General Women, Peace and Security

And we are very fortunate to have with us today the UN Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet, the first head of UN Women. I am delighted by her appointment and very grateful for her commitment and the excellent presentation that she has already delivered.

The adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) was an important milestone in empowering women in the critical areas of peace and security, where women have often been deliberate targets and silent victims of violent conflicts. The effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is therefore a necessity. In this regard we wish to emphasize the following points.

I would also like to thank Uganda for leading the Council's efforts to mark the 10th anniversary of resolution 1325. This Council has passed many important resolutions over the decades, but few have changed the way that which we look at conflict. Resolution 1325 did just that.

Countless women have dedicated their lives, and in some cases sacrificed their lives in order to bring peace to societies ravaged by war and to stand up for human rights.Today we pay tribute to these women and reaffirm our commitment to work for the protection of women in armed conflict and for their active involvement in conflict resolution. No society can address its problems by drawing solely on the talents of only half of the population.

In line with the position of the European Union, Ukraine considers gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women not only as important objectives but also as the means to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and as an essential part of the development agenda.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. It was the first Security Council resolution to address women's issues in the international peace and security agenda.

I take this opportunity to welcome Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet and to assure her of my country's full support and cooperation. As we mark the tenth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), Turkey is strongly committed to the full implementation of that resolution and three subsequent resolutions on women and peace and security.

However, despite the progress achieved so far, we cannot fail to note that much remains to be done, particularly in the area of implementation. As today's debate and the report of the Secretary-General have shown us, many structural and institutional impediments remain, which we should overcome in order to meet the challenges before us.

The tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) is a propitious occasion to take stock of progress and identify the shortcomings. This resolution laid out the normative framework that has guided United Nations work on gender-mainstreaming policies across a broad spectrum of functions and projects in which the United Nations is engaged.

In conclusion, the tenth anniversary, which coincides with the launching of the African Women's Decade, provides an opportunity to reaffirm the spirit and core message of resolution 1325 (2000) that sustainable peace is achievable only with the full and effective participation of women.