Participation

I would like to say the following. Ukrainian women have rallied to deal with the current situation. Female politicians, social activists, volunteers and human rights activists are working actively to re-establish peace, and their role in dealing with women and peace and security issues is extremely important and ever-growing.

We have had a year — a year to increase the effective participation of women in peace processes; a year to increase women’s roles in the military and peacekeeping; a year to increase the finance to support all this work and more. So how have we got on? Well, let me take those three points — participation, peacekeeping and money — in turn.

In politics and governance, more women have been able to be elected to the national legislature and other Government legislative institutions due to the deliberate Government policy of affirmative action of reserving certain positions for women alone, in addition to their ability to compete with men in other positions. More female members have also been appointed to the national Cabinet in Government.

One of the founding principles of the United Arab Emirates is the full, meaningful and continually improving participation of women in every aspect of our society. In recognition of that core belief, the United Arab Emirates foreign policy strategy now includes women’s empowerment and protection as priority themes.

Multiple initiatives and programmes have been established to ensure prevention, participation, protection and education for women and girls. As an example, between 2013 and 2015 Turkey’s humanitarian aid programme on eliminating and responding to gender-based violence for Syrian women and girls was conducted by the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund.

The horrific acts perpetrated against women and girls by terrorist organizations, such as Da’esh and Boko Haram, require a comprehensive approach to eliminating the root causes of the problem. That approach should include women’s equal and full participation as active agents in the prevention and resolution of conf licts, peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

At the national level, the equal rights of women and men are guaranteed under the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago. Equal opportunities exist for women’s participation at the decision-making level in matters regarding peace and security. That is underscored by the recruitment and ascendency of women to senior ranks of the security sector in Trinidad and Tobago.

In these challenging times, it is essential to promote partnerships with civil society, and in particular with women’s networks. Colombia is a perfect example of the role that civil society women’s networks can play in peace and peacebuilding efforts.

The full and effective participation of women and girls in peace processes is a necessary condition for sustaining peace and for durable and equitable peace for all. We strongly support the call of Secretary-General-designate António Guterres for a surge in peace diplomacy and his manifest dedication to achieving gender equality. They go hand in hand.

Sudanese women have always been essential partners in preparing and participating in parliamentary and presidential elections, including those held this past year. Today, 30 per cent of our parliamentarians are women. Women hold important positions in Government.