General Women, Peace and Security

The Security Council recognizes two facts. On the one hand, women are the main civilian victims of conflict. On the other, they are never or rarely involved in the political negotiations to end crises. The Council has drawn two main conclusions from that: their protection, which must be strengthened, and their necessary participation in peace and conflict resolution processes.

On many occasions, the Security Council has made statements on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — which I have already mentioned — condemning the savage campaigns of rape and sexual violence by rebel groups in the Kivus. Also in Mali, women are the first victims of the violence unleashed against them by Islamic groups that have taken control of the north of the country.

In 2010, France adopted a national action plan for the implementation of the resolutions on women and peace and security. In that context, we are cooperating at the international level, in partnership with UN-Women. We are thus funding programmes to combat violence in six African countries and in the Arab world, including Jordan, Mali and Niger.

Finally, we acknowledge that much progress has been made, but it is self-evident that the international community still has a long way to go to ensure that the dignity, peace and security of women worldwide are realized.

Fiji recognizes the importance of resolution 1325 (2000) and acknowledges the progress that has been made globally towards achieving its objectives. We appreciate the specific actions taken in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as identified in the Secretary-General's report (S/2012/732), and we thank the Secretary-General for his report.

We value the increased reporting and briefings to the Council on the situation of women and girls in armed conflict. We take note of the Secretary- General's conclusion in his report (S/2012/732) that the information flow to the Council and its response remain uneven, and encourage further efforts in that regard.

We find the focus of today's debate pertinent as we move forward in the practical implementation of our commitments in the field of women, peace and security. Conflict prevention, conflict resolution and building sustainable peace require cooperation between all stakeholders at all levels, and women's organizations play a particularly important role in that regard.

Finally, our actions need to measure up to our words. The European Union continues to be active with regard to women and peace and security in more than 70 countries. It supports the development and implementation of national action plans, non-governmental organizations and training for governmental agencies.

Women have always played a unique role in preventing and in solving conflicts. However, it was only 12 years ago that a resolution adopted at the international level was dedicated solely to that issue. Today, 12 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), further implementing the principles enshrined in the resolution remains a challenge in many parts of the world.

Finally, we have noted that, according to the data published in the Secretary-General's report, the information flow to the Security Council and the Council's response to women and peace and security concerns continue to be uneven, and we would like to encourage the Council to pay greater attention to the matter.