Uganda has an advanced, articulate and organized women's peace movement. Even before the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the Uganda Government had previously supported the efforts of women leaders, such as Ms. Betty Bigombe, who initially led the peace talks with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to end the conflict in northern Uganda.

It is for this reason that Uganda remains concerned that the contribution of women to peacebuilding is far from satisfactory, which can be attributed to their being excluded from the decision- making process on the one hand and, on the other, to inadequate financing of their requirements. This, in the long run, compromises efforts to attain sustainable peace and security.

In this regard, Uganda, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNIFEM and the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues, held its first workshop from 14 to 16 September this year to agree on what these indicators will be for Uganda's action plan.

In conclusion, Uganda welcomes the adoption of resolution 1889 (2009), as it highlights this deficit and calls for a response to the needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations for sustainable peace and security.

In addition to the two women directly on the peace team, Uganda facilitated women's attendance at various meetings that were held during that process. In addition, during the talks a gender adviser was seconded to the Office of the Special Envoy to LRA- Affected Areas. This was the result of collaboration between UNIFEM and the United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

Experience has also taught us that a simple increase in the number of women in talks is not sufficient and that in-depth consultations are still required to ensure that nothing is left out with regard to the legitimate concerns of women.

We believe that, while tackling the issue of women's security, which is inextricable from international peace and security, we should move away from ad hoc approaches and towards a systematic one.

We believe that more effective actions must be taken to protect and empower women. Addressing the particular needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations, with a particular emphasis on issues related to their physical security, mental and reproductive health, employment, education and access to social services and justice, is a matter of priority that we should tackle from the very beginning of the peacebuilding process.

We also believe that the establishment of a set of indicators, as foreseen in resolution 1889 (2009), might serve as a useful means by which we can monitor and track the implementation of measures at the global level.

The months ahead of us in the run-up to the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) next year will provide ample opportunities to translate these words into deeds in order to ensure the basic rights and the human rights of women all around the world. We in Turkey are committed to that goal and thus will continue our support for the implementation of all resolutions on women and peace and security.