectives and information. In all societies, there are real obstacles to women's political participation. Even in countries that have championed women's rights for decades, insidious barriers to true equality persist. Today we gather to consider how to advance further towards women's full engagement in conflict resolution and mediation.

The issue of women's participation in peace talks and other conflict-related negotiations certainly contains more than an element of justice. It is also an issue of effectiveness, which has a direct impact on the success of conflict resolution and mediation efforts. Women can bring to the table unique perspectives on issues such as impunity, accountability, and justice. If these perspectives are addressed in negotiations, the chance of achieving a sustainable peace will be much greater.

Last month, during the general debate and at an event on women's political participation, President Dilma Rousseff made it clear that the empowerment of women is high on Brazil's agenda. We have enacted advanced legislation on the protection of women, established specialized police stations for women's issues, and put women at the centre of our Bolsa Familia cash transfer programme. These are valuable experiences that we are ready to share with other countries, including those emerging from conflict.

Brazil is deeply engaged in cooperation activities with a number of countries emerging from conflict. In Brazil, the participation of women in the decision-making processes that deal with those issues has been steadily increasing, in keeping with the broad trend observed in Brazilian politics more generally, both in the executive and legislative branches. Today, nearly a third of the ministers in President Dilma's Cabinet are women, including many of those charged with core Government responsibilities. Women have also moved to the forefront of Brazilian diplomacy, occupying more and higher-level postings in our foreign service.

The PRST to be adopted today clearly recognizes once again the significant role of women in prevention, conflict resolution and post conflict rebuilding. Including women in peace initiatives is not a benevolent act, we see it as a key requirement to any lasting, sustainable peace. Women's participation will strengthen the capacity to resolve conflict and build security and justice systems that protect the human rights of all. However, we have still existing gaps between repeated commitments and the situation on the ground. Women remain severely under-represented in peace negotiations and they are often marginalized in efforts to build sustainable peace.

What can be done to close this gap? First, in regard to the UN level, we commend UN Women for its work in leading the mainstreaming efforts to include, wherever possible, a gender perspective in UN activities and measuring progress made in implementing resolution 1325 against the indicators. It is crucial to constantly strive for more women in leading positions, also within the UN, and to give women a voice during all stages of peace processes. There is a clear link between women's participation in the early stages of preventive diplomacy, peace-making or peace-building and their presence in implementation mechanisms.

Third, with regard to the national level: Last year the German Government presented its third report to Parliament on its implementation of SR resolution 1325. It contains, inter alia, projects on gender training, including for UN peacekeepers, prevention of sexual violence, enabling women's participation in peace-processes as well as their unhindered access to justice. A special focus lies on the support for women's organizations and NGOs in promoting women's empowerment. In addition, the German Government has set up action plans on “gender in development aid programmes” and on “civilian crisis prevention”. Germany implements the indicators adopted by the European Union in 2010.

While the passage of Resolution 1325 and the four subsequent resolutions represented a paradigm shift in relation to women and conflict, there remains a striking reluctance in many quarters to include women as full and equal partners in peace efforts. Of the nine peace agreements signed during the course of 2010, only two had provisions ensuring women's rights. There is a basic design flaw that needs to be addressed. Peace processes in general are not set up to engage non-traditional actors like women's groups or other civil society organisations. That must change. Processes need to be structured from the outset to draw more fully on non-formal and non-traditional influences where women, woven into the social fabric of societies, have so much to offer. The mediation phase, when things remain in flux, presents a good opportunity to empower and include such groups. As the Secretary-General points out in his report, it is critical that women peace-builders and mediators are engaged as early as possible in the conflict prevention/resolution cycle.

Kyrgyzstan has made significant headway over the past two years in promoting the participation of women in the country's political life, conducting democratic reforms and peace-based initiatives. The 2010 national referendum resulted in the election of the first female president in Central Asia. Today, women occupy nearly one-third of the parliamentary seats. They also hold the posts of President of the Supreme Court, Prosecutor General and President of the National Bank. Women also hold posts as ministers, governors and heads of various non-governmental organizations.

Although women's participation in Tunisia's recent elections has not lived up to all expectations, we are confident that Tunisian women will be able to assume, at all levels and in all political and economic institutions, their responsibilities in the work of building their country, and that they will thereby set an example for other countries in the region and around the world. We urge Libyan leaders to grant women their full and proper place in the construction of the new Libya. We express our solidarity with the women of Yemen and Syria, who continue to fight against oppression and for their rights to freedom and democracy.

The international community must continue to strive in pursuit of peace and security, and should makeuse of the capacities of women as agents of change. This year, the Nobel Committee recognized the efforts of women who fought, in different areas, to achieve peace — proof of the added value of their work and of the importance of continuing such an effort, for which the cooperation of my Government can always be counted on.

Since the adoption of landmark resolution 1325 (2000), progress has been achieved across a broad range of issues aimed at enhancing the protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls in conflict- affected situations. A stronger gender perspective in post-conflict processes, as well as in United Nations programming and reporting, has been steadily built. The issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women have become critical components of political deliberations and actions. All in all, a better understanding is taking hold. We heartily welcome and commend the United Nations entities, non- governmental organizations and women's organizations that are working selflessly in this area. Yet as today's debate and the Secretary-General's report have shown us, there remain formidable challenges before us. Many structural and institutional impediments persist. Women continue to be largely marginalized in the national and international decision- making spheres because of persistent challenges, such as discriminatory laws, cultural stereotypes, lack of education, inability to access basic services, and sparse economic opportunities, to name a few. We firmly believe that the participation of women and the incorporation of gender perspectives in all contexts are vitally

The positive ramifications of increasing women's participation in every context and at every stage of political transition are widely recognized and critically important. Situations of political transition should be perceived as providing opportunities for enhancing women's roles in decision-making at every level. It is equally important to redouble our efforts to combat impunity. Unfortunately, armed conflict and post- conflict disorder hit women and children the hardest. Targeted measures should be directed at the perpetrators of sexual violence and rape. We should all ensure that effective international mechanisms are established to respond to such crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice.

To implement resolution 1325 (2000), the Government of Burundi has decided that no strategy will be adopted or implemented without taking into clear account the gender dimension, so as to guarantee the full participation of women in decision-making, in prioritizing plans of action and in implementing them. As things stand, our National Plan of Action on resolution 1325 (2000) has been drafted and its adoption by the Council of Ministers is expected next month. The plan is designed to respond to the Government's national and international priorities, which are reflected in national policy documents, such as the “Strategic Framework for Combating Poverty, Second Generation”, “Vision 2025” and the revised version of the national gender policy. The substance of resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security is chiefly built around four pillars — participation, prevention, protection and recovery. In terms of participation in decision-making, Burundi has made significant progress. For example, the 30 per cent rate stipulated by the country's Constitution has been exceeded during the post- election nominations in 2010. Nine of the 21 ministerial positions are currently held by women — equal to 43 per cent. With that percentage Burundi leads the rest of Africa. Our rate of women's representation in the Senate places Burundi in first place in Africa and in second place worldwide, after Bolivia.

In hiring practices for both civil service and private industry, women and men go through the same selection process and have an equal chance. In many cases, applications from women are strongly encouraged. In matters of peace and security, Burundi's National Security Council includes 2 women among its seven members. Plans for gender integration in the police force and the army have already been adopted by the relevant ministries, and currently women are increasingly included as part of peacekeeping missions on the ground in other countries.

In order to prevent the recurrence of conflict and sustain long-standing peace, the needs of women and girls must be fully addressed in post-conflict peacebuilding. To that end, it is essential that women's full and effective participation be ensured from the very beginning of conflict prevention and mediation processes.

The promotion of women's participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding is key to the protection and empowerment of women. The strengthening of gender expertise and perspectives in peacekeeping activities and increasing the number of female peacekeepers remain a challenge. In that regard, Japan deployed a female military liaison officer to the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste this year. We also provide gender training to Japanese personnel before they are deployed to peacekeeping operations. This year, through the United Nations Development Programme, Japan is supporting a project to promote the employment of female police officers and their training in Afghanistan, which so far has resulted in the employment of more than 1,200 Afghan women in local police forces.

In past years, important initiatives and strategies have been developed, and many examples of joint achievements, such as the ones I mentioned in Burundi and Afghanistan, are at hand. The Netherlands is one of a group of countries that work hard and make real progress. These are important accomplishments, but far more needs to be done. To quote our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Uri Rosenthal: “Women represent 50 per cent of human capital, and it is in every country's own interest — and especially in the so-called fragile States — to make sure that women are actively involved in society, the economy and political decision- making. They must be part of the power structures; that is what empowerment is about”. Only if we manage to include women can we be more assured that peace in those societies will be sustainable, and, by doing so, global stability will be promoted as well.

At this very moment, the Dutch ministries and civil society are developing the second resolution 1325(2000) national action plan for the period 2012-2015, to be launched in December. While the first action plan focused on the physical and legal security of women and men, this second national action plan is fully dedicated to the enhancement of female leadership and the political participation of women in conflict-affected societies. Peace and security are linked to the playing of active, powerful roles by women. The power of women to positively influence situations of crisis was shown beautifully by the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman. In his words of congratulation, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs said: “The fact that these three women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their struggle for freedom, peace and stability in the world is an excellent example of the fact that women are not solely victims, but current and future leaders.”

