The United Nations must do all it can to keep the issue of women and peace and security in the spotlight, especially as we look to the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) and the creation of a composite gender entity, an entity that the United States strongly supports.
The Secretary-General rightly notes that Member States should ensure that women participate in decision-making. He adds that the international community should pursue a strategy to ensure women's participation in all peace processes, including by providing appropriate training and capacity-building programmes towards that end.
The Secretary-General emphasizes that we need to increase the number of women who serve as mediators, special representatives, special envoys and peacekeepers around the world. My Government commends the Secretary-General for his leadership and his efforts to increase the number of women in senior United Nations positions. We hope that these appointments will continue to increase.
Resolution 1325 (2000) emphasizes the responsibility that all States have to put an end to impunity and prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including those relating to sexual violence and other assaults against women and girls.
Last week this Council took decisive action in addressing the sexual violence that all too often follows in conflict's wake, by adopting resolution 1888 (2009). The resolution sends an unequivocal message: violence against women and children will not be tolerated and must be stopped.
In his recent report (S/2009/465), the Secretary- General notes that while much has been done in response to resolution 1325 (2000) in the nine years since its adoption, armed conflict continues to have a devastating impact on women and girls, all too often leaving them wounded, traumatized, sexually assaulted, socially and economically marginalized or without political power.
Women's involvement is necessary to ensure the legitimacy of the decision-making process, to encourage a broad base of participation, to make sustainable peace and development possible and to protect women and girls. The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as well as of subsequent resolutions on women and peace and security, is a necessary tool for promoting the involvement of women.
We need to ensure the promotion and enjoyment of human rights for all people, and in particular women and girls living in situations of conflict. Access to education, health and other humanitarian assistance is a basic human right; we thus strongly condemn those parties to conflict who destroy schools, health facilities and humanitarian supplies, and those who prevent girls' and women's access to education.
We are concerned that despite several measures being undertaken in response to resolution 1325 (2000), progress in implementing it is still limited, and women and girls continue to suffer the brunt of war, particularly the devastating effects of sexual and gender-based violence.
