Women activists from South Asian countries have emphasised upon a greater role for women in peace building measures in conflict-ridden regions.
"We need to document women's experiences during conflicts so that the issues can be addressed during reconstruction. We also need to share experiences of local women in building peace to persuade policy makers of the positive role they can play," Kumudini Samuel, former member of a Sri Lankan government-appointed gender committee, said Friday in a statement.
Activists from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, among others, advocated for a specific and well-funded regional action plan on women, peace and security, in a two-day open discussion here, organised by the UN Women South Asia, that ended Thursday.
"This is a strong message for peace," said UN Resident Coordinator Patrice Coeur Bizot.
The activists stressed on no amnesty for sexual and physical violence against women and other grave human rights violations.
A joint resolution, highlighting more involvement of south Asian women in peace building measures, was also presented to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the end of the discussion.
"Over the last 20 years, out of 300 peace agreements globally, 445 conflict situations, only 18 have addressed sexual violence... We have to go beyond mere tokenism," said Rita Manchanda, a peace activist from India.