Secondly, women's participation at all stages of the peace process needs to be enhanced. The exclusion of women and the lack of gender expertise in negotiations may lead to irreversible setbacks for women's rights, leaving crucial issues such women's engagement in post-conflict governance neglected in peace accords. Efforts to increase women's participation in decision-making bodies need to be sustained.

We also believe that the establishment of UN-Women was a key step in the consolidation of the women and peace and security agenda, embodied, inter alia, in technical assistance that the entity is providing to countries of all regions in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions. We wish in particular to express our appreciation for the cooperation of UN-Women in the ongoing drafting of Argentina's national action plan, which has been created on the basis of a series priority areas of our domestic and international policy, including the defence of multilateralism, contributions to peace processes, the promotion and protection of human rights, gender equality, and the protection of civilians in conflict. Another priority is increasing the political participation of women and including the gender perspective in all matters related to peace and security at the national, regional and international levels.

One year ago this month, Canada announced its Action Plan which seeks to enhance the participation of women in peace processes. We encourage the meaningful participation of women in all elements of peacemaking. We also promote efforts to protect the human rights and physical safety of women and girls, including against rape as a weapon of war and all forms of sexual violence in conflict.

During his recent visit to Tripoli, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs the Honourable John Baird met with Libyan women's groups to discuss the important role that women's leadership will play in the new Libya and its democratic institutions. The Minister urged the new government of Libya to ensure the participation of women in decision-making during Libya's transition. Libya is an example of an environment in which barriers to women's access to peace processes and to reconstruction efforts will need to be addressed by all those involved.

In a region where women are too often excluded from public life, Israeli women stand out as leaders in law, politics, mediation and conflict prevention and resolution.

The Government of Nepal is proud to inform the international community that it has adopted a national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) for the five-year period from 2011 to 2015. For Nepal, a country coming out of conflict, the adoption of a national action plan is a manifestation of our commitment to making the role of women in peacebuilding and the country's overall governance prominent. Our national action plan is time-bound and structured around five pillars, namely, participation, protection and prevention, promotion, relief and recovery, and monitoring and evaluation. The plan was prepared with the broadest possible consultations with all stakeholders, and as such it implies their important role in its implementation. In particular, the growing awareness of the rights of women and their increasing role in local governance, women-specific issues and development-related activities are good signs of progress, which we can attribute to the recent transformation in Nepal.

We are ready and eager to collaborate with the international community for effective implementation of our national action plan. As enshrined in Nepal's Interim Constitution, one third of Parliament is represented by women. This political representation will be continued down to village-level elected bodies. Local peace committees are functioning in all districts with at least 33 per cent of participation of women, and are empowered to address post-conflict-related issues at the local level. Nepal has been implementing gender-based budgeting for some years, through which gender mainstreaming gets special attention in all development activities. We have introduced a policy of affirmative action in various areas, including the civil service, with a view to ensuring that women are placed at public sector decision-making levels. We are also committed to increasing the number of women in our army and police forces.

Maldives has expressed support for Libya's National Transitional Council. With its current transition from conflict to creating a stable Government, we urge the National Transitional Council to stay mindful of the specific needs of women and its obligations towards them. That includes everything from disarmament and reconciliation to women's participation and representation. The path towards democracy is never easy, and women are often the first to be forgotten.

The five-year plans formulated by the Government of India for economic development recognize the important role of women as agents of sustained socio-economic growth and change by incorporating proposals on gender empowerment. Women's empowerment is essential to promote overall sustainable development. That is also true in conflict situations. We believe that the participation of women in all stages of the peace process — conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction — is essential for lasting peace and security.

To conclude, let me reiterate that the responsibility to implement relevant Security Council resolutions on enhancing women's participation in peace processes, including the protection of women, rests primarily with individual Governments. Through this debate, we can once again reaffirm our readiness to promote the participation of women in peace processes, including within the framework of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).

We are committed to gender equality and the empowerment of women. We are currently in the process of drafting a national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). Efforts are already under way to promote that resolution and to raise awareness of gender-based violence, human rights and peacebuilding through the training of women's groups, survivors of violence, men and youth. Community mediators, 50 per cent of whom are women, have been trained to assist in situations involving local conflict. Involving women at the outset has had an exponentially beneficial effect in Timor- Leste and has laid the foundation for women's participation and inclusion, not only in Government, but also across all sectors. We are proud to note that women's representation in our Parliament is at 29 per cent, and we have set a goal to reach 35 per cent representation by 2015. The recently adopted electoral law requires that every third candidate on party lists be a woman, thereby ensuring that this target will be reached.

It is not possible to create a legitimate and durable post-conflict political system that does not include the full and equal participation of women in decision-making. The role of women in economic development must be recognized in order to grow a post-conflict economy. Women, after all, are most likely to be providing direct support to children and extended kinship networks. Bringing the voice of women to the forefront of conflict prevention and mediation work will therefore help build more resilient communities and a more sustainable peace. That is key to the Security Council's work.

In our own Asia-Pacific region we have seen great improvements in women's capacity to engage in peace processes that affect them. That is also a key focus of our own aid programme in the region. In Indonesia and Nepal, we have supported women mediators, negotiators and advisers to identify and implement strategies for improving women's participation in peace processes. That important work continues to document best practices related to women and peacemaking in the Asia-Pacific region.

South Africa welcomes the convening of this important meeting. The adoption of the historic resolution 1325 (2000) 11 years ago was a significant milestone in the recognition of the role that women can play in the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in decision-making processes relating to conflict prevention and resolution. In light of that achievement, South Africa is encouraged by the various frameworks that have been created to ensure the implementation of that resolution, in particular the creation of UN-Women under the leadership of Ms. Michele Bachelet.

Indeed, inroads have been made in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*). However, let us be clear that gaps remain in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as glaring disparities pertaining to the role of women in preventive diplomacy, formal peace processes and mediation. We therefore welcome the institutional and policy frameworks elaborated in the Secretary-General's report, in particular his seven point action plan for gender-responsive peacebuilding, which seeks to establish standard operating procedures for gender issues in the United Nations, conflict resolution and peacebuilding architecture.

We further welcome the practical recommendations and the strategic results framework outlined in the Secretary-General's report, which constitute a concrete proposal to include women in conflict prevention and mediation. In particular, we wish to highlight the importance of nominating women to lead negotiation processes and increasing the number of women in the foreign services and security establishments.

Based on its past experience, South Africa is conscious of the centrality of women as peacemakers and facilitators in political processes and peacebuilding initiatives, particularly at the grass-roots level. Women at all levels of society have a role to play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding as agents of change. In that regard, South African Women in Dialogue has been actively engaged with women's organizations in countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan in sharing experiences and lessons learned with women in States emerging from conflict. South Africa continues to contribute to popularizing the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) through structures such as the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the Pan-African Women's Organization. To that end, South Africa recently held the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa Summit on Women, Peace and Security in May.

Indeed, in congratulating the three outstanding women who were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, President Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, her compatriot Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, President Jacob Zuma underscored the important contribution that women continue to play in their ongoing struggle for women's rights, dignity, peace and development all over the world. The vast majority of women are not involved in creating wars, but they remain the primary victims of war and conflict. Long after the guns have ceased blazing, their children and families continue to suffer the devastating effects of the aftermath of conflict. Women are the ones left to pick up the pieces and to rebuild families and their communities.

Women must be fully involved from the very beginning of peace processes so as to enhance the quality and sustainability of peace agreements. Mediation and negotiation teams should have specialized gender expertise and carry out inclusive consultations. Further efforts are urgently needed to nominate and appoint more women mediators and to address the obstacles women face. Increasing the number of women in international organizations and in national diplomatic services is one tool for enlarging the pool of qualified women. At the same time, guidance and expertise is needed for mediators to integrate a gender perspective in ceasefire and in peace agreements. The Nordic countries welcome the work of UNWomen and fully support its joint strategy with the Department of Political Affairs on gender and mediation as an effective tool.

An important aspect of our debate is the link between preventive diplomacy and the Council's initiatives to promote the role of women in peace processes. More than 10 years of continued efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000) have revealed the limits of a reactive approach. Gabon supports a more comprehensive approach aimed at incorporating conflict prevention as a fundamental part of an effective strategy to protect women and young girls from the agony of conflict and war. Through such a strategy, women would have leading roles, which of course entails women playing a part in the policy sphere in peacetime so that they can be fully involved in the different stages of mediation and political negotiation in times of crisis. In this regard, regional and sub-regional organizations, namely African organizations, should also adopt such a strategy. The African Union's incorporation of gender parity in the highest positions of its hierarchy is a strong indication of a move in that direction.

Although women are widely recognized as effective agents of peace, they still have little access to decision-making positions and peace negotiations. Women in the aftermath of conflict have little or no protection or access to services, justice and economic security, and those are the areas in which women's needs and gaps in response are most evident. Furthermore, the inclusion of women and gender expertise in peacebuilding activities is essential to reconstituting political, legal, cultural and socio- economic and social structures. Gender equality brings new degrees of democratic inclusiveness to peacebuilding, faster and more durable economic growth, and human and social capital recovery.

