Implementation

Italy recalls the Secretary-General's appeal to involve women's organizations from the early stages of conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts. That should become standard practice. Women leaders also have an important role to play in transitions, including in the drawdown of United Nations and international missions, when the previous gains in gender equality can be at risk.

Italy is a long-standing supporter of the women and peace and security agenda. In December 2010, we adopted a three-year action plan to implement resolution 1325 (2000). Next year, we will review the plan in order to assess its progress. Action plans and strategies are indeed a critical tool to advance implementation and to enhance accountability at both the national and the regional levels.

It is important that we do more to ensure women's participation in decision-making on mission drawdowns and transitions. The United Nations must take the lead in the involvement of women and set an example for the international community. Israel supports the work of UN-Women in that regard.

Finally, I have the pleasure today to announce the launch of another important publication supported by Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Handbook on Women, Peace and Security, by the NGO Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

To make just a quick point in relation to civil society, the Secretary-General's report makes specific mention of one model for civil society engagement, namely, the election “situation room”. It was my privilege recently to co-host at the Irish Mission a panel discussion on the contribution made by the women's situation room to ensuring peace and stability during the Senegalese presidential elections held earlier this year. Ms.

The empowerment agenda is not an outsider's agenda; it is one that is arising organically from within those societies. Women, either individually or in civil society organizations, have demonstrated, often at great personal cost, their hunger and passion for change. And we know that change is both necessary and possible.

The challenge is to document and disseminate such initiatives in different countries so as to transform single experiences into mainstream policy. The strength of civil society initiatives often lies in their spontaneity and local buy-in; the weaknesses can be in ensuring structure, durability and transferability.

It is evident from the Secretary-General's report that there is a substantial and expanding conceptual infrastructure dedicated to women and peace and security issues. As in so many other areas of United Nations work, the challenge is implementation, implementation, implementation. We need to ensure that fine words in New York translate into measurable and meaningful results on the ground.

In its recent statements on women and peace and security, the Security Council has recognized the primary role and responsibility of national Governments. That is indeed true, and we all recognize the importance of national ownership. But national ownership can never become a rationale or alibi for inaction by the rest of us.

While we have covered significant ground towards fully implementing resolution 1325 (2000), progress has yet to be made in implementing some key aspects of that resolution. We recognize that decisive action must be taken in the following areas. First, the number of women involved as United Nations peacekeepers needs to be increased in the future.