The Republic of Croatia welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of this landmark resolution (S/201O/498) the recommendations contained therein as well as the Presidential Statement to be adopted by the Council today. We call upon the Security Council to endorse the indicators as developed by the Secretary-General the Council as soon as possible.

The commitments set forth by the resolution are commendable, but translating words into action is the only way of solving the remaining issues. And the issues are many. As numerous situations on the agenda of this Council have shown, worrien still have a long way to go in order to fulfill the empowerment goals as well as to fully realize their human rights, both in times of war and peace.

The adoption by the Security Council of the resolution 1325 bears testimony to the progress made, during the last decade, in the area of Women and peace and security. This historic resolution has raised the much needed attention to the question of women's empowerment, which represents a priority for my country.

More needs to be done also on a national level. The integration of the resolution" has to be country-driven; and Member States need to take responsibility for its success through ensuring that it is integrated into national policies. We urge countries to apply a broad gender mainstreaming approach across government, for instance through a system-wide approach that links development, humanitarian and defence issues.

I am pleased to say that Croatia has taken steps to integrate the gender perspective into the national security policy through its National Strategy for the Promotion of Gender Equality as and is currently developing its National Action Plan on the implementation of the resolution 1325, which is expected to be adopted by 2011.

Even on Croatian territory, in the heart of Europe, rape was used as a method of intimidation and terror, during the aggression to which Croatia was exposed at the beginning of 1990s. We are fully aware of the role both the Security Council and international community can play in addressing sexual violence against women and girls, especially when used by political or military leaders as a means of achieving political of military objectives.

Armed conflicts continue to have a devastating impact on women and girls, and are often accompanied by gender based violence including an increasing scale and brutality of sexual violence, often used as a means of war. Impunity for such acts of violence against women is still prevalent, and the prosecution rate very low.

Croatia aligns itself with the statement as delivered by the representative of Belgium on behalf ofthe EU. Here, I would like to make additional remarks in my national capacity.

Allow me to extend a warm welcome to Madame Michelle Bachelet, and wish her success in her future work as the first Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the newly established gender entity UN Women. Given her high political stature and experience, we deem that Madame Bachelet will enhance the gender equality agenda, and that the UN Women will grow into the principal voice for gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women.

Today, we are commemorating the tenth anniversary of that Resolution, which has recognized the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts as well as in peacebuilding and opened a new path in the protection of women's full enjoyment of all human rights in armed conflicts and in the efforts to strengthen the participation and representation of women in peace and security processes.