We must also bear in mind that, as the Secretary-General recalled, the security of women and girls is not guaranteed once a conflict has come to an end. We must therefore ensure that there is a focus in post-conflict phases on the strengthening of the rule of law that ensures respect for their rights and access to justice.

We have made progress in recognizing the importance of the participation of women in peace and security. However, there are many challenges that we have yet to tackle, given that this is a matter of changing the lives of women and girls, who have the right to live free from fear and violence, enjoying respect and equal opportunities.

The indicators that have been presented form, in this respect, the basis for a comprehensive consideration of the progress made by the United Nations system and Member States in the priority areas of prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery. These clearly reflect the complementary nature of resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009).

Ten years after the adoption of the resolution, we believe that the Security Council should consider a number of the recommendations put forth by the Secretary-General, in particular the possibility of establishing a set of objectives, goals and indicators for the next 10 years, or of creating a working group to follow up on the resolution.

Ten years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), we reiterate that the participation of women must be an integral part of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. This is the view of my country, which currently has a number of female military observers.

Resolution 1325 (2000) was the starting point for subsequent developments in the Security Council related to this topic, aimed at ensuring the participation of women in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and the fight against sexual violence against women and girls.

Resolution 1325 (2000) was a crucial milestone, which we must duly underscore because it was with the adoption of that resolution that this topic took its place on the agenda of the Security Council and was therefore no longer to be considered a matter of secondary importance. Instead, it took on a crucial and relevant role in efforts towards international peace and security.

On numerous occasions in this Chamber, we have heard truly moving testimony from women victims of sexual violence. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict has stated that this type of violence is a tactic of war and as such can be planned for and predicted. We cannot allow it in any way to be considered an inevitable consequence of armed conflict.

In this regard, we should like to thank the Permanent Missions of Austria, Mexico and the United Kingdom for having convened an Arria Formula meeting on 19 October, which allowed us to learn more about the work being carried out by various organizations on the ground and to gain a better understanding of the scope and challenges of resolution 1325 (2000).

However, I must say, that recent events have unfortunately shown us that the capacity to respond to such acts must be greatly strengthened. As my country has stated on other occasions, a crucial consideration in addressing this problem is having information that would allow us to take preventive measures and to respond swiftly to such situations.