Reconstruction and Peacebuilding

My Government attaches great importance to resolution 1325 (2000), and we are in the final stage of preparing our national action plan for the effective implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008). As a nation emerging from conflict and moving towards lasting peace, stability and prosperity, Nepal is fully aware of the benefits of effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

As enshrined in its interim Constitution, Nepal is committed to setting aside 33 per cent of seats in Parliament for women. We are also committed to continuing an affirmative action policy in our civil service with a view to bringing women into the decision-making levels of the public sector. We are also committed to increasing women's participation in our army and police forces.

In conclusion, SADC has devoted a lot of efforts in empowering and advancing women. However, women still remain largely underrepresented from key decisionmaking structures and in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes. The region believes that given the opportunity, women are active agents of change and play a critical role in the recovery and reintegration of families after conflict.

The Framework for Cooperation is aimed to strengthen and draw upon both organizations' experiences, allowing the United Nations Department of Political Affairs to utilize SADC's knowledge and understanding of the region and the mediation, peacemaking and peacebuilding capacities.

Since we believe that effective peace building starts from the national and subregional, to the international level, it is of vital importance that the UN works closely together with regional groups, such as SADC, as we believe. To that end, the United Nations and SADC signed an agreement on 21 September 2010, to work together on issues vital to peace and security such as conflict prevention, mediation and elections.

In terms of establishing quantifiable indicators in the follow-up to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), as requested by the Security Council, we should note, as was indeed highlighted by the Secretary-General, that these indicators must be further enhanced.

We underscore the essential contribution of civil society, which has made possible significant progress and helped us to define women's participation as an essential element of peacebuilding processes and recovery efforts in affected countries.

Although the role of women in development no longer needs to be proven, it is equally crucial to ensuring lasting peace, social cohesion and political legitimacy. Women's contributions are not an end in themselves; they are also crucial elements in achieving peacebuilding priorities. In that regard, in order to ensure the rule of law, there must be support for the establishment and strengthening of national institutions.

Women are part of the solution to the structural problems of conflict and one of the driving forces behind reconstruction. However, unless we provide effective tools and mechanisms to ensure their participation, we are perpetuating inequality, maintaining the spiral of violence and delaying the very solution of these conflicts.

Ten years ago, when it adopted resolution 1325 (2000), the Council acknowledged that women and girls suffered disproportionately from the effects of armed conflicts and were frequently the specific and deliberate victims of various forms of violence.