Implementation

We are now passing through a very challenging period. We are about to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security at a time when such initiatives as review of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), women's participation in peacebuilding, review of civilian capacity and others are being debated and developed.

The Movement appreciates the Secretary- General's efforts to create specific action plans for ensuring women's participation in the peacebuilding process and emphasizes that women are crucial partners in shoring up the three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy.

Furthermore, we are looking forward to regular updates by the SG on efforts to ensure women's full participation in peacebuilding. The indicators to measure progress in the implementation of Res. 1325 constitute a useful tool to track progress in this regard.

Austria therefore fully supports the SG's Action Plan for Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding with its seven commitments and calls upon the Secretariat and other relevant bodies and agencies to translate these commitments into concrete programs, ensuring that the peacebuilding priorities, as identified by the SG in his 2009 report, are met in a gender-responsive way to ensure women's full participation.

Austria has repeatedly stressed the importance of national ownership of peacebuilding processes. In order to promote national leadership and ensure the sustainability of progress, all peacebuilding efforts need to draw upon existing national capacities to the greatest extent possible. We therefore welcome efforts to assess existing capacities as a basis for the deployment of international civilian expertise.

That means enacting policies that create new opportunities for people to build a better future for themselves, strengthening our commitment to core values, particularly human rights and the rule of law. We cannot sacrifice those values in our zeal to stop terrorists.

"One place where we need better coordination, and where it is absolutely urgent, is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where sexual and gender-based violence against civilians has reached unimaginable proportions. Last year, after visiting the DRC and meeting with women who were brutally assaulted and raped, I chaired the Council's adoption of resolution 1888 (2009), to combat sexual violence in conflict zones.

"An equally important topic is the role of women in peace and security. We must seize the unique opportunity of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) this October to renew our commitment and work towards the increased participation, representation and full involvement of women in preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Women account for more than half of the world's population. Families cannot be
homes without women playing a key role in maintaining and nurturing them.
Societies cannot be peaceful communities without the vital participation of
women. My Delegation commends the measures the United Nations has
undertaken over the past years in promoting the role of women in peace and

With women having served in the war time as generals and peace negotiators,
Viet Nam now ranks 3 " in Asia-Pacific in terms of the female ratio in the
Parliament membership, and has always had: for over two decades, a female
Vice-president of State and several female Ministers. In every State or public
institution there is a women affairs cornmiitee that oversees and promotes