Those opportunities, however, can be enhanced significantly depending on how the international community sets its priorities for recovery and uses its strategies for peacebuilding. Those priorities should consist of specific national and international policies aimed at increasing women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, mediation, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. The integrationof the resolution has to be country-driven, and Member States need to take responsibility for its success by ensuring that it is integrated into national policies. We urge countries to apply a broad gendermainstreaming approach across Government, for instance through a system-wide approach that links development, humanitarian and defence issues. All plans should include civil society consultations, as well as monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Although Ms. Bachelet aptly highlighted the modest progress made by Member States and the United Nations in advancing the agenda of resolution 1325 (2000), we must heed her warning that we are very far from sufficiently and systematically integrating women into the process of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We believe that this is an auspicious moment in the history of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The draft presidential statement that is to be adopted today could not have come at a better time, coming as it does in the aftermath of the recognition by the Nobel Committee of the role and participation of the three eminent women in conflict resolution and peace processes in their respective communities. While congratulating President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman for their groundbreaking achievement, we share the hope of the Nobel Committee that this recognition of the important place of women in the peace process, which the draft presidential statement echoes loudly, is a watershed moment and paradigm shift in the global effort to implement resolution 1325 (2000).

We note with satisfaction that the draft presidential statement accords with the theme of this open debate, namely, “The role and participation of women in conflict prevention and mediation”. Through the draft presidential statement, the Council recognizes that women can, and do, play crucial roles in the prevention of conflict. Nevertheless, it also notes that more needs to be done to create the enabling conditions for the participation of women in all stages of the peace process.

My country is convinced that peace, development and democracy cannot be carried out without the full participation of women in public life and in the decision-making process.

In that sense, the political participation of women and addressing their specific needs are not solely social issues, but also good governance issues. In particular, women's engagement in peace negotiations is essential to ensure that their rights and needs are taken into account in peace agreements and institutional arrangements. Peace accord provisions could have far reaching consequences on women's engagement in post-conflict governance and on their access to justice, reparations, resources and economic security.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), discussions have revealed many examples of women's effective contribution to conflict prevention, peace processes and peacebuilding in the various regions of the world. Women bear the consequences of conflict and are thus well placed to contribute to solutions. Having reached this realization, our common challenge is to find creative means to institutionalize this role at the national and international levels. Women must be capacitated and strategically positioned to play their rightful role.

The incidence of rape of girls and women is still unacceptable high, and women constitute only 14 per cent of the Liberian legislature. We are humbled when we consider the vastness of the challenges that still lie ahead; the gender inequities that still exist; and the high walls that we still have to scale before female mediators and peace negotiators become normal features of the international peace architecture. We believe that the systematic use of quotas at the national and international levels could help to accelerate progress towards this objective. Affirmative action programmes are also required to give the necessary impetus to our effort to place women centrally in conflict prevention, mediation and peace processes.

Liberia pledges to make more concerted efforts to comply with reporting requirements so as to contribute meaningfully to future reports of the Secretary-General on women and peace and security. The presence of UN-Women in Liberia provides the needed support to national efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000) and reduce gender inequities. We therefore look forward to continued partnership with UN-Women towards the enhancement of women's empowerment, peacebuilding and sustainable development. It is our hope that, in the not too distant future, the capacities of women will be so fully integrated into the global peace architecture that the focus of debates on conflict prevention and mediation will not be on women's role and participation but simply on the subject matter.

We are also concerned about the low level of participation by women in peace negotiations. The exclusion of women and the lack of experts in gender matters in negotiations perpetuate inequality. As is indicated in the current report of the Secretary-General, issues related to women tend to be addressed at the later stages of conflict prevention and mediation. The Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to outstanding women in this field this year undoubtedly sends a positive message, but it is nonetheless insufficient.

As outlined in the concept note (S/2011/654, annex) circulated for this debate, the participation of women in decision-making forums related to conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding and post conflict recovery is a central goal of the women, peace and security agenda. Research has shown that the exclusion of women and the lack of gender expertise in peace negotiations lead to irreversible setbacks for women's rights. Peace accords often neglect to ensure the engagement of women in post-conflict governance and their access to economic opportunities, justice and reparations.

The Council must increase its efforts to incorporate a gender perspective in relevant country specific resolutions, with a view to increasing women's participation in peace negotiations and mediation and in meeting the specific concerns of women during post-conflict reconstruction. The Council must also, hand in hand with the General Assembly, address the lack of women as lead peace mediators by encouraging the Secretary-General to appoint women to such positions and to ensure that adequate gender expertise is provided for all United Nations-led peace processes.

Indeed, while acknowledging that important progress has been accomplished in the implementation of resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions on Women Peace and Security, we need to recognize that significant challenges still remain: women are still underrepresented at the several levels of peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts as they are inadequately represented in formal peace negotiations. The exclusion of women from peace talks and peacebuilding efforts often means that insufficient attention is paid to addressing gender disparities and women's needs and concerns in the post conflict phase, thus reinforcing a circle of inequality and marginalization.

The focus of today's debate on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation could not be more timely. Ukraine has always stressed the need for the widest possible use of the potential of women in the spheres of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We believe that there is still much to be done to redress the current underrepresentation of women in decision- making with regard to conflict resolution so as to make their voice heard loud and clear in peace negotiations. In that context, we welcome the adoption of the first-ever resolution on “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention and resolution” (General Assembly resolution 65/283). In that document, all Member States resolved to promote the equal, full and effective participation of women at all levels of the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to provide adequate gender expertise for all mediators and their teams.

The effective representation and full involvement of women in peace processes, in transitional governments and in political life is a prerequisite for addressing their specific needs and concerns and for ensuring that their rights are adequately reflected in State structures, peace agreements, law enforcement processes, et cetera. One half of the population cannot claim to represent the other half. Women need to represent themselves.

The issue of women's participation in peace talks and other conflict-related negotiations certainly contains more than an element of justice. It is also an issue of effectiveness, which has a direct impact on the success of conflict resolution and mediation efforts. Women can bring to the table unique perspectives on issues such as impunity, accountability, and justice. If these perspectives are addressed in negotiations, the chance of achieving a sustainable peace will be much greater.

Third, with regard to the national level: Last year the German Government presented its third report to Parliament on its implementation of SR resolution 1325. It contains, inter alia, projects on gender training, including for UN peacekeepers, prevention of sexual violence, enabling women's participation in peace-processes as well as their unhindered access to justice. A special focus lies on the support for women's organizations and NGOs in promoting women's empowerment. In addition, the German Government has set up action plans on “gender in development aid programmes” and on “civilian crisis prevention”. Germany implements the indicators adopted by the European Union in 2010.

While the passage of Resolution 1325 and the four subsequent resolutions represented a paradigm shift in relation to women and conflict, there remains a striking reluctance in many quarters to include women as full and equal partners in peace efforts. Of the nine peace agreements signed during the course of 2010, only two had provisions ensuring women's rights. There is a basic design flaw that needs to be addressed. Peace processes in general are not set up to engage non-traditional actors like women's groups or other civil society organisations. That must change. Processes need to be structured from the outset to draw more fully on non-formal and non-traditional influences where women, woven into the social fabric of societies, have so much to offer. The mediation phase, when things remain in flux, presents a good opportunity to empower and include such groups. As the Secretary-General points out in his report, it is critical that women peace-builders and mediators are engaged as early as possible in the conflict prevention/resolution cycle.

Following the inter-ethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010, special importance was given to supporting female initiatives in the area of conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. In that difficult time, women activists joined together to form women's peacekeeping networks in order to put an end to conflict and violence and to prevent a recurrence of the tragic events.

We commend you, Madam President, on your concept note (S/2011/654, annex) focusing on the role of women in conflict prevention and mediation.

Luxembourg continues to place great importance on the plight of women in crisis situations and on mainstreaming the gender dimension into the work of international and regional organizations in that respect. Last December, Luxembourg decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening women's leadership and participation in political life and in peacebuilding activities in countries emerging from conflict. With our support, concrete results are being achieved in three countries — Timor-Leste, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — through partnerships forged between national and local authorities and United Nations missions and agencies. We are determined to maintain and to reinforce that national commitment. By strengthening the role of women in conflict prevention and mediation, we will help to improve society as a whole.

We must expand the role of women everywhere. We need women to play a greater role in preventive diplomacy, mediation and peacekeeping. We need women to play a greater role in post-conflict reconstruction and institution-building, and we need a greater role for women in sustainable development and as agents for social transformation. The integral link between peace, security, gender equality and development is evident. This interaction renders women's participation in peace processes and sustainable development mutually reinforcing. The issue of women's security should therefore be addressed through holistic methodologies rather than ad hoc solutions. In that regard, while we should put gender equality and the empowerment of women at the core of our efforts, we should further encourage and support their participation in the work of peace, including post-conflict recovery efforts and the sustainable development process.

For a start, I would like to emphasize that women's security is part of overall peace and security and that women can contribute to peace processes and are very able to do so. The involvement of women in peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention is of the utmost importance to ensure the success of the operations, as it is the only way to reach the whole population.

We welcome the fact that the General Assembly's very first resolution on mediation, which was adopted this June, underlined the importance of the participation of women and the provision of gender expertise in mediation.

In order to prevent the recurrence of conflict and sustain long-standing peace, the needs of women and girls must be fully addressed in post-conflict peacebuilding. To that end, it is essential that women's full and effective participation be ensured from the very beginning of conflict prevention and mediation processes.

Secondly, women's participation at all stages of the peace process needs to be enhanced. The exclusion of women and the lack of gender expertise in negotiations may lead to irreversible setbacks for women's rights, leaving crucial issues such women's engagement in post-conflict governance neglected in peace accords. Efforts to increase women's participation in decision-making bodies need to be sustained.

Our country welcomes the report of the Secretary- General (S/2011/598*), which comprehensively reflects the important role that women play in preventive diplomacy, peace negotiation processes, and post-conflict reconstruction. The merit of resolution 1325 (2000) is specifically that the Security Council recognizes therein the key role that women can play as protagonists in peace processes. The international community must pool its efforts to ensure that this protagonist role remains possible. We are convinced that lasting peace can be attained only if women participate in all phases of peace processes. We therefore welcome the idea of compiling lists of women candidates to mediate conflicts.

One year ago this month, Canada announced its Action Plan which seeks to enhance the participation of women in peace processes. We encourage the meaningful participation of women in all elements of peacemaking. We also promote efforts to protect the human rights and physical safety of women and girls, including against rape as a weapon of war and all forms of sexual violence in conflict.

During his recent visit to Tripoli, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs the Honourable John Baird met with Libyan women's groups to discuss the important role that women's leadership will play in the new Libya and its democratic institutions. The Minister urged the new government of Libya to ensure the participation of women in decision-making during Libya's transition. Libya is an example of an environment in which barriers to women's access to peace processes and to reconstruction efforts will need to be addressed by all those involved.

we encourage the Security Council to continue to provide the political leadership and take targeted actions to ensure the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation and resolution processes.

We must recognize the clear connection between advancing peace and advancing equal rights for women.

Resolution 1325 (2000) brought to the fore the importance of women as peacemakers and peacebuilders. The resolution was a historic shift from the traditional perspective, which saw women as passive recipients of the suffering produced by conflict. It rightly stressed the role of women as active participants with important and indispensable parts to play in peacemaking and peacebuilding. The resolution rightly urged Member States to mainstream the gender perspective by ensuring an increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in the areas of the prevention, management and resolution of conflict, post-conflict reconstruction and institution-building. On the eleventh anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), it is high time to take stock of our achievements, identify challenges and share experiences of successes and difficulties to ensure an enhanced level of effort and support for the effective implementation of the resolution. There have been many notable efforts in a broad range of areas by Member States, the United Nations system, and civil society organizations towards the resolution's implementation. Yet there are areas where our concerted efforts are needed. Countries emerging from conflict are in need of genuine partnership and cooperation from the international community to fill the gaps in the financial resources and human and technical expertise needed to rebuild their societies. The lofty goals and vision of resolution 1325 (2000) will remain unfulfilled if countries coming out of conflict are left without adequate financial and human resources and capacity-building.

There can be no doubt that the establishment of UN-Women constitutes a milestone in the defence of the rights and the protection of women. In June, Under-Secretary-General achelet submitted to Member States a first strategic plan, which my country fully supports.

Eleven years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the Council has continued to make progress in providing guidelines on strengthening the protection of women in situations of armed conflict. To that end, in 2008, the Council adopted resolution 1820 (2008), which noted that attacks on women in armed conflicts continued to occur. On 16 December 2010, the Council adopted resolution 1960 (2010). One important aspect that has been highlighted is the need for increased participation by women in political processes, particularly in mediation and in peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations. In that respect, the meeting organized by UN-Women in the context of the sixty sixth session of the General Assembly on women and political participation takes on particular importance. My delegation feels that the meeting should be replicated at the regional, national and local levels.

Although women are widely recognized as effective agents of peace, they still have little access to decision-making positions and peace negotiations. Women in the aftermath of conflict have little or no protection or access to services, justice and economic security, and those are the areas in which women's needs and gaps in response are most evident. Furthermore, the inclusion of women and gender expertise in peacebuilding activities is essential to reconstituting political, legal, cultural and socio- economic and social structures. Gender equality brings new degrees of democratic inclusiveness to peacebuilding, faster and more durable economic growth, and human and social capital recovery.

Peru believes that the high-level review of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) proposed for 2015 will be an opportunity to comprehensively review the progress made by the United Nations system and by Member States in the priority areas of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery, as well as on the recommendations put forward by the Secretary-General or by a working group established to implement the resolution.

The plan is also designed to improve pre-deployment training, with particular emphasis on special measures aimed at protecting women against all forms of violence against them.

We are well aware that poverty, the struggle for scarce resources, and socio-economic injustice and unfairness lie at the heart of conflicts, and that all of them sadly create breeding grounds for social blights, including violence against women and girls. The resulting impact not only leads to insecurity for women and girls, but also impairs political and economic stability, as well as national security. Therefore, protecting women's rights is not an option, but an obligation that requires coordinated action from all of us.

The Security Council has an important role to play in dealing with peace and security matters internationally. States, however, bear the primary responsibility to protect their citizens from violence. It is in this regard that my delegation calls for more concerted efforts by the international community and the United Nations system to support national efforts to prevent and address the myriad issues surrounding conflicts. Indeed, countries in conflict and those recently emerging from conflict have unique challenges that, if not comprehensively addressed, will lead to either a continuation or a relapse into conflict.

In the area of prevention and protection, the Government of Burundi has taken stern measures to discourage abuse of girls as wives or sex slaves, by instituting a police unit for minors and morality under the ministry that handles public security. As part of the fight against gender-based violence, training sessions are regularly conducted for the military and the national police forces. On top of everything else, a national strategy to fight gender-based violence has been drawn up and will soon be adopted by the Government. The implementation of that strategy will, however, require strong support from the international community.

The promotion of women's participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding is key to the protection and empowerment of women. The strengthening of gender expertise and perspectives in peacekeeping activities and increasing the number of female peacekeepers remain a challenge. In that regard, Japan deployed a female military liaison officer to the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste this year. We also provide gender training to Japanese personnel before they are deployed to peacekeeping operations. This year, through the United Nations Development Programme, Japan is supporting a project to promote the employment of female police officers and their training in Afghanistan, which so far has resulted in the employment of more than 1,200 Afghan women in local police forces.

Thirdly, we need to pay greater attention to the vulnerability of displaced women and girls, given their particular risk of sexual and gender-based violence. My delegation welcomes the target set out in the strategic results framework on the special measures to increase the security of female refugees and persons internally displaced by armed conflict, as well as to ensure multi-sectoral prevention and response mechanisms for sexual and gender-based violence in camp and non-camp settings alike.

One year ago this month, Canada announced its Action Plan which seeks to enhance the participation of women in peace processes. We encourage the meaningful participation of women in all elements of peacemaking. We also promote efforts to protect the human rights and physical safety of women and girls, including against rape as a weapon of war and all forms of sexual violence in conflict.

We are ready and eager to collaborate with the international community for effective implementation of our national action plan. As enshrined in Nepal's Interim Constitution, one third of Parliament is represented by women. This political representation will be continued down to village-level elected bodies. Local peace committees are functioning in all districts with at least 33 per cent of participation of women, and are empowered to address post-conflict-related issues at the local level. Nepal has been implementing gender-based budgeting for some years, through which gender mainstreaming gets special attention in all development activities. We have introduced a policy of affirmative action in various areas, including the civil service, with a view to ensuring that women are placed at public sector decision-making levels. We are also committed to increasing the number of women in our army and police forces.

Research by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security reveals that the Council does not consistently apply the principles of the women, peace and security agenda in its country-specific work.

It was democracy that turned the tide of abuse in the Maldives. Government-led efforts to address issues related to women resulted in the establishment of call centres and protective services. Civil society participation and its advocacy in such efforts have also been instrumental. In addition, the current Government has taken steps towards training policemen and policewomen to respond effectively to domestic violence and abuse, while encouraging a greater participation of women in political life.

Colombia appreciates the important role that is given in this report to promoting cooperation mechanisms, constructive dialogue and effective support for efforts being made in different countries, as well as the contributions from the General Assembly aimed at strengthening the national capacities of States in preventing and addressing all forms of violence against women.

The appointment of Ms. Margot Wallström as Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral on Sexual Violence in Conflict has contributed to monitoring the implementation of respective resolutions within their scope of competence as established by the Security Council.

I would like to highlight the fact that the report of the Secretary-General notes progress made in Colombia in connection with the four aspects of resolution 1325 (2000), namely, prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery. I think that it is also important to highlight other important actions that are being pursued in these areas in my country on the basis of our conviction that the phenomenon of violence against women includes domestic violence, violence committed in the context of the community and violence caused by illegal armed groups.

