Canada welcomes the progress made in recent months in the peace and reconciliation process. We reiterate our insistence that women's rights not be forsaken for the sake of stability, as well as our support for an Afghan-led and -owned process. More can and should be done to ensure that the opponents of peace do not derail the reconciliation process through acts of terrorism.

I am especially concerned about the 20 per cent increase in civilian casualties among women and girls in 2012. UNAMA's monitoring of civilian casualties prompted two statements from the Taliban that perhaps indicate a willingness to engage. I encourage a meaningful dialogue aimed at reducing the intolerable, continuing death toll and at protecting civilians.

Advancing the opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan will remain a major priority for Australia. We very much welcome the references in resolution 2096 (2013), on UNAMA, to the need for measurable objectives to secure the rights of women and girls, as well as the need to counter discrimination. We condemn absolutely all forms of violence against women and girls.

On that point we cannot fail to express concern over the number of civilian victims caused by the conflict, which, while less than recorded in 2012, continues to be unacceptable. The rise in the number of deliberate attacks against civilians merely because they are believed to support the Government is particularly alarming, as is the increase in the number of women and children killed or injured in that same period.

For that reason, we wish to express our satisfaction with the fact that the UNAMA mandate that we have renewed today maintains its basic features, including the Mission's role with regard to elections at the request of the Afghan authorities, and the emphasis on the protection of civilians and the monitoring of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Afghanistan, in particular with regard to women and

Thirdly, economic transition and aid delivery will be crucial for the sustainability of the transition. That requires the commitment of the international community in supporting our self-reliance strategy through the transformation decade. The Tokyo Conference in July was about not letting the drawdown of international combat forces affect Afghanistan's strides towards stability and prosperity.

The Afghan people are keenly focused on a successful political transition, and all eyes are on the election next spring. The Government of Afghanistan is committed to fair, democratic, transparent and inclusive elections in which the men and women of Afghanistan will again shape their political future. Preparations for the elections are well under way.

Third, more military police and civilian personnel should receive relevant guidance and training before arriving at theatres. The Secretariat has made strides in developing standards, training materials, specialized guidance and policies on issues ranging from the protection of civilians to gender and health. Those resources must be put to good use.

Seventh, the special representatives of the Secretary-General should promote multidisciplinary cooperation, not only within the United Nations system but also among multilateral and bilateral assistance providers. We hope she — and I say “she” deliberately — will foster information-sharing among those actors and help forge a division of labour that builds on their comparative strengths.

Second, mission staffing strategies should rely on quality over quantity, especially with respect to leadership and civilian experts. To win a host population's confidence, a United Nations mission must quickly deploy real expertise and skills that the host country does not itself possess. Ten world-class experts arriving at the outset of a mission are far better than 100 mediocre generalists trickling in over time.