The mass rapes and sexual assaults which took place in North Kivu this summer and the inability of the UN Mission for Stabilisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect civilians are a brutal reminder of the difficulties surrounding peacekeeping in conflict areas in the absence of adequate resources and mandates.

We should never apologise for promoting the idea that women and men are equal; never flinch from insisting that governments chosen by their people are better; never shy away from our insistence that nobody should be silenced because of their religion or beliefs.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Concrete improvements have been made but we must step up our efforts to turn the objectives into practice. National Action Plans are valuable tools for implementing the Resolution. We completed our own plan in 2008 and have now started a twinning initiative with Kenya.

The commitment of all the UN Member States to strengthen promotion of women's rights, gender equality and gender mainstreaming is welcome. Finland strongly supports UN Women and would like to congratulate President Michelle Bachelet on her appointment. We must assure that the UN Women becomes a strong advocate and actor for women's rights across the UN work.

Lasting solutions to global challenges cannot be found without women's active participation in decision-making at all levels. Women are agents of change and development. Investing in women and girls has a vital effect on eradication of poverty and sustained economic growth. Having heard the discussions this week, I am happy to conclude that there has clearly been a breakthrough in this respect. This is a good basis to continue from.

The recent African Union Summit held in Kampala in July 2010, focused on maternal, infant and child health and development in Africa. African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to mobilize and devote the resources for the prevention of deaths of women and children from preventable diseases.

We welcome the General Assembly resolution on System-wide Coherence and the establishment of UN Women, as a dedicated entity to deal with gender-related issues. We hope that this new entity will strengthen the UN's institutional capacity for the support of gender equality and the empowerment of women. My delegation wishes to congratulate Mrs. Michelle Bachelet on her appointment as the first head of UN Women.

In 2000, while serving as a member of the Security Council, Namibia initiated and introduced a theme on Women, Peace and Security, which resulted in the adoption of Resolution 1325. Our objective was to highlight the plight of women in conflict situations and to recognize the vital role that they can play in peace-making efforts for effective resolution of conflicts.

We are pleased to note the progress the world has made in the advancement of women. Today, there is greater representation of women in government, in political life, business and in civil society organizations. Liberia's own effort was recognized on Sunday when we received an award for our progress on Goal 3, empowerment of women.

The State of Kuwait is proud in always being in the top positions, on the Arab and international levels with regard to the quality of education, the quality of life, the health care services it provides, as well as in the fields of gender equality, economic position and political freedoms, according to the rankings issued by international organizations, specialized agencies and other non-governmental organizations.