Thirdly, it is important that the multilateral system work for small countries. Too often, we see that we are too small for the global system to work for us.

The role of women as actors in the search for peaceful settlements of today's conflicts is an indispensable requirement for sustainable peace and development for developing countries, in particular countries such as mine, which is one of the 18 among the 49 least developed countries that are emerging from conflict.

The frequency of natural disasters has created food insecurity for women and has, to some extent, disempowered them, as their land is swallowed up by the rising sea. Water insecurity is forcing mothers to make difficult choices, including having to spend more time seeking food to put on the table and neglecting children and not sending them to school.

The challenges faced by my country in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) include the establishment of a gender early warning system. However, it was project-driven, and the initiative slowed when the project ended.

Secondly, there needs to be a shift in approach by the United Nations in supporting the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), away from a one-size-fits-all approach of over-regionalizing issues while disregarding the varying levels of development within Pacific small island developing States and country-specific development needs.

On the issue of governance, Solomon Islands adopted a political system — the Westminster system — that does not recognize the traditional decision-making role of women in tribal societies. Women's traditional role gets subsumed in the modern decision making-process, which further weakens the power base of women in their traditional setting.

In conclusion, Solomon Islands joins others in welcoming the operationalization of UN Women, looks forward to working with the new gender entity and reaffirms its commitment to resolution 1325 (2000).

I am pleased to say that Solomon Islands has not shied away from looking at the issue of gender representation in our national Parliament. An ambitious plan for temporary measures to advance women's participation was launched last year. However, it did not receive enough support and needed more consultation. We hope that it will receive attention over time.

For the past seven years, Solomon Islands has been assisted by the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The Mission is made up of Pacific neighbours, led by Australia and strongly supported by New Zealand. RAMSI has provided us space and support to promote and implement resolution 1325 (2000) nationally and throughout the Government. In that respect, Solomon Islands has restructured its State security institution.

During our ethnic conflict, a group of women from multi-ethnic backgrounds gathered under their own initiative to approach and speak to militants on both sides. As mothers, they used their respective cultural norms to draw militants' attention to the social and human consequences of their actions. In so doing, they gained their trust and confidence in order to provide essential items across conflict lines.