India

Gender equality and the empowerment of women remain the key focus area of social development and distributive justice globally. Empowering women politically, economically, educationally and legally has been a major objective of the Government of India. We are proud of the fact that India gave women equal voting rights more than 60 years ago, at the time of our independence. In 1992, we amended our Constitution and reserved 33 per cent of the seats for women in local- and district-level governance institutions and bodies. That was subsequently raised to 50 per cent in 2009. Currently, we have more than 1.5 million elected women representatives in local bodies. That is the biggest mobilization of women worldwide in politics at the local Government and the rural and district levels.

Key aspects of post-conflict reconstruction, such as economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy, all require the active engagement of women. Resolution 1325 (2000) was a seminal piece of international legislation in our efforts on women and peace and security. The United Nations, Member States and civil society have made steady and noticeable efforts in implementing the resolution. However, the results remain mixed, with important gaps remaining in fully realizing its provisions.

The United Nations is being asked to do more with regard to women and peace and security, including through the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in the United Nations system and United Nations peacekeeping missions. We commend the work of the Secretary-General in mainstreaming the gender perspective in the United Nations recruitment process. The number of women at the senior decision-making level and the participation of women in mission planning, peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding efforts have increased. Nonetheless, the numbers still remain very low.

The appointments of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and a number of women special envoys are also positive developments. It is important that special representatives work in a coordinated manner among themselves and with other United Nations bodies. That is not only to ensure optimal utilization of resources and avoidance of duplication but also to promote greater coherence.

We agree with all those who support increased deployment of female military and police personnel in United Nations peacekeeping operations and the provision to all military and police personnel of appropriate training to effectively discharge their responsibilities. India was the first country to deploy an all-female peacekeeping unit, 100 troops in Liberia in 2007. We have offered to contribute more such units. India is the largest contributor of troops in United Nations history. We are very proud of the exemplary record of our peacekeepers, both men and women, in the protection of women, children and the needy in conflict situations.

The international community must take all necessary steps to ensure the security of women and children. We also see civil society and local communities as valued partners in this endeavour, and we look forward to working with them to take this agenda forward. In conclusion, let me reaffirm India's commitment to positively contributing to United Nations efforts in protecting vulnerable sectors, including women and children, in conflict and post-conflict situations. I also call upon the international community to enhance cooperation by providing resources and sharing experience and expertise to build capacity in this area.