A significant number of peace agreements fail within the first five years of signature. Among the various reasons for this outcome, the lack of inclusiveness is evident. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women at the decision-making level is crucial for assuring that the political, social and economic outcomes of peace talks and mediation efforts address their specific issues and concerns.

Women will not be protected in any lasting way until in-depth legal and judicial reforms are undertaken by countries emerging from armed conflict. Fortunately, a number of countries have undertaken reforms in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other relevant international legal instruments.

This issue is at the centre of the majority of Security Council debates, but we are still far from a solution. The United Nations must stress the fight against violence by supporting, through appropriate mechanisms, the Governments of countries in conflict situations or emerging therefrom to address the issues of violence and impunity.

The Secretary-General's report also indicates that in the context of economic recovery and access to resources during and after conflict, women have also played a very limited role. My country believes that women should enjoy, in peacetime and in conflict situations, all economic and social rights, inheritance and property rights, and access to basic services, especially in areas of health and education.

The adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) and its subsequent resolutions demonstrates the Council's continuous concern at the violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

My delegation welcomes the fact that resolution 2122 (2013), which was adopted earlier today, focuses on various aspects of the fight against violence against women. We hope that it will have a positive impact on the ground, in particular through its implementation by all countries.

It goes without saying that the fight against impunity can be waged only in the context of a rule of law that establishes effective transitional justice and promotes the effective participation of victims, including women, in the country's reconstruction.

However, we acknowledge the efforts of some countries that have integrated gender issues into their national legislation by setting a quota for women in elected positions and high-level decision-making, as is the case in such post-conflict countries as Timor- Leste, Afghanistan, Liberia, Haiti and the Democratic

As we all know, violence against women will not end until those who commit and order it are found, arrested, tried and sentenced. The fight against impunity cannot be a matter of mere words; it must see be a commitment by all political actors and parties in a crisis to work to eradicate the culture of violence against women and girls, especially rape, which has for some time been a weapon of war.

"The events unfolding in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Central African Republic — as Ms. Balipou mentioned — in Syria and elsewhere around the world, where women continue to be the special target of violence committed by men, show that there is still a long way to go to protect women in situations of armed conflict.