In terms of prevention, Colombia's armed forces have incorporated into their training programmes courses in the prevention of gender-based violence, sexual violence, sexual and reproductive health, sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality.

Our priority is the incorporation of gender perspectives into our major national policies, including development plans, strategies for poverty eradication and the promotion of employment and entrepreneurial culture, among others. We place particular emphasis on action related to protecting women against all forms of violence, as well as for protecting those in particularly vulnerable situations, such as indigenous women, migrant women, trafficked women and girls, and women in rural areas, among others.

Conflict and post-conflict situations often bring violence and deprivation of rights. Addressing conflict related or sexual and gender-based violence, and combating various abuses of women and girls' rights, is an integral part of the women and peace and security agenda. In that context, we emphasize the importance of bringing those responsible for crimes against women and girls to justice. A range of existing legal and reconciliation mechanisms should be used at the national or international level, while support for national institutions and institutional reforms must be an integral part of this process.

The appointments of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and a number of women special envoys are also positive developments. It is important that special representatives work in a coordinated manner among themselves and with other United Nations bodies. That is not only to ensure optimal utilization of resources and avoidance of duplication but also to promote greater coherence.

The promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls in armed conflict continue to pose a pressing challenge. The Council has in previous resolutions recognized the specific vulnerability of women during conflicts and that they bear a disproportionate brunt of armed conflict, even though they are in most cases not directly engaged in combat. There should be zero tolerance for gender-based violence, and incidents of gender-based violence must be unequivocally condemned. All cases of gender based violence in an armed conflict, whether perpetrated by parties to the conflict, peacekeeping personnel or humanitarian actors, must be promptly investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted.

Women and girls are much more vulnerable to the impacts of violent conflict than men, due to the breakdown of social and legal systems when violence occurs and because of inherent gender inequalities. Women frequently bear the brunt of the devastating consequences of armed violence, including sexual violence.

Secondly, we are pleased to report a clear increase in the number of women among the military, police and civilian peacekeepers deployed. We also committed to train our personnel on gender equality and human rights. The mixed police teams deployed in Haiti, Liberia and Afghanistan have all received training on resolution 1325 (2000). Some have been specifically trained to address sexual and gender-based violence. We have developed a human rights manual for all crisis management personnel and supported gender-sensitive security sector reform in Palestine and the Balkans.

In light of the persistent realities in conflict situations, especially the continuing violence against women, we need a renewed commitment on the part of all actors, first and foremost States, but also regional governmental institutions and civil society organizations. We must be more vigilant about putting into practice the relevant recommendations in the Council resolutions. We must also be more mindful of the Secretary-General's recommendations aimed at greater integration of women in prevention, mediation and peacebuilding in postconflict situations

The Republic of Croatia welcomes the latest report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of that resolution (S/2011/598*), the recommendations contained therein and the presidential statement adopted by the Council today (S/PRST/2011/20). Furthermore, Croatia commends the roles of and work done by both the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Wallström, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Coomaraswamy.

On the subject of United Nations coherence and effectiveness in particular, we recognize the important and central role of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), working in close partnership and collaboration with the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and for Children and Armed Conflict, respectively.

In that context, my delegation would like to point out that my country is a contributor of military observers. I am pleased to announce that, this November, Peru will deploy women on the ground in peacekeeping operations. We have already said repeatedly that we should never allow sexual violence to be seen as the inevitable consequence of armed conflict. We therefore welcome the zero-tolerance policy on sexual violence and abuse that the SecretaryGeneral has been introducing into peacekeeping operations. We also believe that training and consciousness raising for military personnel deployed on the ground are fundamental to enable them to respond in a timely and appropriate fashion when faced with situations of sexual violence.

Because combating the impunity of gender violence is fundamental to peacekeeping processes, States need to strengthen their judicial systems so that such cases can be brought to trial. In that regard, it will continue to be equally important to pursue the ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court.

My country resolutely supports the work currently being carried out by UN-Women and encourages it to continue its decisive contribution to the implementation of resolutions relating to peace and security, as well as to follow-up with regard to the indicators that the Secretary-General presented in October 2010. Similarly, my country values the work of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict on aspects related to women, peace and security, in particular with respect to the prevention of sexual violence.

Concerning the issue of violence against women, the Government of the Sudan in 2007 adopted a national strategy elaborated at both the official and the popular levels. The strategy includes six principles on strengthening and revitalizing the participation of women in the maintenance of peace, and on their right to participate in terms of decision-making, economic development, education, health, the environment and the settlement of disputes. The strategy has been implemented at both the federal and the state level. In that respect, the priorities included in paragraph 3 of the report of the Security Council are almost identical to the criteria included in our national strategy.

It is also important to recognize that there is now great awareness of the many types of violence inflicted on women in conflict, and that significant attempts have been made to address them. Since the primary victims of armed conflict are women, along with children and the elderly, it is important that they take on a key role in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and, even more urgently, in the process of prevention, to which it is never too late to devote special attention.

National ownership of resolution 1325 (2000) is the best way to ensure its effective implementation, given that primary responsibility for combating rape as a weapon of war falls to Member States, whose duty it is to urgently take measures to deal with this phenomenon, measures that educate as well as enforce. Tunisia has already launched a national action plan for implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). In particular, it promotes training women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding so that we can deploy qualified personnel in United Nations operations on the ground.

Eleven years ago, the Security Council adopted the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. Thereafter, several resolutions, such as resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010), have been adopted to buttress the process initiated in resolution 1325 (2000). We are, however, disappointed to note that violence against women and girls continues, as detailed in various reports. As we have mentioned in the past, women and girls suffer most as victims of conflict, while in the peace process they are mostly deprived of the dividends. Therefore, the onus lies on us to ensure that the oppression of women and girls, particularly that based on gender, is stopped forever.

The Government has enacted laws to protect women against domestic violence and is currently implementing a number of projects to develop the capabilities of women. Many affirmative actions have been taken that help women in distress and elderly women. In order to involve women in decision-making processes, the Government has adopted a quota system for women in the national Parliament and in the recruitment of our civil service officers, in addition to direct elections and open competitions.

In the maintenance of international peace and security, we take pride in our modest contribution of troops and police forces to United Nations peacekeeping missions. The recruitment of women to the police forces and the military amply demonstrates our commitment to women's empowerment in both the national and the international arenas. We are pleased that we were able to deploy a full contingent — an all- female formed police unit — to the friendly country of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. I am pleased to report that our all-male troop contingents are fully briefed on gender issues. We provide the necessary on-the-job training to reinforce their understanding and sensitivity in that regard. We are aware that we need to mainstream a gender perspective into all conflict prevention activities and strategies, develop effective gender-sensitive early warning mechanisms and institutions and strengthen efforts to prevent violence against women, including various forms of gender-based violence.

Prevention is undoubtedly the cornerstone of any strategy to address the challenges that society faces. We note with satisfaction the various actions that have been undertaken by Member States, the United Nations system, civil society and other actors in implementing resolution 1325 (2000). We believe that countries must systematically integrate and mainstream women- specific issues in their action plans in order to tackle the growing problem of sexual and gender-based violence during conflict and even in peacetime. In this regard, it is important that more support be extended to countries in order to buttress preventive measures and support their institutions to combat these vices.

Sexual abuse is indeed one of the most pervasive crimes of our time. It is imperative, therefore, that the international community support national systems and institutions — such as the police, prosecution and the judiciary — to combat this despicable crime. My delegation wishes to underscore the importance of education and communication as tools to prevent and combat violence generally. It is in this connection that my delegation urges UN-Women to continue prioritizing education and public communication within its mandate.

More than a decade has passed since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Throughout that period, the United Nations system, regional organizations, Member States and civil society have made significant efforts to adapt the resolution to local settings through a wide spectrum of measures and initiatives. Progress has been made in terms of discourse and evolving practice on the participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding, and awareness has increased of the threat that sexual violence constitutes to peace and security.

Despite important national, regional and international efforts, however, the conditions that women and girls still face in situations of armed conflict continue to be abhorrent. The benefits of resolution 1325 (2000) have yet to reach most women in conflict and in fragile settings. In that regard, allow me to make the following comments. First, we view the prevention of conflict as a crucial element of resolution 1325 (2000). That includes the prevention of all forms of conflict-related violence against women and girls. Sexual violence remains the least-condemned war crime in peace agreements and beyond. The elimination of impunity is perhaps the single most effective preventive tool to fight that crime. In that regard, reforming the security sector and ensuring respect for the rule of law in a gender-responsive manner is of crucial importance. Conflict and post-conflict societies should be assisted in those areas as early as possible. The preventive aspect of resolution 1325 (2000) also includes women's full and equal involvement in conflict prevention efforts. We concur with the Secretary-General's report (S/2011/598*) that more attention needs to be paid to women's roles in the field. We support his recommendation for the Council to use its deliberations on preventive diplomacy and mediation to consider means of enhancing the role of women in conflict prevention.

Today, women's community peace huts in counties around the country are venues for conflict mediation and resolution. They also serve as safe havens for women escaping domestic violence and as counselling centres for survivors of sexual and gender- based violence. In the peace huts, women address child support issues and work with local police to identify suspects who have committed crimes against women, so as to ensure their arrest and interrogation. Women also monitor the early warning signs of conflict and lead peaceful demonstrations on issues that affect their well-being.

