Statement of the United Kingdom at the Open Debate on the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa, March 28 2016
Statement of the United Kingdom, March 28, 2016.
To support that effort, we have to increase women’s participation in politics and society. That means delivering on the commitments we made in resolutions 1325 (2000), 1889 (2009), 2242 (2015) and so many others because breaking down barriers facing women in peace talks requires breaking down barriers facing women across society. It means helping girls stay in school, improving health care and, yes, tackling sexual violence. At its heart, it is about ending discrimination against women. We all have a part to play. In Somalia, the United Kingdom is helping make health services available to over 1 million Somali women and children, but also providing legal assistance to thousands of Somali women and will soon be supporting initiatives that boost their participation in politics too.
Statement of the United Kingdom, March 28, 2016.
But this issue will not be solved by one country alone. That is why the United Kingdom is contributing $1 million to the Global Acceleration Instrument for Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (GAI). By funding the GAI, we can all offer material support that can break down those barriers. In Burundi, a network of women mediators was able to deal with 5,200 local conflicts in 2015. That is over 14 a day. Thanks to the GAI, they are now scaling up their activities. At a time when the Council has been so frustrated by the crisis in Burundi, it is heartening to see how powerful women’s civil society can be in their local mediation efforts.
Statement of the United Kingdom, March 28, 2016.
Since we call upon Africa’s leaders to do more to bring women into conflict prevention and resolution, let us also heed the call ourselves. What signal does it send when the primary body for preserving international peace and security only has one woman among its 15 permanent representatives. What message does it send to that young girl in Somalia who dreams of becoming president, or to those who want to answer the question “What was your role?” with something other than “survivor”? If we want half of the world’s population to have a say in conflict prevention and resolution, then let us begin in this building. That is why the United Kingdom has been clear that we need as many credible women as possible to apply to be the next Secretary-General. We have had three so far and I hope that there are more to come.