STATEMENT OF SLOVAKIA, October, 2015

Fifteen years ago, through its resolution 1325 (2000), the Security Council acknowledged the fact that women were not playing a large enough role in the peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes. It is indeed symbolic that the fifteenth anniversary of the resolution’s adoption coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Goal 5 of our recently launched new development agenda, “Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (General Assembly resolution 70/1), explicitly addresses the need to achieve gender equality and to engage and empower all women and girls in our efforts to make our life and our planet sustainable for future generations. The targets under Goal 5 provide an appropriate balance of protection and support for women, with three aimed at protecting women and girls by ending harmful practices and the rest aimed at encouraging women’s ability to enter the public sphere in meaningful ways.