The incidence of rape of girls and women is still unacceptable high, and women constitute only 14 per cent of the Liberian legislature. We are humbled when we consider the vastness of the challenges that still lie ahead; the gender inequities that still exist; and the high walls that we still have to scale before female mediators and peace negotiators become normal features of the international peace architecture. We believe that the systematic use of quotas at the national and international levels could help to accelerate progress towards this objective. Affirmative action programmes are also required to give the necessary impetus to our effort to place women centrally in conflict prevention, mediation and peace processes.

We welcome in particular the establishment of UN-Women, the agency that lies at the heart of the gender architecture of the Organization, as it coordinates all efforts undertaken in this field. We welcome also the inclusion of specific indicators in the reports of the Secretary-General, as is the case in the report before us today (S/2011/598*), as well as the seven-point action plan. Unfortunately, however, as a result of the unequal implementation of resolutions dealing with the gender architecture, there exist significant gaps. One of the clearest examples of this is the persistence of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.

My delegation is concerned about the identification of patterns of sexual violence in conflict and postconflict situations in many States and regions. Sexual violence as a tactic of war stokes crises, fuels the continuation of armed conflict, promotes the displacement of people, limits subsistence activities and reduces opportunities for development. In order to avert that phenomenon, it is pivotal that peacekeeping mission personnel as well as mediation and electoral assistance teams have sufficient specialized expertise in the field of gender and sexual violence and also have the capacity to act in a timely manner so as to initiate the relevant investigations.

We have also made strides in ensuring the rule of law, most recently the establishment of a national commission on the elimination of violence against women, following the enactment of the law in that
regard in December 2010. Those steps have been vital in enhancing Afghan women's access to legal redress and have also sent a strong message that the Afghanistan Government is committed to the rights of women and to ensuring that there is no impunity for those who violate them.

Our international partners have assisted the Afghan Government in our endeavours. UN-Women has administered a multi-donor trust fund for the elimination of violence against women that provided grants for national organizations to combat violence against women. I am very pleased to report that, in collaboration with UN-Women, Afghanistan has submitted its first country report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The continued collaboration of our Government, international partners and both Afghan and international civil society groups will be vital to ensure the full realization of women's rights in a strong and stable Afghanistan.

Building a stable and secure environment that enables women to live free of intimidation and violence and promotes their participation and leadership in efforts to maintain peace and security is one of the core objectives of the Afghan Government.

Liechtenstein honours its commitments to implementing resolution 1325 (2000), as pledged at the commitment conference “A call to action” on 25 September 2010. We continue to support international efforts to end impunity for the most serious crimes, including those committed against women during armed conflict. That commitment includes continued financial support to the Trust Fund for Victims established by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which adopts a gender-based perspective across all programming and specifically targets victims of all forms of sexual and gender violence.

The Rome Statute of the ICC has significantly advanced international law by including sexual violence in the definition of crimes, in particular as a crime against humanity. The ICC therefore represents an important mechanism in the fight against sexual violence, which should be better integrated in the Security Council work on the issue.

The Rome Statute of the ICC has significantly advanced international law by including sexual violence in the definition of crimes, in particular as a crime against humanity. The ICC therefore represents an important mechanism in the fight against sexual violence, which should be better integrated in the Security Council work on the issue.

The improvement of the status of women, in particular in countries with identified patterns of conflictrelated sexual violence, starts with addressing the very basic issues involved in enabling women to live a more decent life. The experience of Lithuania and other partner countries in Afghanistan, where Lithuania is leading a provincial reconstruction team, shows that women's empowerment and full participation at all levels of economic, political and social life are key not only to peace and security but also to poverty reduction, economic recovery and sustainable development. To cite but two examples, one project aims at consulting local medics and patients on midwifery and other women's health- related questions at the provincial hospital. Another important development project for local women and their organizations was dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the provincial administration and local non-governmental organizations to prepare and implement their own projects. Finally, Lithuania calls on the Security Council to use its authority to ensure that all resolutions, including those on mission mandates and their renewal, integrate and advance the women and peace and security agenda.

Despite all international efforts, women and girls continue to be the most vulnerable victims of armed conflicts, targeted with sexual violence, sexual exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence. Eliminating impunity is critical for preventing gender- based crimes. In 2010 Ukraine became a co-sponsor of Council resolution 1960 (2010), which concerned sexual violence in armed conflict. We remain ready to undertake further steps, in particular as a member of UN-Women.

The positive ramifications of increasing women's participation in every context and at every stage of political transition are widely recognized and critically important. Situations of political transition should be perceived as providing opportunities for enhancing women's roles in decision-making at every level. It is equally important to redouble our efforts to combat impunity. Unfortunately, armed conflict and post- conflict disorder hit women and children the hardest. Targeted measures should be directed at the perpetrators of sexual violence and rape. We should all ensure that effective international mechanisms are established to respond to such crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice.

In the area of prevention and protection, the Government of Burundi has taken stern measures to discourage abuse of girls as wives or sex slaves, by instituting a police unit for minors and morality under the ministry that handles public security. As part of the fight against gender-based violence, training sessions are regularly conducted for the military and the national police forces. On top of everything else, a national strategy to fight gender-based violence has been drawn up and will soon be adopted by the Government. The implementation of that strategy will, however, require strong support from the international community.

Thirdly, we need to pay greater attention to the vulnerability of displaced women and girls, given their particular risk of sexual and gender-based violence. My delegation welcomes the target set out in the strategic results framework on the special measures to increase the security of female refugees and persons internally displaced by armed conflict, as well as to ensure multi-sectoral prevention and response mechanisms for sexual and gender-based violence in camp and non-camp settings alike.

One year ago this month, Canada announced its Action Plan which seeks to enhance the participation of women in peace processes. We encourage the meaningful participation of women in all elements of peacemaking. We also promote efforts to protect the human rights and physical safety of women and girls, including against rape as a weapon of war and all forms of sexual violence in conflict.

we encourage the Security Council to continue to provide the political leadership and take targeted actions to ensure the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation and resolution processes.

Canada applauds the Secretary-General's recommendation to develop a framework including early warning signs specific to conflict-related sexual violence.

Research by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security reveals that the Council does not consistently apply the principles of the women, peace and security agenda in its country-specific work.

All of that reflects the efforts being made by the Government of Colombia to adopt policies designed to include women at all stages of peacekeeping and peacebuilding while eliminating discrimination against women and promoting their economic, political and social empowerment, as well as their more active participation in development, both in decisionmaking and in enjoying the benefits that development brings.

Ensuring that women are represented and participate in decision-making forums, institutions and mechanisms concerned with preventing and resolving conflict and with peacebuilding; that they are included in peace agreement negotiations and implementation; and that enabling conditions for women peacemakers and peacekeepers are created requires clear guidelines and support on the part of the United Nations and national authorities. Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations should invest more in strengthening the capacity of women's organizations. Such organizations should be provided with support for their conflict-prevention and resolution efforts and consulted more on local women's peace initiatives.

The United Nations is being asked to do more with regard to women and peace and security, including through the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in the United Nations system and United Nations peacekeeping missions. We commend the work of the Secretary-General in mainstreaming the gender perspective in the United Nations recruitment process. The number of women at the senior decision-making level and the participation of women in mission planning, peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding efforts have increased. Nonetheless, the numbers still remain very low.

We agree with all those who support increased deployment of female military and police personnel in United Nations peacekeeping operations and the provision to all military and police personnel of appropriate training to effectively discharge their responsibilities. India was the first country to deploy an all-female peacekeeping unit, 100 troops in Liberia in 2007. We have offered to contribute more such units. India is the largest contributor of troops in United Nations history. We are very proud of the exemplary record of our peacekeepers, both men and women, in the protection of women, children and the needy in conflict situations.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) was hailed as a landmark and groundbreaking resolution. For the first time, the importance of women's full participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding at all levels was recognized. Since then, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its sister resolutions have paved the way for the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in United Nations peacekeeping operations and missions worldwide. In a similar vein, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which also addresses women and armed conflict, should continue to be implemented. Those various international frameworks on women are complementary and mutually reinforce our efforts to protect the rights of women in conflict situations.

Our annual debate on women and peace and security is built upon various premises, among them, first, that women in conflict are often victims and shoulder multiple consequences of conflict, and secondly, that despite being vulnerable, in many instances women in conflict have continued to demonstrate their transformative role and their potential for creating sustainable peace. Indonesia shares the common view that through the promotion of women's role as agents of peace, their plight as victims of conflict can be overcome. Embedded in that common view is the paramount importance of conflict prevention.

In that regard, South Africa is among the States with the highest representation of women across all spheres of Government. Women are also at the helm of ministries in the fields of international relations, cooperation and defence. In the area of peacekeeping, we have deployed gender mainstreaming officers in positions of command in peacekeeping missions to ensure that issues related to women are addressed. In addition, we are one of the top three troop-contributing countries with the largest contingent of women in peacekeeping missions.

