I must also highlight the crucial role played by the protection of human rights and the provision of humanitarian assistance in maintaining security and restoring a climate conducive to peace. Human rights violations, especially of women and children, have no place in peace processes, which are already so fragile. The fight against impunity must not therefore be sacrificed on the altar of national reconciliation.

For example, improved energy-saving cooking stoves, which use less firewood than traditional stoves, were introduced in Rwanda in 2000 in order to preserve trees and the environment. Now Rwandan peacekeepers have brought such stoves to Darfur, where women and young girls live in fear of getting raped every time they venture outside camps for internally displaced persons or their villages to collect firewood for cooking.

Lastly, women must be included as active participants at every stage of peacebuilding, peace agreements and development programmes, including in decision-making roles. Women are essential partners in any peaceful society and contribute to the three pillars of sustainable peace, namely, economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy.

Fifthly, the protection of civilians, especially women and children, under imminent threat of physical violence must be taken into account in the early phases of mandate drafting and throughout the life cycle of United Nations peacekeeping missions.

United Nations peacekeeping has saved and protected tens of millions of lives around the globe. It helps shattered communities and neighbourhoods rebuild themselves. It replaces strife with harmony. Brave women and men in the peacekeeping missions have made tremendous sacrifices in the cause of peace. More than 3,000 peacekeepers have laid down their lives to save the world from the scourge of war. Today we collectively pay homage to them.

The contribution of women in peacekeeping operations requires special acknowledgement. Often, women in peacekeeping missions serve as a source of inspiration to women and girls in conflict-ridden parts of the world. On its part, Namibia has heeded the Secretary-General's call by nominating women to serve in various United Nations peacekeeping missions.

I also want to underline that women have to be included as active participants in peacekeeping missions and in all peacebuilding activities, including in decision-making roles, because we know that peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes involving the participation of women have a better chance to succeed.

The Council is right to underline the importance of deploying qualified and experienced peacekeepers, with all the necessary skills, including language skills, and who respect the Organization's zero-tolerance policy with respect to misconduct. Sexual exploitation and abuse must not be tolerated. On the other hand, every measure should be taken to ensure the safety and security of deployed personnel.

Peacekeeping operations are at the heart of the work of the United Nations. Today, they are more complex and diverse, working in increasingly difficult environments and in situations that can suddenly change. In order to meet that reality and given the fact that security, development and the rule of law are intrinsically linked, the great majority of peacekeeping operations are now multidimensional.

It is clear that no lasting peace can be achieved unless we address the root causes of a conflict from the outset. The crises in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa make that evident every day.