The European Union has a comprehensive strategy to implement UNSC Resolution 1325 and the EU Council adopted in July this year indicators to measure the progress in achieving our commitments. The comprehensive strategy is complemented by the Action Plan to promote gender equality in development cooperation which, i.a. commits the EU to promote capacity building in fragile States for the implementation of SC Resolution 1325 and 1820.

The EU warmly welcomes the report of the Secretary General on Women's Participation in Peacebuilding and congratulates the Secretary General for setting out a strategic seven point Action Plan. As we mark this month the tenth anniversary of SC Resolution 1325 we need redouble everyone's efforts to increase women's participation at all stages and all levels of peace processes and peacebuilding efforts.

Furthermore, the success of any peacebuilding process also rests on its ability to ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women in the socio- economic and political spheres. It is important for the General Assembly and the Security Council to study and evaluate the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/466) on women's participation in peacebuilding, and the seven commitments underlying the proposed action plan.

In welcoming the Secretary General's second report before us today, i.e. Women's participation in Peacebuilding, my delegation would like to underline the attention given to the role of women in the peacebuilding. Women represent more than a half of the active population and carry an important part of the peacebuilding activities. Without an active participation of women it would not be possible to succeed in the peacebuilding efforts.

We are grateful for the Secretary-General's detailed overview of the progress achieved in the implementation of his agenda for action set out in the report on peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of the conflict he issued a year ago (S/2009/304). In particular, we find valuable the many diverse examples from the field used to further clarify and support the report.

This debate is especially timely, in part because of the review of the Peacebuilding Commission, which is expected to conclude shortly after the excellent work by the facilitators appointed by this Council and by the President of the General Assembly. In addition, this is the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), which lays the basis for the Secretary- General's report on women's participation in peacebuilding.

Lastly, we welcome the Secretary-General's proposal of specific measures to ensure that the recommendations contained in the report are implemented on the ground through the inclusion of women in development, infrastructure, employment, and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes.

I would like to highlight the Secretary-General's report on women's participation in peacebuilding and his seven-point plan, which places women on truly equal footing with men and emphasizes their full participation in the peacebuilding process from the outset. As stated in the report, women's participation is crucial in shoring up the three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy.

Chile supports the fact that the proposed seven- point peacebuilding plan embodies a gender approach. In order for it to succeed, there must be proper coordination among the various United Nations agencies and coordination between them and other external partners, in particular international financial institutions, that participate in the peacebuilding process.

As the Secretary-General has said, the peacebuilding process is an opportunity to better rebuild a country in all its aspects, with one of the most important aspects being the status of women, their legal position, and access to jobs and to justice, among others. This last aspect — access to justice — is of crucial importance, since women are among the main victims of conflicts.