Participation

The role of women's organizations across the world in preventing violence, resolving conflict and building the foundations for peace is well known. Our challenge is to become more systematic in supporting and scaling up these initiatives and making the necessary links to formal peace processes.

Finally, engaging women and promoting gender equality as part of our work for peace and security is a daily responsibility and an unfinished mission for all of us. It is time for us to finally recognise the role and power of women to help us build a peaceful world.

During a recent visit to Mali I saw first-hand some of the acute challenges women face in times of crisis and conflict. My time there left a deep impression on me. I promised the women leaders with whom I met in Bamako that I would convey their message to this Council. They told me disturbing accounts of the abuses women face in the northern part of the country now under extremists' rule and occupation.

As the case of Mali clearly underlines, armed conflict affects women and men differently. This means that women have to be part of the solution. One of the key messages of the Secretary-General's report on women, peace and security is that early and sustained engagement with women is crucial to ensure the sustainability of peace efforts as well as vital to deepen democracy and to promote respect for human rights.

We believe that women's civil society organizations, in close cooperation with the relevant Governments, can advance the women and peace and security agenda by bringing forward their concerns, priorities and rights in conflict prevention and resolution, and in the peacebuilding process.

As the Secretary-General has pointed out in his report, 37 States have adopted national action plans to implement that resolution. Several countries have also adopted temporary special measures to increase the number of women in decision-making bodies. The protection of civilians has been included in the mandates of 8 of 16 peacekeeping missions.

We should also step up our efforts with regard to women in decision-making positions. While temporary special measures, including electoral gender quotas, can be an effective tool for increasing women's political participation both as voters and as candidates, we agree that more attention must be paid to addressing the structural factors that discourage women's candidacy and electoral participation.

Much has been achieved in the 12 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). However, as the Secretary-General has pointed out, we clearly need to do more. The number of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations and political missions, including in senior positions in field missions, as well as appointments of women mediators, must be enhanced.

Women's participation in post-conflict peacebuilding is also crucial. The international community must work to facilitate women's full and equal political participation in post-conflict election processes, including by addressing the structural impediments that discourage women's candidacies.

Our actions to pursue the women, peace and security agenda do not occur in a vacuum. Work to promote the participation of women and girls in peace and security processes needs to take place within the broader context of work to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. The message is simple.