In the recent past, South African women held the position of Deputy Police commissioner in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. We believe that the presence of women in peacekeeping missions positively benefits local women and girls, including other vulnerable groups in countries in, and emerging from, conflict.

Secondly, we are pleased to report a clear increase in the number of women among the military, police and civilian peacekeepers deployed. We also committed to train our personnel on gender equality and human rights. The mixed police teams deployed in Haiti, Liberia and Afghanistan have all received training on resolution 1325 (2000). Some have been specifically trained to address sexual and gender-based violence. We have developed a human rights manual for all crisis management personnel and supported gender-sensitive security sector reform in Palestine and the Balkans.

In the matter under discussion, three areas seem to us essential for coherent and fruitful action. First, we must strengthen our normative framework at the international, regional and national levels. Secondly, we must work to strengthen capacities, especially through peacekeeping missions and in the post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction phase. Finally, we must establish a stronger link between the protection of women and children and the prevention of armed conflict by focusing on the root causes of those conflicts.

We note that much progress has been made in developing a normative framework to strengthen the action of the international community. Resolution 1325 (2000) is the foundation of that structure. That foundation has expanded and now forms a body with resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Together, those resolutions offer the Council and the international community as a whole a vast body of values and principles that can guide our action in matters of participation, protection, capacity building and the fight against impunity, but also in the rehabilitation and reintegration of women in society in the context of peacebuilding.

Eleven years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the Council has continued to make progress in providing guidelines on strengthening the protection of women in situations of armed conflict. To that end, in 2008, the Council adopted resolution 1820 (2008), which noted that attacks on women in armed conflicts continued to occur. On 16 December 2010, the Council adopted resolution 1960 (2010). One important aspect that has been highlighted is the need for increased participation by women in political processes, particularly in mediation and in peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations. In that respect, the meeting organized by UN-Women in the context of the sixty sixth session of the General Assembly on women and political participation takes on particular importance. My delegation feels that the meeting should be replicated at the regional, national and local levels.

The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is not the exclusive province of the Security Council or of the United Nations system; it is also incumbent upon the international community as a whole. In that respect, the formulation and development of a national action plan is crucial. Chile has had such a plan in place since 2009. By involving a broad swath of civil society in its development, and by incorporating the Secretary-General's earlier recommendations, we designed an integrated action plan that brings together, as effectively as possible, agencies charged with the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, all with the comprehensive inclusion of a gender perspective.

The main action lines of that document are to apply a gender focus to the respect and promotion of human rights; to promote the equal participation of women both in peacekeeping operations and in related decision-making bodies; to bring a gender perspective in the broadest sense of the term to bear on the design, implementation and execution of our international cooperation policies; to strengthen the technical capacity of both public officials and civil society with regard to gender issues and security and conflict; and to promote the regional implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) through the exchange of experience and international cooperation, both bilaterally and via the regional peacekeeping operations in which Chile takes part, particularly in the context of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Croatia's policy in this regard is directed towards the substantial deployment of women in peacekeeping operations, in both the armed forces and police, as their presence reinforces the importance of women's perspective and represents added value for all initiatives aimed at achieving peace.

Resolution 1325 (2000), adopted 11 years ago, represents a fundamental milestone, because ever since its adoption the issue of the role of women in peace and security has occupied an important place on the agenda of the Security Council. As a result, it has taken on an important and essential role in the achievement of international peace and security. The resolution has served as the point of departure for subsequent developments on this issue in the Security Council when it comes to ensuring the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and, most especially, with regard to combating sexual violence against women and girls. For that reason, along with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, resolution 1325 (2000) and resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) provide the international community with a normative framework for considering the needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

In that context, my delegation would like to point out that my country is a contributor of military observers. I am pleased to announce that, this November, Peru will deploy women on the ground in peacekeeping operations. We have already said repeatedly that we should never allow sexual violence to be seen as the inevitable consequence of armed conflict. We therefore welcome the zero-tolerance policy on sexual violence and abuse that the SecretaryGeneral has been introducing into peacekeeping operations. We also believe that training and consciousness raising for military personnel deployed on the ground are fundamental to enable them to respond in a timely and appropriate fashion when faced with situations of sexual violence.

Because combating the impunity of gender violence is fundamental to peacekeeping processes, States need to strengthen their judicial systems so that such cases can be brought to trial. In that regard, it will continue to be equally important to pursue the ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court.

We recognize that empowering women will lead to their taking command of resources and acquiring adequate leadership capabilities for the efficient management of those resources. Therefore, we emphasize the fulfilment of women's economic needs and the necessity of their engagement internationally at all levels and in all forms of decision-making.

In the maintenance of international peace and security, we take pride in our modest contribution of troops and police forces to United Nations peacekeeping missions. The recruitment of women to the police forces and the military amply demonstrates our commitment to women's empowerment in both the national and the international arenas. We are pleased that we were able to deploy a full contingent — an all- female formed police unit — to the friendly country of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. I am pleased to report that our all-male troop contingents are fully briefed on gender issues. We provide the necessary on-the-job training to reinforce their understanding and sensitivity in that regard. We are aware that we need to mainstream a gender perspective into all conflict prevention activities and strategies, develop effective gender-sensitive early warning mechanisms and institutions and strengthen efforts to prevent violence against women, including various forms of gender-based violence.

Through the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, the United Nations has been able to develop, integrate and fine-tune the tools available to it to address a gender perspective in a multidimensional manner, by recognizing the importance of women's active participation in the various stages of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as in peacekeeping, reconstruction and peacebuilding.

My delegation is concerned about the identification of patterns of sexual violence in conflict and postconflict situations in many States and regions. Sexual violence as a tactic of war stokes crises, fuels the continuation of armed conflict, promotes the displacement of people, limits subsistence activities and reduces opportunities for development. In order to avert that phenomenon, it is pivotal that peacekeeping mission personnel as well as mediation and electoral assistance teams have sufficient specialized expertise in the field of gender and sexual violence and also have the capacity to act in a timely manner so as to initiate the relevant investigations.

The presence of additional female peacekeepers and female staff in peacebuilding operations, at both the military police and civilian levels, would have a clear positive effect. It is therefore necessary to increase the number of women who hold high-ranking posts in such operations. We welcome the decision of the Peacebuilding Fund to allocate $5 million to the gender promotion initiative; we hope that this will lead to tangible results in the short term.

As outlined in the concept note (S/2011/654, annex) circulated for this debate, the participation of women in decision-making forums related to conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding and post conflict recovery is a central goal of the women, peace and security agenda. Research has shown that the exclusion of women and the lack of gender expertise in peace negotiations lead to irreversible setbacks for women's rights. Peace accords often neglect to ensure the engagement of women in post-conflict governance and their access to economic opportunities, justice and reparations.

Indeed, while acknowledging that important progress has been accomplished in the implementation of resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions on Women Peace and Security, we need to recognize that significant challenges still remain: women are still underrepresented at the several levels of peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts as they are inadequately represented in formal peace negotiations. The exclusion of women from peace talks and peacebuilding efforts often means that insufficient attention is paid to addressing gender disparities and women's needs and concerns in the post conflict phase, thus reinforcing a circle of inequality and marginalization.

The focus of today's debate on the participation and role of women in conflict prevention and mediation could not be more timely. Ukraine has always stressed the need for the widest possible use of the potential of women in the spheres of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We believe that there is still much to be done to redress the current underrepresentation of women in decision- making with regard to conflict resolution so as to make their voice heard loud and clear in peace negotiations. In that context, we welcome the adoption of the first-ever resolution on “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention and resolution” (General Assembly resolution 65/283). In that document, all Member States resolved to promote the equal, full and effective participation of women at all levels of the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to provide adequate gender expertise for all mediators and their teams.

My delegation prides itself on the long record of participation of Ukrainian women, as civilian police and military observers, in United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Currently, they are deployed in five United Nations peacekeeping operations — in Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, South Sudan and Timor-Leste. Their dedicated service to peace is one of the concrete ways in which Ukraine contributes to advancing the agenda of today's meeting on the ground.

The United Nations and its Member States need to further increase the number of women in peacekeeping operations and political missions in order to ensure gender expertise in the planning of missions and in all mediation efforts, and to enhance the appointment of women to senior leadership positions. The Secretary-General's seven-point action plan on women's participation in peacebuilding (see S/2010/466) contains important commitments in that regard, and we encourage the United Nations system to take them forward.

Following the inter-ethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010, special importance was given to supporting female initiatives in the area of conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. In that difficult time, women activists joined together to form women's peacekeeping networks in order to put an end to conflict and violence and to prevent a recurrence of the tragic events.

In the future, Kyrgyzstan intends to increase the number of women serving in the military and police contingents of United Nations peacekeeping operations. We have developed draft legislation on principles and procedures for the participation of the Kyrgyz Republic in the maintenance of international peace and security, which also incorporates a gender perspective.

