Statement of Germany

About a year ago, we met in this Chamber for the high-level review on women and peace and security (see S/PV.7533). On that occasion, a record number of speakers in the history of the Council voiced their support for the agenda built on resolution 1325 (2000). However, despite some progress, huge implementation gaps remain, as today’s briefings have clearly demonstrated. I would like to particularly thank Rita Lopidia from EVE, who spoke about the difficult situation of women in South Sudan in a very impressive manner. I will keep my remarks short and operational. After all, the shortcomings in the implementation of the women and peace and security framework are due not to a lack of words, but to a lack of action. How can we do better here in New York? A year ago, the adoption of resolution 2242 (2015) gave the Council a clear mandate to be more inclusive and to involve civil society in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. The Council needs to live up to that commitment and should open its country-specific considerations for briefings by civil society whenever possible. Germany sees the establishment of the Council’s Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security as a major institutional milestone. Within less than a year of its existence, the Expert Group has already assessed four country situations, in close collaboration with United Nations field missions on the ground. We now need to ensure that the excellent outcomes of the Group reach the Council more frequently and directly. How can we improve the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) at the regional level? The Council has rightly called upon regional organizations to partake in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. As part of our Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) chairmanship, Germany has heeded that call and has appointed a Special Representative of the OSCE Chairpersonship-in-Office on Gender Issues. Next month we will host a meeting in Berlin on women and peace and security that will discuss ways to accelerate the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) both within the OSCE framework and beyond. Where do we stand on the implementation on the national level? Germany is currently revising its national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). We look forward to exchanging our lessons learned with partners, not just here in New York, but also at the capital level. Germany has also taken an active role in the setup of the focal points network founded by Spain. We are proud to host the 2018 meeting of the network in Berlin. We are currently working with UN-Women, the African Union (AU) and the AU Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop, to explore ways to facilitate the exchange of experiences between African women leaders. We encourage the next Secretary-General to continue to treat the women and peace and security agenda as a high priority. The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) remains a cross-cutting task for the entire United Nations system, not just the Security Council. We see the women and peace and security agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as interlinked. That means that we need to approach their implementation in tandem. Those present can count on Germany’s support in taking practical and specific steps to transform the women and peace and security framework into action.