Participation

My second point is on the situation of women and girls. We appreciate the commitment of the Afghan Government to empowering women and ensuring gender equality. Post-Taliban Afghanistan has seen the appointment of the first female district governor, Saira Shakeeb Sadat. Women are asserting themselves as ministers and members of Parliament and of the High Peace Council.

Ever since the overthrow of the Taliban, there have been important gains in strengthening human rights and the rule of law. Nevertheless, a lot remains to be done, and no backsliding can be allowed. Afghan citizens, in particular women, still face insecurity in public spaces and at home, as well as a lack of access to an effective and fair justice system and legal representation.

Canada encourages the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Afghan Government to press forward with the strengthening of the electoral process. We note with concern that the likelihood of irregularities and fraud remains high and must be mitigated well in advance of elections.

Seventh, the special representatives of the Secretary-General should promote multidisciplinary cooperation, not only within the United Nations system but also among multilateral and bilateral assistance providers. We hope she — and I say “she” deliberately — will foster information-sharing among those actors and help forge a division of labour that builds on their comparative strengths.

Second, mission staffing strategies should rely on quality over quantity, especially with respect to leadership and civilian experts. To win a host population's confidence, a United Nations mission must quickly deploy real expertise and skills that the host country does not itself possess. Ten world-class experts arriving at the outset of a mission are far better than 100 mediocre generalists trickling in over time.

Specific innovations are being made. Women protection advisers will increasingly play a critical role in preventing further horrific incidences of sexual violence, in protecting vulnerable populations, and in promoting the participation of women in peace settlements and political life.

Last but not least, let me also underline the importance of mainstreaming women's participation in all stages of the peace process. We welcome the increasing awareness within the United Nations system and among Member States of the importance of removing the constraints on such participation, and look forward to seeing further enhancement in the role of women in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding endeavours.

To date, peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations are ever better at taking into account realities on the ground. In that regard, we would like to put emphasis on the importance of women's participation and of language skills, among other requirements, to ensure smooth interactions with populations at the grass roots.

Togo appreciate the efforts already made in terms of training and expertise before deployment on the ground, both for civilians and security forces. To assist those efforts and meet international standards in that area, a training centre for military and police was set up in Lomé in order to ensure their efficient deployment in peacekeeping operations.

My delegation also welcomes the reiteration in the resolution of the importance of the gender dimension in peacekeeping, in particular with regard to promoting the participation of women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. We highly appreciate the Secretary-General's call for stronger action to meet the challenges to integrating women at all levels and within the United Nations structure itself.