Throughout those 10 years of conflict, peace, destruction, reconstruction and change, women and girls have been the most affected, although I think we would also say that in those 10 years there have also been some significant advances. Some women and girls have benefited from greater involvement in peace processes, greater representation in key decision-making positions and a stronger focus on the prevention of violence.

The past 10 years have also demonstrated that much still needs to be done. Rape is still used as a tool of war, as was recently and horrifically demonstrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Women are still excluded from or not adequately represented in peace processes, their rights are curtailed and, all too often, they lack or are denied access to humanitarian and development assistance.

Secondly, while there have been excellent policy developments on resolution 1325 (2000), they have rarely been translated into action on the ground. To ensure more action, the Security Council could better incorporate 1325 issues into its daily work, for example, when it discusses country situations, peacekeeping mandates or sanctions, or when it holds Arria Formula meetings.

New Zealand's region is the Pacific, where women are playing critical roles in brokering and maintaining peace in places such as Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Timor-Leste. Despite their important role, however, women remain marginalized from formal negotiations, are seriously underrepresented in national decision-making processes and are still vulnerable to domestic violence.

New Zealand agrees with the Secretary-General's conclusion that the main factor impeding full implementation is the lack of a clearly framed, single, coordinated approach, complemented by meaningful indicators to track progress. There are many concrete ways to develop such a framework.

Member States also have responsibilities for the implementation of 1325 (2000) nationally and within their regions. Women constitute up to 30 per cent of New Zealand's contribution to United Nations and United Nations-mandated peace missions — among thehighest rates in the world. The New Zealand Defence Force pursues a diversity strategy that values the full integration of women, including at senior levels.

But, like others, New Zealand can still do more, and it agrees that commitments are required to ensure the advancement of the 1325 agenda. We therefore commit to developing a national plan of action on resolution 1325 (2000). We commit to mainstreaming issues faced by women with disabilities in our implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

As well as raising awareness of resolution 1325 (2000) in the Pacific, New Zealand's aid programme identifies women and girls as a priority group for attention, supports initiatives to mitigate the exposure of women and girls to violence and specifically includes the need to support the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

That, in turn, will mean that, as Governments come and go and as conflicts break out and abate, women and girls are protected and can fully participate in the promotion and maintenance of peace and security.

First, because implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is difficult to measure, we call on the Council to endorse and utilize the indicators outlined in the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/498). Some still require development, but that is best achieved through implementation, tracking and continued close engagement with civil society.