Participation

Women can play an important role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding. We therefore call for the continued constructive participation of women throughout peace processes, mission drawdowns and political transitions.

As our Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Honourable John Baird, stated at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations in September, women are the key to the development of pluralistic societies, and the full and active participation of women in all parts of civil society and throughout society as a whole is very important in that regard.

Women's economic empowerment in post-conflict situations is also vital to making them full partners in peace efforts and increasing their ability to contribute to the consolidation of peace.

We are therefore confronted with a real need for the United Nations, Governments and non-State actors to foster and support their involvement in the field of international peace and security. Among the several strategies that can be used to attain that goal, one of the most important is enhancing dialogue with women's groups in conflict and post-conflict situations.

There is, however, a long way to go before women are fully and duly integrated into national and multilateral peace efforts around the world. In various respects, such as the number of women representatives and mediators; the number, substance and relative importance of provisions in peace agreements; and post- conflict strategies or policies, women's participation in peace and security processes is still insufficient.

There is compelling evidence that women, when empowered, can have a significant positive impact on the lives of many people in their societies, particularly in countries emerging from conflict. The Security Council is therefore called on to continue to make a significant contribution to ensure that such impact is fully felt in all pertinent situations on its agenda.

Supporting and promoting women's participation in the maintenance of international peace and security is an increasingly important aspect of the Security Council's responsibility under the Charter.

Although Brazil's reality differs greatly from that of post-conflict countries, some of our experiences may be useful for such societies. One interesting example is the Bolsa Familia, a conditional cash transfer programme that has lifted millions of Brazilians out of overty.

The effective participation of women's civil society organizations in conflict prevention and resolution is essential for the sustainability of peace processes.

In this regard, we also believe that if women are to play a key role in conflict-prevention and peacebuilding processes, the obstacles and challenges that limit their involvement need to be addressed, including their underrepresentation in formal peace and security processes.