Implementation
In the years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), much has been done to turn its provisions into concrete action aimed at improving the protection of women in armed conflicts and ensuring their full and effective participation in efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts.
The women and peace and security agenda has had increasing attention both from the Security Council and the United Nations system in general, as the Secretary- General’s latest report (S/2016/822) testifies. While it is vital to ensure that the work begun continues, it is important to ensure that in developing complex approaches we do not end up neglecting the specifics of a given situation, and that the inclusion of gender perspectives in that work does not become an end in itself. The best results come when we avoid grandstanding and focus on specific returns. That fully applies to developing national action plans, which can be an effective tool for concerned States when they become involved in an armed conflict.
Where my country is concerned, we are not about to start preparing this type of national plan. Instead, work is under way in Russia on a document of a different kind — the Russian Federation’s national strategy for action for women 2017 -2022. Its key areas of focus include increasing women’s participation in political life and the decision-making process; improving their economic situation, including promoting entrepreneurship for women; creating conditions conducive to better women’s health; preventing violence and protecting women from it; and overcoming stereotypes about men’s and women’s social roles.
We agree with the Secretary-General’s recommendation on the need to strengthen the coordination of United Nations entities in order to accommodate gender
mainstreaming in the context of armed conflict. However, it is important to ensure that they avoid duplication and contradictory action and that their efforts are based on reliable sources of information. The programmes and projects produced by the Secretariat’s experts should be submitted for intergovernmental discussion and follow- up approval. It is after all the States that play the lead role in implementing the women and peace and security agenda.
No less important is ensuring that the Security Council’s work is focused on issues related to its mandate. Artificially connecting the entire gamut of gender issues to Council activity will lead to an imbalance from the point of view of system- wide coordination and create obstacles to effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The Council should focus its attention primarily on the situation of women in extremely serious, large-scale armed conflicts. That goal corresponds to the inclusion of a gender component in the Secretary-General’s reports on specific country situations. Needless to say, that does not diminish the urgent task of combating threats women’s lives and security caused by the barbarities of terrorist groups.