General Women, Peace and Security

Placing men and women back in the center of the great scheme of concerns of the universe is a fundamental step to -barely- start to design a future with certainty that manages to replace the frustrations of the current development paradigm with the realities of a world where good-living is much more tangible.

Our humanistic heritage defines the human being as the measure of all things. The principle of placing people first underpins our active support for United Nations campaigns on fundamental issues such as the abolition of the death penalty, the protection of freedom of religion or belief, and the ending of the practice of female genital mutilation.

The most disadvantaged groups in this crisis are the children, women and youth. A youth without physical, intellectual or moral development cannot guarantee a generational relief that will assure the future of nations, thereby comes the need to provide mental and moral assistance to youth to assure the development of the continent in the future.

he time has come for our men, women and children to live normal lives, for them to be able to sleep without waiting for the worst that the next day will bring; for mothers to be assured that their children will return home without fear of suffering killing, arrest or humiliation.

The Philippine Government recognizes women as agent of socio-economic growth and change and thus strongly advocates their full participation in nation building.

In your inaugural statement as President, you referred to the enormous political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world. I could not agree with you more.

Uruguay reaffirms its commitment to peacekeeping operations and to the strictest enforcement of mandates and standards regulating the conduct of field personnel.

The DR Congo is preparing to hold general elections, the second such elections since those of 2006. It is important for us to grasp the full importance of this key period for our country. This period marks a confirmation of a definitive breaking with the spiral of violence and instability that has characterized our country over recent decades. We shall see it as a decisive phase that commits our people to a lasting democratic culture.

We cannot think of transformation outside the rule of law and its values. We are not trying to copy the models of others. We are governing through consultation, both domestically and externally; safeguarding all liberties, with tolerance, and above all, listening to our citizens without distinction based on class, race or gender.

It is also fundamental for the international community to seriously address the problem of illegal trafficking and misuse of small arms, which results in alarming number of causalities each year, particularly among women and children, and has harmful and destabilizing effects on societies. Croatia supports the process leading to adoption of an Arms Trade Treaty at the 2012 Conference.