As the largest troop-contributing country, Pakistan fully recognizes the important role of women in peacekeeping operations. We are proud of our women who have served as police officers, doctors and nurses in difficult and dangerous operations in Africa and the Balkans. Currently, we have 58 women deployed in five peacekeeping missions, including 38 in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operationin Darfur.

We must get better at explaining that 1325 is not about political correctness. Better protection and more equal participation of women in social, economic and political life - including in peace processes and security services - improves the quality of the process and the service, making the results more sustainable. We simply can't afford to ignore half of society's talent and capacity.

Ten years after the adoption of 1325 - at the NATO Ministerial Council meeting earlier this month - I called for including 1325 in NATO's concept of operation. We obviously have a job to do, to make the military men take this seriously. As Minister of Defence, I note that all of the UN force commanders are men. It is high time to rectify this.

Mr. President,
Ten years ago atrocities in Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia made even the hardliners soft - at least softer. For the first time, they let this Council discuss and agree on key questions for sustainable peace:
What do women want?
What do women need?
How can women contribute?

Mr. President, Norway supports the women, peace and security agenda because we know it is the only way to sustainable peace and to free millions of women and children from the appalling suffering we see in too many current conflicts. The suffering and humiliation is a scar on humanity's face. We cannot tolerate this.

For Norway's own sake, beyond what we have already done, I hereby announce that we immediately take on the following commitments:

1. We continue to increase the number of female Norwegian soldiers and officers, both in our standing military forces and our contributions to international operations. The next two commanders of Norway's national command in Afghanistan will be women.

And, we must ensure greater accountability. I call on the Security Council to show leadership, by maintaining its focus on full implementation of all resolutions on women, peace and security; by endorsing today the indicators proposed by the Secretary General for this purpose; and by making prosecution ofperpetrators a political priority!

5. And finally, we also act urgently to boost the work ofUN Women - and will support their new and welcome strategic partnership with the Department of Political Affairs specifically the project to increase women's participation in peace processes and improve the gender balance at all levels of mediation. The Norwegian government will immediately provide one million US dollars to this project.

4.Norway will further strengthen our support to the United Nations work to promote and protect gender equality and the empowerment of women. Our proposed allocation for 2011 is more than 30 million US dollars.

3.We will contribute experts on gender and gender-based violence to international peacekeeping operations. Last week we deployed such a team of experts from Norway's national police to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH.