General Women, Peace and Security

Let me conclude with Liberia. Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee organized women who were fed up with the violence of Liberia’s civil war. When the negotiators went to Ghana, Leymah and her growing movement went too, surrounding the negotiators in their hall to make sure that they did not come out until peace was reached.

Unfortunately, today the severe effects of conflicts in various regions on women and girls still constitute a significant challenge that needs to be addressed by the international community. Furthermore, our world is now facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, with an increasing influx of displaced populations due to protracted conflicts and lack of security.

In fact, this is a debate on peace and security, conflict resolution and conflict prevention. It is about the core business of the Council, not an add-on or an ad hoc discussion on women and girls.

Insecurity in all its forms — social, political, economic and environmental — is an impediment to gender equality and to the empowerment of women. Whenever and wherever there is insecurity, women and girls are those primarily affected. However, as former Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, “women, who know the price of conflict so well, are also often better equipped than men to prevent or resolve it”.

Since 2000, the Security Council has traditionally held an open debate on women and peace and security in the month of October. Sixteen years ago, our delegation wholeheartedly supported the Security Council’s consideration of this agenda item. As Mr.

Portugal is encouraged by several very positive developments with regard to the women and peace and security agenda, such as the fact that the issue is a consistent feature in Security Council resolutions and peacekeeping mandates, as well as the fact that gender- sensitive reporting is now understood as a fundamental element for a thorough understanding of the gender dimensions of conflict and that reinforced efforts are necessary to shape ad

We underscore the significant value of resolution 1325 (2000), which was adopted unanimously in 2000, as the first instrument to establish the relationship between the experiences of women in conflict and the international peace and security agenda, thereby focusing attention on their disproportionate impact on women.

The women and peace and security agenda plays a central role in the work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is the largest regional security organization under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Our efforts to prevent conflicts and resolve disputes peacefully are underpinned by our strong commitment to gender equality.

Nigeria welcomes the opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda 16 years after the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000). While we acknowledge the substantial achievements made in this endeavour, there are still challenges and significant gaps yet to be addressed.