STATEMENT OF GEORGIA ON THE SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY, OCTOBER, 2015
STATEMENT OF GEORGIA, October, 2015.
We strongly believe that women’s rights and gender equality are not only a human rights topic, but also an important peace and security issue. Although maintaining international peace and security is central to our Organization and especially for the Council, today we face far too often situations when the fundamental norms of international, humanitarian and human rights law, as well as other universally recognized principles, are blatantly abused. Georgia condemns in the strongest terms, all cases of violations of women’s rights and discrimination, both in wartime and in peacetime, whether committed by State or non-State actors.
STATEMENT OF GEORGIA, October, 2015.
Despite the broad understanding of the nature of the problem and the numerous efforts made at all levels to address them, we have yet to see tangible progress on the ground. Women and girls continue to fall victim to acts of violence, murder, maiming and arbitrary detention committed by parties to conflicts across the globe. Boko Haram’s abduction of hundreds of women and girls in Chibok and the kidnappings in Syria and Iraq committed by Daesh and other terrorist groups are glaring examples of the types of gross violations to which women in armed conflict are subjected. The areas controlled by non-State actors and terrorist groups, as well as territories under illegal foreign military occupation, are zones of grave risk for women, with imminent threats to their lives posed by actors that operate in total denial of internationally recognized legal norms.
STATEMENT OF GEORGIA, October, 2015.
As an illustration of our strong commitment to the advancement of women, in collaboration with the United Nations and the European Union, on 9 and 10 November we plan to organize an international high-level conference on meeting gender equality challenges and opportunities in the European Neighbourhood Policy in Tbilisi, Georgia. We believe that the empowerment of women stands at the centre of sustainable development. In that regard, we once again welcome the stand-alone and cross-cutting gender equality Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly 70/1), adopted at the Sustainable Development Summit last month.
STATEMENT OF GEORGIA, October, 2015.
Unfortunately, the human rights situation, in general, and the situation with regard to women’s and children’s rights and gender equality in particular, remain a serious challenge in the Georgian territories that are under illegal Russian military occupation. Specifically, women in the occupied regions continue to suffer grave violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of movement, the right to education in their native language and other political, economic, civil, social and cultural rights to which they are entitled under the Constitution of Georgia, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other international mechanisms. The humanitarian situation in the occupied territories requires immediate attention, especially since no international organization has been allowed to monitor the human rights situation there. We therefore call on the Russian Federation once again to abide by the August 2008 ceasefire agreement.