During the past year much thought has been given in the Security Council to t...

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.