We are currently conducting field consultations for a National Action Plan on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) in various regions of the Philippines. These consultations will culminate in a national consultation in Manila on 19 October 2009.

The role of women in matters of peace and security is particularly significant to the Philippines. It was under the leadership of our recently departed President Corazon Aquino, a woman and a housewife, that the Philippines emerged from a long dictatorship. She was a standard bearer for those who suffered under tyranny, and, having survived, became a symbol of strength and hope.

The Philippines submits that any debate in the United Nations concerning women must always be rooted in the solemn declarations in its Charter that reaffirm faith in the equal rights of men and women and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognize that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

My delegation welcomes the resolution that was just adopted by the Council. We are encouraged by, among other things, the efforts to improve the resource allocations for gender issues within the United Nations by enhancing the monitoring of spending for gender- related activities, similar to the system pioneered by the United Nations Development Programme.

It took a whole nine years after the passage of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) for the Council to request a study on women's participation and inclusion in peacebuilding in the aftermath of a conflict. My delegation believes that such a report is long overdue and should therefore be given the promptest attention, if the United Nations is to urgently address the situation of the millions of women affected by the ravages of war.

“The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men”. This spirit continues to permeate the public sphere. The incumbent President is a woman, our second in approximately 25 years.

We therefore welcome resolution 1888 (2009), which the Council adopted last week, as well as resolution 1889 (2009), which was adopted today and which the Netherlands would have wished to sponsor. That is because those resolutions give women more of a voice in these matters — for example, through the country reports to the Security Council.

This also implies working closely with civil society in our countries, as we are doing in the Netherlands. We have had a very positive experience in working together with non-governmental organizations, both in developing and implementing and monitoring our national action plan.

There are two dimensions to this subject. The first one is women and girls as victims of violence. As the discussion in the Security Council last week again made clear (see S/PV.6195), such violence is often employed as a weapon of war. That necessitates a different way of operating in crisis management and peacekeeping.

Let me end by underlining that our discussion today forms part of the wider debate on gender issues and should also be seen in the light of the decision by the General Assembly to establish a United Nations composite gender entity (see General Assembly resolution 63/311). We look forward to an early proposal on the details of that entity, including regarding its cooperation with the relevant advisers and special representatives.