Third, if UN efforts to build peace are to be truly sustainable, they must in...

Third, if UN efforts to build peace are to be truly sustainable, they must incorporate women throughout the process. Where women's roles are ignored, peacebuilding is more likely to fail. Gender is not just a box to be checked. It's a key ingredient in the planning phase, throughout implementation, and in the evaluation of plans. The seven-part action plan laid out by the Secretary-General pushes this process forward and commits to the more systematic and substantive engagement of women in peacemaking and planning processes in the wake of armed conflict. We endorse that commitment strongly, and we recognize the need for adequate funding to support women's roles in peacebuilding. But we must also remember that an action plan means little unless and until it is implemented. The UN must commit itself, therefore, to monitor, evaluate, and adapt the proposed action plan lest we lose the very impact that we seek.