In its Initiative on Gender and Development, announced in 2005, Japan stipulated that, in the implementation of official development assistance in countries in or having just emerged from conflict, the needs of women and the vulnerable would have to be properly considered from the perspective of gender in all phases, from emergency humanitarian assistance to post-conflict peacebuilding.

First of all, on this tenth anniversary of the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000), I would like once again to affirm, together with all present here, the essential message of the resolution that lasting peace can never be achieved without the
participation of women.

By applying a gender perspective in the fields of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, the Government of Japan has been attempting to create an environment in which more women can play active roles.

And another point to be borne in mind is that efforts for peace and security must be accompanied by social and economic development. In particular, for achieving stability in post-conflict societies, not only must there be reconstruction at the country level, but it is also essential to rebuild communities and empower people affected by conflicts, employing a bottom-up

Over the past 10 years, Member States, the United Nations system and civil society have engaged jointly in an effort to achieve peace by enhancing the protection and participation of women. However, when we recall that innocent women and children remain the principal victims of every conflict, we know that there are many challenges yet to be overcome.

One key to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is monitoring. Japan therefore attaches great importance to using the set of indicators that has been developed to aid us in identifying comprehensively how much needs to be done to make the objectives of the resolution a reality. I believe that the indicators must be applied globally with a view to both preventing conflicts and providing early warning when a conflict is about to erupt.

My delegation recognizes the important work that the United Nations has undertaken in increasing the representation and participation of women at high levels within the UN System. The most recent of which were the appointment of the Under-Secretary to the new Gender Entity, UN Women, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Confllct.

Today, Jamaica recommits itself to ensuring that this vital work will continue, through active participation as long as it is needed. We reaffirm our collective commitment to building a world free from the scourge of war.

Today's celebration is therefore a reminder that the high cost of peacekeeping and of reconstruction in post-conflict situations weighs heavily in favour of prevention and peacebuilding measures to address the root causes of deadly conflicts. Women have proven instrumental in building bridges rather than walls. Women are entitled to an active rote in rebuilding their societies.

Ten years on, in celebrating the anniversary of this watershed event, significant achievements are difficult to identify. It remains a matter of serious concern that women have become caught in the centre of violent conflicts and often become the direct and deliberate victims of the most egregious abuses committed by parties to armed conflicts.