General Women, Peace and Security

It took a whole nine years after the passage of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) for the Council to request a study on women's participation and inclusion in peacebuilding in the aftermath of a conflict. My delegation believes that such a report is long overdue and should therefore be given the promptest attention, if the United Nations is to urgently address the situation of the millions of women affected by the ravages of war.

As far as our bilateral cooperation with other countries is concerned, let me give the Council two examples. Burundi and the Netherlands collaborate in the integration of elements of resolution 1325 (2000) into the ethics training course for Burundi's uniformed services.

As far as military operations are concerned, a study by Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in the provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan showed, among other things, that the effectiveness of the International Security Assistance Force in cooperating with, and winning the trust of, the Afghan population is improved if the armed forces of troop-contributing nations include more wom

Without such mechanisms we consider it difficult to make further substantive progress. This should be part of an overall strengthened effort, with increased funding, on the part of the Security Council, as well as all United Nations bodies and Member States, to implement resolution 1325 (2000).

The Pacific small island developing States confirm their commitment to the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and with the support of all Member States, we are hopeful of further advancement as we move towards the resolution's tenth anniversary.

Mr. Lippwe (Federated States of Micronesia): I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Pacific small island developing States represented at the United Nations, namely, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu and my own country, the Federated States of Micronesia.

In overcoming the obstacles to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), the Pacific small island developing States strongly support the need identified in the Secretary-General's report to establish effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms for implementation at the global, regional and national levels and for the Security Council to establish these mechanisms as a matter of urgency.

In discussing the needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations under the general topic of implementing resolution 1325 (2000), it is critical to consider prevention of conflict situations, particularly in relation to the security implications of climate change.

However, as the Secretary-General's report notes and as the distinguished speakers before me have also remarked today, much work remains to be done to achieve implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We note with concern that significant progress is still needed to ensure the equal and substantive participation of women at all levels in peace and security decision-making, particularly in negotiations in post-conflict situations.

Furthermore, such adverse effects can create obstacles that substantially interfere with the ability of nations to maintain territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. These effects of climate change create a severe risk of increased violent conflict in many parts of the world, and along with it the consequent impact on women and girls, both during and after conflict.