Participation

The Government of Nepal is proud to inform the international community that it has adopted a national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) for the five-year period from 2011 to 2015. For Nepal, a country coming out of conflict, the adoption of a national action plan is a manifestation of our commitment to making the role of women in peacebuilding and the country's overall governance prominent.

We believe that the provisions of these Security Council resolutions are relevant at both the international and national levels. In Mexico, following an approach to prevent violence, the institutions that are responsible for monitoring security, safety and law enforcement receive ongoing training in the field of gender affairs.

We are also concerned about the low level of participation by women in peace negotiations. The exclusion of women and the lack of experts in gender matters in negotiations perpetuate inequality. As is indicated in the current report of the Secretary-General, issues related to women tend to be addressed at the later stages of conflict prevention and mediation.

Through the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, the United Nations has been able to develop, integrate and fine-tune the tools available to it to address a gender perspective in a multidimensional manner, by recognizing the importance of women's active participation in the various stages of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as in peacekeeping, reconstruction and peacebuilding.

The recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General are highly useful in identifying existing shortcomings in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and in ensuring the harmonization and coordination of United Nations efforts in that area.

The presence of additional female peacekeepers and female staff in peacebuilding operations, at both the military police and civilian levels, would have a clear positive effect. It is therefore necessary to increase the number of women who hold high-ranking posts in such operations.

Maldives has expressed support for Libya's National Transitional Council. With its current transition from conflict to creating a stable Government, we urge the National Transitional Council to stay mindful of the specific needs of women and its obligations towards them. That includes everything from disarmament and reconciliation to women's participation and representation.

Although women's participation in Tunisia's recent elections has not lived up to all expectations, we are confident that Tunisian women will be able to assume, at all levels and in all political and economic institutions, their responsibilities in the work of building their country, and that they will thereby set an example for other countries in the region and around the world.

Last June, women leaders from all parts of the world — Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral Wallström among them — met in Vilnius at a conference entitled “Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices” under the Lithuanian presidency of the Community of Democracies, and shared their experiences and best practices in enhancing the role of women.