Participation

Botswana strongly supports the involvement of women in peace negotiations, peacebuilding and conflict prevention. We are also supportive of calls for addressing concerns about sexual violence in mediation and peace processes, particularly in the context of security arrangements and transitional justice mechanisms. However, we believe that such efforts should take into consideration the needs and rights of women and children.

Involving women in conflict prevention and mediation is therefore essential to building peace and reinforcing the foundations of democracy. Women's participation remains low in both the official and observer roles.

Integrating a gender perspective into peacekeeping policies and the promotion of women's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations is fundamental to a more effective performance on the ground. Recruiting women in the civil, military and police components of peacekeeping missions can encourage local women to report incidents of sexual violence and can also contribute to establishing better communication with local communities.

Supporting women's leadership and participation is essential to addressing, responding to, and indeed ending sexual violence. Women are powerful agents of change, and we must harness that capacity by promoting their far greater participation in conflict resolution and post-conflict transitions.

We agree with the need for a human rights focus in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, as well as in mediation, ceasefire, peace and preventive diplomacy processes, with an intensified focus on women and girls. In that respect, we believe that women's participation in all consultation and decision-making processes should not be the exception, but rather the rule.

Resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, together with other Council resolutions, signified and still represents a huge breakthrough. In that resolution, the Council recognized the fundamental role that women played in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding.

However, with the same firmness with which we require comprehensive protection for victims, we would like to say that it is vital that women be included in all decisions that affect their lives, as participation promotes protection.

As members of the High Peace Council and as members of civil society, women play a central role in the peace process. The results of our peace and reconciliation efforts will in no way jeopardize the hard-won gains of the past 11 years, especially those relating to human rights, and to the rights of women in particular.

Afghanistan today remains a proud Muslim society with more women now serving in the Afghan National Assembly than in many democracies. Access to education is getting closer to being universal. Under the Taliban, fewer than 1 million children, almost all of them boys, were in school. Now more than 8 million children go to school, and more than a third of them are girls.

With regard to the preparations for the elections, we join the Secretary-General's call in his report urging the parties concerned to adopt a constructive attitude in order to avoid a deadlock, whose consequences would be severe.