Finally, a few words on the centrality of the work against impunity and due attention to the victims of human rights violations and serious crimes. Justice for victims is essential in restoring the confidence of the people in their government and in promoting sustainable peace. There should never be amnesties for the most serious crimes, including sexual and gender based violence, which can constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Despite substantial efforts, there is no place for complacency. We hope that the next decade will be one of more strategic and systematic action, improved accountability, and measurable progress. The recommendations and the comprehensive set of indicators in the Secretary General's report on Women, Peace and Security provide a tool for accountability.

As We mentioned in this chamber a few weeks ago speaking on peacebuilding, even if outside actors can't dictate the composition of the negotiating delegations, there is a lot that can be done. Peace mediators and their supporting teams can always ensure that sufficient gender-expertise is provided to the parties, and organise parallel consultations with women's groups if they do not have a seat at the table.

In closing let me repeat our hope that the next decade will be one of strategic and systematic action, accountability, and measurable progress. We look to this Council and to you, Mr. Secretary-General, for continued leadership, and to the newly established UN WOMEN and the whole of the UN system for enhanced action. You have our full support.

We consider this event to be an important opportunity to take stock of achievements, best practices and lessons learned. It is an important step towards achieving the intent of the resolution.

On a more positive note, we welcome with appreciation the initiative of the Security Council and the work carried out by the Secretary-General in establishing the set of indicators, which will not only track the implementation of the resolution, but also serve as a guide for all Member States in their efforts to achieve its goals.

It is for this reason that the Pacific SIDs are of the view that the first important step for us to take is to develop a regional framework that incorporates the principles of the resolution, with clear policy guidelines on its application to our unique national and regional characteristics. We believe that this will provide the impetus to accelerate the implementation process in the Pacific.

Furthermore, we support the participation and representation of women at all levels of decisionmaking. In our consultations and interactions with civil society and the public, we are fortunate to have femLINKpacific, a Fiji-based non-governmental organization that specifically deals with resolution 1325 (2000). We also welcome the appointment of its coordinator to the United Nations Civil Society Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security.

For the purposes of this event, we first wish to comment on the pronouncement, highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, that in the 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), its overall implementation has been slow. Undoubtedly, progress has been made, but much work remains to be done in implementing the resolution and assessing the progress of individual countries.

Fiji is fully committed to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). This commitment is exemplified in our continuing efforts to meet the goals set out in the four broad thematic areas of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan. In the area of participation, our policies strongly encourage the recruitment of women in our security forces and their deployment, with equal opportunities, to peacekeeping missions.