Concerning the issue of violence against women, the Government of the Sudan in 2007 adopted a national strategy elaborated at both the official and the popular levels. The strategy includes six principles on strengthening and revitalizing the participation of women in the maintenance of peace, and on their right to participate in terms of decision-making, economic development, education, health, the environment and the settlement of disputes.
Last year, the Government of the Sudan celebrated the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. In our capital, Khartoum, a broad-based workshop was organized and a special day held to celebrate that anniversary, in coordination with the United Nations Mission in the Sudan and the country offices of the United Nations agencies in the country, notably UNIFEM.
My country has applied the principle of equal pay for equal work since 1967. Legislation and laws concerning women have been developed, especially in 2003, when a law was passed equalizing the age of retirement for men and women.
The international community must continue to strive in pursuit of peace and security, and should makeuse of the capacities of women as agents of change. This year, the Nobel Committee recognized the efforts of women who fought, in different areas, to achieve peace — proof of the added value of their work and of the importance of continuing such an effort, for which the cooperation of my Government can always be counted on.
Spain welcomes the report of the Secretary- General (S/2011/598*) and fully supports its recommendations, as well as the ambitious programme of quantified objectives and the strategic results framework annexed to it.
Regarding specific recent actions, allow me to highlight the first version of an international course on a gender comprehensive approach to operations, organized by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and of Defence of my country, in cooperation with their counterpart departments of the Government of the Netherlands, and held from 14 to 18 June in Madrid.
My country drew up an action plan on women, peace and security in 2007, which it has since updated twice. The effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions requires a significant cooperation effort, with the participation of six ministries, as well as constant and fluid contacts with civil society organizations, involved throughout the process, including the practical implementation of concrete actions.
In the same spirit of cooperation between the Administration and civil society, we are already working on new training activities that are largely inspired by the recommendations of the most recent report of the Secretary-General. Those activities will be collected in the third revision of the Spanish action plan, whose drafting is already under way.
In addition, my delegation once again welcomes the work of UN-Women and its Executive Director, Michelle Bachelet, in that area. We hope that, by continuing the fruitful cooperation already under way with other departments, agencies and programmes of the system, that entity has the central place that it merits in addressing the issue. For that, it can count on my country's full support.
Women also suffer disproportionately from poverty. An important dimension in advancing peace and preventing conflict is to ensure greater and more equitable economic justice and development. Despite advances in positioning women to assume leadership roles in conflict prevention and mediation, those advances will be meaningless if the root causes of conflict, which are by and large developmental in nature, are not sufficiently addressed.
