As you are aware, Mr. President, Ireland launched a cross-learning initiative...

As you are aware, Mr. President, Ireland launched a cross-learning initiative on 1325 in 2009. Yesterday afternoon, I had the honour to present the findings of this initiative to the head of UN Women, Under-Secretary General Michelle Bachelet. This innovative initiative involved participants from Timor-Leste, Liberia, Ireland and Northern Ireland and was designed to draw upon the experiences of those directly affected by conflict in order to discuss the most critical issues facing women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings. The participants, experts in their field, met three times in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Dili, Timor-Leste and Monrovia, Liberia. Each meeting focussed on one of the three "P"s of 1325, namely Participation, Protection and incorporating gender Perspectives in policy-making and addressed issues such as transitional justice, mediation, gender-based violence and the application of international human rights and international humanitarian law.