We welcome the Secretary-General's conclusions in his recent report (S/2011/598*) that the indicators proposed last year (S/2010/498), which were endorsed by the Council in its presidential statement of 26 October 2010 (S/PRST/2010/22), had made a major contribution to consistency and coherence in international efforts. We appreciate the Secretary- General's candid assessment of the challenges that lie ahead and support his observations and recommendations. We must focus our efforts even more on implementing the normative framework created over the past 11 years. The strategic results framework is the right tool to accurately measure progress or the absence of it. We encourage the Secretary-General to continue to collect data based on the set of indicators presented in his 2010 report. At the same time, we encourage the entire United Nations system and all Member States to help the Secretary-General to implement his zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by the Blue Helmets. Beyond the suffering of women and girls, which we have a moral obligation to prevent, the credibility of the Organization and of our efforts in peacekeeping and peacebuilding in general is at stake.

Regarding specific recent actions, allow me to highlight the first version of an international course on a gender comprehensive approach to operations, organized by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and of Defence of my country, in cooperation with their counterpart departments of the Government of the Netherlands, and held from 14 to 18 June in Madrid. The course focuses on implementing the international community's appeals, specifically resolution 1960 (2010), and also the recommendations of the NATO Lisbon Summit, to invest greater efforts in the training of civil and military employees on gender issues. Through practical exercises, it focuses on the integration of the gender perspective in civilian and military peacekeeping operations in various kinds of conflicts. Professional academic, military and civilian speakers of the United Nations, NATO and European Union took part in the course.

For a start, I would like to emphasize that women's security is part of overall peace and security and that women can contribute to peace processes and are very able to do so. The involvement of women in peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention is of the utmost importance to ensure the success of the operations, as it is the only way to reach the whole population.

I cannot conclude without expressing my appreciation for the report's mention of Argentina's efforts to increase the number of Argentine women deployed in its armed and security forces, as well as to peacekeeping missions. The report also notes our initiatives to develop and improve training in the specific protection rights and needs of women and girls. We will pursue such efforts in the conviction that, 11 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), much remains to be done if we are to achieve its full and effective implementation.

Finally, we would like to reiterate that approaches to human rights that focus exclusively in monitoring mechanisms do not contribute to achieving sustainable solutions, unlike mechanisms for cooperation, constructive dialogue and effective support for countries,which do indeed genuinely contribute to effective solutions.

We firmly believe that women should be involved in the policymaking and post-conflict planning and programming processes. It is also important to increase the number of gender experts on the roster. Furthermore, the various implementation gaps should be addressed more systematically, including through improved coordination and accountability for results. Clarity, comparability and consistency are necessary in order to monitor the impact of various efforts on women's empowerment and their rights.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women remain the key focus area of social development and distributive justice globally. Empowering women politically, economically, educationally and legally has been a major objective of the Government of India. We are proud of the fact that India gave women equal voting rights more than 60 years ago, at the time of our independence. In 1992, we amended our Constitution and reserved 33 per cent of the seats for women in local- and district-level governance institutions and bodies. That was subsequently raised to 50 per cent in 2009. Currently, we have more than 1.5 million elected women representatives in local bodies. That is the biggest mobilization of women worldwide in politics at the local Government and the rural and district levels.

The promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls in armed conflict continue to pose a pressing challenge. The Council has in previous resolutions recognized the specific vulnerability of women during conflicts and that they bear a disproportionate brunt of armed conflict, even though they are in most cases not directly engaged in combat. There should be zero tolerance for gender-based violence, and incidents of gender-based violence must be unequivocally condemned. All cases of gender based violence in an armed conflict, whether perpetrated by parties to the conflict, peacekeeping personnel or humanitarian actors, must be promptly investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted.

The adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) was hailed as a landmark and groundbreaking resolution. For the first time, the importance of women's full participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding at all levels was recognized. Since then, the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and its sister resolutions have paved the way for the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in United Nations peacekeeping operations and missions worldwide. In a similar vein, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which also addresses women and armed conflict, should continue to be implemented. Those various international frameworks on women are complementary and mutually reinforce our efforts to protect the rights of women in conflict situations.

Indeed, in congratulating the three outstanding women who were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, President Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, her compatriot Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, President Jacob Zuma underscored the important contribution that women continue to play in their ongoing struggle for women's rights, dignity, peace and development all over the world. The vast majority of women are not involved in creating wars, but they remain the primary victims of war and conflict. Long after the guns have ceased blazing, their children and families continue to suffer the devastating effects of the aftermath of conflict. Women are the ones left to pick up the pieces and to rebuild families and their communities.

Exactly a week ago, the Security Council resolution on Yemen (resolution 2014 (2011)) called upon all concerned parties to improve women's participation in conflict resolution and encouraged them to facilitate the equal and full participation of women at decision making levels. Yesterday's resolution on Libya (resolution 2016 (2011)) emphasized the importance of the full and equal participation of women and the respect for the human rights of all. We welcome these very strong calls.

During this eventful year, women have taken to the streets and squares across North Africa and the Middle East and demanded change, equality, freedom and justice alongside men. We call on the Security Council to ensure that women's voices are heard and reflected in planning, actions and results. Provisions on women's full participation and on the protection and promotion of women's human rights should be included in all relevant country-specific resolutions, and they should be systematically followed up when the special envoys and Special Representatives of the Secretary-General report back to the Council.

The Nordic countries have engaged in twinning and cooperation with partner countries, including Afghanistan, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal and the Philippines. We provide technical and financial support for the development of their new structures. But we also learn from them and hope that in this way our activities will be more responsive to the needs and priorities of countries with recent experience of conflict or fragility. Together we foster political will for women's rights in every part of the world. The Nordic countries have greatly benefited from the advice and partnership of civil society. We support the work of local and regional non-governmental organizations from Afghanistan to the Great Lakes region and from Nepal to the Sudan.

Secondly, we are pleased to report a clear increase in the number of women among the military, police and civilian peacekeepers deployed. We also committed to train our personnel on gender equality and human rights. The mixed police teams deployed in Haiti, Liberia and Afghanistan have all received training on resolution 1325 (2000). Some have been specifically trained to address sexual and gender-based violence. We have developed a human rights manual for all crisis management personnel and supported gender-sensitive security sector reform in Palestine and the Balkans.

There can be no doubt that the establishment of UN-Women constitutes a milestone in the defence of the rights and the protection of women. In June, Under-Secretary-General achelet submitted to Member States a first strategic plan, which my country fully supports.

The main action lines of that document are to apply a gender focus to the respect and promotion of human rights; to promote the equal participation of women both in peacekeeping operations and in related decision-making bodies; to bring a gender perspective in the broadest sense of the term to bear on the design, implementation and execution of our international cooperation policies; to strengthen the technical capacity of both public officials and civil society with regard to gender issues and security and conflict; and to promote the regional implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) through the exchange of experience and international cooperation, both bilaterally and via the regional peacekeeping operations in which Chile takes part, particularly in the context of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Such efforts at creating the right conditions for ensuring women's full participation should include increasing the participation and representation of women in preventive diplomacy initiatives. It should also include strengthening the capacities of the relevant Government institutions and women's organizations involved with conflict and post-conflict issues, the adequate representation of women in the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements, support for local women's peace initiatives, the promotion and protection of the human rights of women, higher levels of representation in decision-making roles, and ensuring proper coherence and coordination among the United Nations entities responsible for implementing the women, peace and security agenda in the entire United Nations system.

Nigeria is also committed to fulfilling its obligations under the African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights on the rights of women in Africa. As Ms. Bachelet has often said, the obstacles to women's political participation, which I believe have a direct bearing on their capacity to play an active role in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention, are indeed enormous. Violence, poverty, lack of access to education and health care, and limited economic opportunities all combine to undermine the role of women and girls in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding. It is therefore necessary that we develop and take measures to address these inherent obstacles. Promoting women's equality and empowerment is, in our view, one of the best ways to address the root causes of conflict and therefore prevent such conflict. I envisage a presidential statement along those lines in the near future.

Resolution 1325 (2000), adopted 11 years ago, represents a fundamental milestone, because ever since its adoption the issue of the role of women in peace and security has occupied an important place on the agenda of the Security Council. As a result, it has taken on an important and essential role in the achievement of international peace and security. The resolution has served as the point of departure for subsequent developments on this issue in the Security Council when it comes to ensuring the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and, most especially, with regard to combating sexual violence against women and girls. For that reason, along with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, resolution 1325 (2000) and resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) provide the international community with a normative framework for considering the needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Because combating the impunity of gender violence is fundamental to peacekeeping processes, States need to strengthen their judicial systems so that such cases can be brought to trial. In that regard, it will continue to be equally important to pursue the ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court.

We have moved forward in recognizing the importance of women's participation in peace and security. However, we still face many challenges. What is most important is to join forces so that women and girls are able to exercise their right to live without fear, without violence and with respect and equality of opportunity.

There can be no lasting peace unless we guarantee access to justice as well as accountability and support the fight against impunity. In that regard, I wish to recall that the International Criminal Court could exercise its jurisdiction with regard to such crimes.

We have also made strides in ensuring the rule of law, most recently the establishment of a national commission on the elimination of violence against women, following the enactment of the law in that
regard in December 2010. Those steps have been vital in enhancing Afghan women's access to legal redress and have also sent a strong message that the Afghanistan Government is committed to the rights of women and to ensuring that there is no impunity for those who violate them.