General Women, Peace and Security

The Nordic countries believe that the following recommendations deserve particular attention: first, inclusive participation as a key to legitimate and sustainable peace; secondly, adequate and timely financing of the postconflict needs of men and women alike; and thirdly, improving the response of the system as a whole in the immediate aftermath of a conflict.

In his report on peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict (S/2010/386), the Secretary- General outlines ambitious but vital goals for the United Nations in becoming more effective in its support for postconflict countries. We welcome his progress report, and the steps taken so far in its implementation.

This debate is especially timely, in part because of the review of the Peacebuilding Commission, which is expected to conclude shortly after the excellent work by the facilitators appointed by this Council and by the President of the General Assembly. In addition, this is the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), which lays the basis for the Secretary- General's report on women's participation in peacebuilding.

We are now passing through a very challenging period. We are about to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security at a time when such initiatives as review of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), women's participation in peacebuilding, review of civilian capacity and others are being debated and developed.

Austria has repeatedly stressed the importance of national ownership of peacebuilding processes. In order to promote national leadership and ensure the sustainability of progress, all peacebuilding efforts need to draw upon existing national capacities to the greatest extent possible. We therefore welcome efforts to assess existing capacities as a basis for the deployment of international civilian expertise.

With women having served in the war time as generals and peace negotiators,
Viet Nam now ranks 3 " in Asia-Pacific in terms of the female ratio in the
Parliament membership, and has always had: for over two decades, a female
Vice-president of State and several female Ministers. In every State or public
institution there is a women affairs cornmiitee that oversees and promotes

I thank you for convening this open debate of the Security Council on women,
peace and security, with a focus on the participation of women in all stages of the
peace process. I thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on the
implementation of Security Council resolution 1325, to which Viet Nam attaches
great importance.

Despite this Council's recognition of the vital role that women can play in the
areas of conflict prevention and resolution, the remcord of women's participation in
peace processes since the adoption of resolutiori 1325 in 2000 is poor.
Remarkably, there are currently no women engaged as Special Envoys of the
Secretary-General. The Council has very recently reiterated this concern, in its

While women may be the first casualties of war, they remain active agents of change and play a
meaningful role in the recovery and reintegration of their families. Women are also instrumental in
bringing about democracy and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. It is for that reason that
SADC welcomes this opportunity, on the eighth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325

While SADC acknowledges that women and civil society organizations have been the driving
force behind our efforts and achievements, we are committed to continue to strengthen efforts to
address the challenges of peace and security for women. We therefore welcome the seriousness
with which the Security Council continues to address the question. In that connection, SADC