Portugal reaffirms its commitment to the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We adopted last August our national plan of action to contribute to the implementation of that document at the national, regional and international policy levels.
Our national plan thus embodies Portugal's concern over the vulnerability of women and girls in post-conflict situations, together with our national commitment to developing measures to answer the needs of women in these situations.
Our national plan recognizes the specific impacts of contemporary wars on the lives of women and addresses the efforts to prevent, combat and mitigate these impacts.
Nearly 10 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), there has obviously been enormous progress, but we must recognize that its aims have not yet been fulfilled. I encourage the Council and its members to carry on the good work in that direction.
It is undeniable that situations of conflict have a great impact on women. They are too often victims of violence and of sexual violence used as a weapon of war. And at the same time, they very often become the main providers of economic security and survival to their families. There is thus the need to ensure that, in post-conflict situations, we also build on their experiences.
It is our belief that the equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes has a positive impact on the international security system, thus favouring the implementation of the objectives of the Security Council - maintaining peace and security.
Furthermore, our national action plan emphasizes that women and girls are relevant and capable actors of change and development, and is based on the conviction that, first, it is critical that we overcome the traditional perspective of women and girls as being exclusively vulnerable victims in need of protection, and that, secondly, it is thus essential to implement measures that guarantee that this perspective will be taken into consideration
Finally, I wish to say that the Portuguese Government interprets this resolution as extending beyond armed conflicts and humanitarian aid to include the promotion of policy coherence at the national level concerning issues such as disarmament and weapons control, public security and the elimination of gender-based violence.
We know that, in this time of asymmetric warfare, the use of sexual violence against women and girls as a weapon of war is a source of even more fundamental and pernicious concern. It is a weapon that is intended to humiliate and destroy women, both as individuals and as the heart and soul of social order and the foundation of family and community life.
