Costa Rica

During the past year much thought has been given in the Security Council to the issue of women and peace and security. We responded to gender concerns through resolution 1820 (2008) last year. The recently adopted resolution 1888 (2009) and resolution 1889 (2009), adopted today, all contribute to strengthening a process that began with the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). That resolution pioneered the recognition of the needs of women as victims of conflict and of the role they can play as protagonists in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Despite these efforts, women's participation remains marginal, as pointed out by the Secretary- General in his report (S/2009/465). Resolution 1325 (2000) paved the way for future developments. Its broad scope is one of its main strengths, but it has also made it more difficult to address some key challenges effectively. Its weak implementation framework and the absence of adequate follow-up mechanisms has limited progress and made it slow and uneven.

As highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, and as reflected in the text of this new resolution, we need to promote a multisectoral and, above all, inclusive approach. In addition to enhancing the gender perspective in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, women's participation in the international community's efforts should be strengthened, especially in the areas of prevention and protection. In this regard, my delegation supports the appeal to the Secretary-General to design a strategy that includes a more equitable representation of women in decision-making posts as special representatives, special envoys and heads of mission, among other positions. My delegation also supports the concept of complementing the Security Council's response with measures to increase women's access to justice, health, education and social protection, especially for survivors of abuse and exploitation.

Lastly, on behalf of the Human Security Network — made up of Austria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia and Thailand, and South Africa as an observer member — we would like to welcome the conclusion of the process leading to the adoption of this new resolution. The members of the Network are committed to supporting significant progress to promote and strengthen the role of women in peacebuilding processes. This commitment compelled us to dedicate our eleventh Ministerial Meeting, held in Dublin last May, to analysing the topic of how to promote the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). The members of the Network continue to consider possible joint actions in the future, and we hope that the consideration of this important topic by our interregional group, with a human-security perspective, will contribute to the debate on women and peace and security in the run-up to the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) in October of next year.