A 1325 Call to Action, UK, Sep 25 2010

Thank you, Foreign Minister Bangura.

Implementation of the women, peace and security agenda requires a global response and commitment from all Member States. So it is a great pleasure to see so many Ministerial colleagues here today as an illustration of the importance we all attach to this issue. The UK has long supported the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and I would like to extend our thanks to Canada [Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon] for organising this event today.

The tenth anniversary of UNSCR 1325 next month marks an important milestone in our efforts to prevent violence against women in conflict, and to increase their participation in building peace. It is also an opportunity to strengthen our future approach. As the title of today's meeting suggests, implementing SCR 1325 requires more than warm words. It requires states and international organisations to commit to meaningful actions and new approaches that will ultimately make a difference to the situation of women on the ground.

This is why the UK is revising its ‘National Action Plan' on Women, Peace and Security, to set out our future commitments in our development, diplomatic and defence activity. These include;
• Support to women's organisations on the ground in conflict-affected states.
• Strengthening training and expertise to enhance our military's ability to engage with women in conflict situations.
• And new initiatives, such as piloting specific action plans for priority countries, where we have a chance to make a concrete difference to the lives of women on the ground. The plans will set out an integrated UK approach across our development, diplomatic and capacity-building activity.

I urge fellow Member States to take the opportunity offered by this anniversary to make new commitments and strengthen existing approaches to preventing violence against women in conflict; and to enhance their ability to play an important role in the resolution of conflict and in building peace.

October is also a valuable opportunity for the international community to assess the progress made and the challenges we still face on this agenda. Positive action by the Security Council in October on the proposed UN indicators to measure progress on SCR 1325 is a vital step in this process, to enable the UN and Member States to properly understand and target their efforts. I urge fellow Security Council members to give their support to this initiative.

I also welcome the agreement to form “UN Women” and the strong leadership that will be provided by Under Secretary General Michelle Bachelet. It is my hope that UN Women will greatly assist the effective implementation of the United Nations' efforts to implement SCR 1325.

It has been very encouraging to hear the ideas for commitments by Member States and to see the level of support for this important agenda. I would like to again thank Canada for drawing together today's event. This anniversary is an opportunity that we must use to deliver real progress.