Participation

Violent extremism has intensified and degenerated into the worst forms of violence against women, including sexual violence used as a weapon of war, thereby returning us to a time that we thought had been overcome by humankind.

Women across the world, from Columbia to Uganda to Burundi to Tunisia, have emerged as leaders and consensus-builders, thus inspiring hope of peace and prosperity amid conflict, chaos and violence.

As agents for peace, women also have a vital role to play in achieving sustainable development, because peace and development, as we all agree, are inextricably linked.

Fourthly, I would like to mention that the OSCE also recognizes the important role women can play in preventing radicalization and violent extremism. Accordingly, next month we will convene a conference on this topic that will bring together policymakers, experts and activists from across the OSCE region.

Where women are included and can exert an influence, we are more likely to reach a peace agreement and the peace is more likely to last. Where women are involved in peacekeeping, the operation enjoys more trust and is more effective. Where there is political will, sexual violence can be addressed, even in humanitarian crises.

That also means deploying more women in United Nations missions. And it means ensuring that those deployed — male and female — have the knowledge and training required to respond to challenges related to a lack of gender equality or women’s empowerment. That requires making greater effort within our national military and police forces.

We are convinced that the only way to achieve sustainable peace is by the meaningful inclusion of women in conflict prevention, in conflict resolution and in mediation and peace processes.

We can do better, however. Just 10 per cent of NATO armed forces are women; of those deployed in operations, it is just 5.5 per cent. We understand that improving this ratio will improve effectiveness, and we urge Member States to do their part. We support the United Nations pledge in London to double the proportion of women in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Despite signs of progress, we are forced to note that the overall result is far from being satisfactory. Evaluations of the achievements of the 15 past years clearly show that the participation of women in negotiation processes has remained low. Between 1992 and 2011, only 9 per cent of negotiators were women. Only 27 per cent of peace agreements signed between 2000 and 2015 referred to women’s gender equality and the needs of women.

Sustainable peace requires comprehensive and long-term approaches that link political action, security, justice, development, and the promotion of human rights in support of national efforts, in which women play a central role.