Participation

The United States welcomes this opportunity to reaffirm the indispensable role of women in bringing peace and security to countries embroiled in conflict or emerging from it. Women's active, indeed integral, involvement in peace processes and transitional justice mechanisms, including to address sexual violence, is critical to laying the foundation for lasting peace.

We need to home in on lack of accountability as one of the root causes of rape and sexual violence in conflict, but at the same time not forget that women's political, social and economic empowerment across all societies is essential and that our goal must be the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

Uganda strongly supports more active participation and involvement by women in addressing the concerns raised by sexual violence in conflict, post-conflict situations and peacebuilding, in particular in processes such as security sector and justice sector reform.

The Government of Uganda has taken a comprehensive approach aimed at enhancing women's empowerment, enhancing their participation and involvement in the promotion of peace and security, in conflict-prevention and resolution, in eradicating sexual violence and in ending impunity. We are committed to the implementation of the relevant instruments.

In an unprecedented partnership, civil society organizations, the Council and the United Nations as a whole have put in place a visionary framework based on five resolutions on women and peace and security. That framework not only asks us to fight sexual violence effectively in times of conflict, it also commits us to supporting women as active agents for change.

The full and equal participation of women and men in conflict prevention and peacebuilding is fundamental to combating sexual violence. Solutions must encompass all sectors of society, both in peacetime and in times of conflict. Women must not be seen merely as victims but as active participants who are central to all efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict.

In my statement, I would like to focus on three issues: the need to strengthen the participation of both women and men in efforts to prevent sexual violence; the need to strengthen national ownership and to build capacity at the national level to effectively fight impunity; and the need for accountability, to end the culture of impunity for such crimes.

Experience shows that women's involvement in peace processes can lead to more legitimate and lasting agreements. We need women to participate actively not only in United Nations field operations and missions, but also in national and local institutions.

Efforts to end sexual violence in conflict must include scrutiny of how gender roles are shaped and upheld in peacetime. Societies that view men as superior create an environment that is conducive to sexual violence in armed conflict.

We support the recommendations of the Secretary- General as contained in his recent report. We believe, however, that the effective implementation of resolution 1960 (2010) will require greater involvement of women in conflict resolution, mediation and peacebuilding processes.