I note that at the regional level, the Chilean Joint Centre for Peacekeeping Operations convened a seminar, jointly with the United States Naval Postgraduate School, entitled “Women, Peace and Security: Implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and new challenges”, in Santiago, Chile from 1 to 12 July. It was attended by professionals from Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay as well as from our own country.

Chile will continue promoting the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), convinced as it is of the important role played by women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and of the need to increase their participation in decision-making processes.

Prime Minister Harper and other leaders in New York recently reviewed progress on the 2010 Muskoka summit of the Group of Eight and the United Nations initiatives to improve to improve global maternal and child health. Under Canada's leadership, the Human Rights Council adopted the robust resolution 23/25 this past June on the elimination of violence against women.

Particularly egregious is the practice of child, early and forced marriage, which puts the very lives of young girls at risk. That practice denies girls' rights, disrupts their access to education, severely jeopardizes their health and limits the development of their community as a whole. Conflict situations exacerbate that practice among displaced and refugee populations, such as we know to be the case in Syria.

Much work is being done by Member States, including by Canada, to advance the empowerment of women and girls. For example, Canada played an active role in the development of resolution 24/23, addressing child, early and forced marriage at the twenty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council, and co-hosted a side event at the General Assembly in September.

Canada looks forward to working with others to strengthen our collective efforts to empower women and girls as active decision-makers. We look forward to the Security Council high-level review in 2015 to assess what progress we are making in enhancing the role of women in international peace and security.

Canada joined 112 other Member States in September in launching the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. Endorsements of the Declaration have now grown to an impressive 134 States. Canada and others are working with partners in the field to assist in the empowerment of women in conflict-related situations, to prevent and respond to sexual violence and to hold perpetrators to account.

Canada firmly believes that the participation of women in all decision-making processes, particularly those related to the prevention and resolution of conflict and the transition to democracy, is a necessary precondition to securing sustainable peace, as is their access to justice and their inclusion in the economic and social lives of their countries and communities.

“We must invest in opportunities for women and young girls. We must ensure that women participate fully in all parts of our society and in all the countries of the United Nations. That will help us build a stronger, more secure, more prosperous and more peaceful world” (A/68/PV.21, p. 2)

When empowered, women can have an important positive impact on the lives of the individuals in their societies, particularly in countries emerging from conflict. The Security Council is called on to continue to make sure that such impact is fully felt in all relevant situations on its agenda.