We welcome the fact that, at the national level, the number of countries that have given priority to women and peace and security through national action plans has continued to grow, and that 37 Member States have already adopted national action plans. Estonia adopted its national action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in 2010 and has since shared its process of preparing an action plan with other countries.
We fully agree with the Secretary-General that the gender dimensions of mediation should be clearly and consistently articulated. Indeed, it is important to raise gender-specific issues from the onset of the conflict analysis phase and during the earliest moments of the peace negotiations. That can help ensure that provisions dealing with gender equality are included in peace accords.
We find it particularly pertinent to stress the value of engaging women's organizations and female community leaders in all aspects of conflicts, from prevention to post-conflict engagement. They are a crucial factor in securing the credibility and legitimacy of international efforts. We therefore deplore the fact that women human rights defenders so often become targets in conflicts.
We are deeply concerned that, according to the Secretary-General's most recent report (S/2012/732), sexual violence and the threat of sexual violence continue to be employed as weapons of war in a range of conflicts. In some cases, even an increase of incidents was reported in 2011. Sexual and gender-based violence are gross human rights violations that are present in every armed conflict.
There is a growing understanding that women and children are impacted uniquely and disproportionately by the effects of conflicts and their aftermath. Estonia has focused its development cooperation as well as its humanitarian assistance and human rights activities on supporting those vulnerable groups.
Promoting the rights of women is one of the priorities of Estonia's foreign policy. In all aspects of that work, special attention is paid to the participation of women's NGOs in policymaking and peace processes.
Finally, we have noted that, according to the data published in the Secretary-General's report, the information flow to the Security Council and the Council's response to women and peace and security concerns continue to be uneven, and we would like to encourage the Council to pay greater attention to the matter.
Estonia remains concerned about the lack of accountability for those who have committed gross violations of human rights. In that context, we would like to stress the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a significant actor in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern committed against women and girls.
As a member of the UN-Women Executive Board — which plays a significant role in contributing to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) — and of the Commission on the Status of Women, we support the objective of empowering women in society.
