Let me first say a few words on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, an informal network of over 40 interested Member States, chaired by Canada. The Group of Friends has played an active role in the effective implementation of the Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.

I would like to share with you some activities that we will carry out in implementing Canada's Action Plan. We will:
• ensure that our non-governmental partners delivering Canadian humanitarian assistance have codes of conduct related to sexual exploitation and abuse;

Canada supports the efforts of SRSG Margot Wallstrom to provide strategic leadership and strengthen UN coordination mechanisms in order to address sexual violence in armed conflict. The recent systematic acts of sexual violence perpetrated in the eastern DRC demonstrate the necessity of Ms. Wallstrom's work. Canada calls on the UN system to ensure that her office is adequately resourced and capable of timely action.

As we said in the Security Council Debate on October 13th, Canada is pleased with the Secretary General's concrete efforts to redress the disparity in women's participation in peace building efforts. And we support the Secretary-General's seven-point action plan. Canada reiterates the concerns raised in the Review of the UN peacebuilding architecture.

In that respect, we welcome the creation of the new entity, UN Women, and given the enormous task facing its Director, Under-Secretary-General Bachelet, we hope that she will receive the sustained support of Member States, so that the new entity can respond to the expectations of women, who are only asking for access to resources. Once this has been achieved, the empowerment of women will have become a reality.

Turning to peacekeeping, it is important to emphasize that, at this time, the idea of having women in the police and army is socially accepted, even if their numbers have not reached those of women in other institutions. In our policy with regard to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, women have been included and benefit equally from this policy.

Throughout the many conflicts that Burundi has gone through, the people of Burundi have understood that the search for a viable and promising peace cannot be carried out by men alone but should also include women. Moreover, it has been well known for a long time in my country that women are the pillar of the family and therefore of society.

The topics promoted through these pillars are primarily participation, conflict prevention, protection against violence against women and children and community recovery.

The question that remains crucial in Burundi is that of customary law and the access of women to property and inheritance. That issue has become a social concern that the Government of Burundi must address in order to align itself with the parliamentary debate convened in 2004, which resulted in a proposed draft law on succession, matrimony and rights.

Since 2005, Burundi has sought to give women an important role in managing public affairs. The unremitting struggle of the women of Burundi, together with the determination of the Government, made it possible to achieve the results that the whole world can see today in terms of the representation of women in decision-making bodies, both at the executive and the legislative levels.