There can be no real impact on women's rights on the ground if the United Nat...

There can be no real impact on women's rights on the ground if the United Nations and other international partners are not leading by example. Women should be adequately represented at different levels in peacekeeping and special political missions. Appropriate training on gender-specific issues should be provided for military, police and civilian personnel deployed to international peace operations. United Nations gender expertise is crucial for capacity-building and the increased engagement of women in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes. In that regard, Latvia welcomes the review commissioned by UN Women, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and other United Nations institutions on the deployment and coherence of gender expertise across the United Nations system in post-conflict contexts and encourages building on its recommendations. Initiatives launched by UN Women and DPKO, as well as early and active involvement by the Special Envoys of the Secretary General for Sahel and the Great Lakes Region, show that, through common efforts, real results on the women and peace and security agenda can be achieved.