I think I have to conclude my statement here. There are many proposals that are discussed in the written text that I provided to the Secretariat. But I would like to thank all the women who have played leadership roles in resolving conflicts in Africa, from Mozambique, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the ongoing conflicts in Somalia and in the Sudan.

During the African Union's Year of Peace and Security in Africa, 2010, the Gender Directorate of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa also worked closely with the AU Peace and Security Department and the Peace and Security Council to ensure that gender issues were well addressed in this framework.

Key areas of success for the improvement of the lives of women have been in the spheres of political participation, education, and health. As we finalize results for our second parliamentary election, we recall that last month, millions of Afghans went to the polls to make their voices heard. In these recent elections, 406 out of 2,556 candidates were women.

While we consider the Peace Talks to be an important part of our shared stabilization efforts, the human rights and women's rights enshrined in our constitution are nonnegotiable. I can assure today that in every single peace talk, and in every single step of the reconciliation process, women's rights will remain a priority. We see our reconciliation process as the way to end violence for all Afghan people, including women.

We are appreciative of the crucial role of the international community and thank UNAMA for their support of all national efforts toward improving the situation of women in Afghanistan. We extend our gratitude to UNIFEM for engaging women's groups in supporting authorities to improve investigation of sexual violence, thus strengthening community capacity for the prevention of such horrendous acts.

The Commitment of the government of Afghanistan and support of the international community have been the crucial factors for the achievements ofwomen in the last decade. During the London and Kabul Conferences, in January and July of this year, we

The Afghan people have suffered immensely for more than 30 years under foreign invasions, civil wars and Taliban rule. In the 1990s Afghan women were the targets of brutality and widespread violence, including gender based violence and oppression. The Taliban completely removed women from all aspects of public life, depriving them of such fundamental rights as education, and participation in both the economic and political sectors.

Thank you for convening this important and historic debate on "women, peace and security." On behalf of my delegation, I commend you on your able leadership of the Council this month. We welcome not only the Secretary General's extensive report, but the Security Council's first "Cross-Cutting Report on Women, Peace, and Security."

Since 2001 Afghanistan has made considerable progress in the advancement of women. The government of Afghanistan has committed its energy and resources to strengthening the rights of women, improving their roles in all aspects of political, social, cultural and economic life as shown through our National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA).

Resolution 1325 is not about rescuing women. It is not only about helping women who are struggling to overcome conflict, but about recognizing the unique role ofwomen as peacemakers, and creating opportunities for women to excel in leadership roles. What better place in the world to demonstrate the importance ofthis issue than Afghanistan. Afghan women are not damsels in distress. They have been victimized, but are not helpless victims.