General Women, Peace and Security

In order to increase the representation of women's civil society leaders in peace processes and post-conflict peace consolidation, formal arrangements — such as on the security of women human rights defenders, security prior to and during elections and childcare arrangements — and capacity-building in leadership, conflict analysis and negotiation skills should be provided.

We believe that the fourth ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to be held in Jakarta this December, will reaffirm such a strong commitment to implementing resolution 1325 (2000) as an integral part of the development agenda. My delegation also appreciates the efforts made by the United Nations system to strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on regional initiatives.

In conclusion, we commend the Security Council's continuing attention to the urgent and critical issue of further promoting the full realization of resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, and at the same time we call for greater efforts on our part to include women in our deliberations.

I thank you, Sir, for having convened this open debate on women and peace and security, which enables the Security Council to focus on the paramount role of women and their civil society organizations in contributing to the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts, as well as to peacebuilding.

As we assess progress, there is also an acknowledgement of the reality that much more needs to be done so that resolution 1325 (2000) is no longer merely a statement of aspirations, with little action to record since 2000. We have to be conscious of the voices of women around the world who feel unrepresented in international and regional peace processes.

We are very encouraged that, under the strong leadership of Ms. Bachelet, UN-Women has been resolutely promoting the agenda of women and peace and security as one of its priorities. It is with great satisfaction that we note that, during her recent visit to Japan, Ms.

The security of women and girls is an indicator of peace and stability. In that regard, we note that the Secretary-General's report refers to the fact that Afghan women's groups have voiced concerns over the potential for a peace deal to be made at the cost of women's hard-fought rights.

As we move towards the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of the resolution, Japan, for its part, will continue to exert its utmost efforts towards the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in cooperation with our partners, and in particular with women's civil society organizations.

We welcome the debate's focus on the contribution of women's organizations to preventing and settling armed conflicts and to fostering peacebuilding. Throughout the world, women's rights advocates are fighting, and at times risking their lives, to ensure that women and girls are not excluded from decision-making about the political future of their country.

Italy welcomes the presidential statement adopted by the Security Council on 31 October (S/PRST/2012/23) and the reaffirmation of its commitment to implement resolution 1325 (2000) and the follow-up resolutions.