Implementation

As a newly elected member of the International Organization of la Francophonie, we would also like to welcome the May 2012 agreement between UN-Women and the International Organization of la Francophonie, which will further strengthen and reinforce gender- responsive policies and actions among Member States.

During its 1999-2000 term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Argentina maintained an active participation in the negotiations and consultations undertaken with women's organizations and civil society organizations focusing on gender issues that culminated in the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000).

Twelve years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the decisive contributions from women‘s movements and organizations in conflict prevention, and the commitment of organizations focusing on the human rights of women and girls to make a reality of the responsibility to protect — those are no longer matters of opinion.

The best way that we have found to respond to the theme of this debate is to refer briefly to the National Action Plan of the Argentine Republic for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), which is in its final phase of adoption. It will be adopted by a presidential decree once the final review phase, is under way right now, has been completed.

In addition, the actions taken to comply with objective 3 — on the inclusion of the gender perspective in all peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance missions — include the promotion of joint work by national institutions with expertise in the area of women's equality and civil society, with particular emphasis on the situation of women in armed conflict, post-conflict situations and socio-natural disasters.

Finally, in the section of the National Plan that focuses on monitoring and follow-up, it is expressly indicated that the Plan is the result of a participatory process launched by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, with the support of the Defence Ministry and with the participation of civil society organizations.

Each anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) gives us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to its objectives and at the same time to focus on some of the many dimensions it covers. Today we have the opportunity to reflect on the central role of civil society, especially women‘s organizations, in the drafting and subsequent implementation of the normative framework launched by the Council in the year 2000.

Women's civil society groups have been particularly crucial in acting as a united voice for Afghan women. An informal advisory group comprised of Afghan Government representatives, women Parliamentarians and civil society members meet directly with President Karzai on a regular basis to discuss issues of women's security, women in leadership, women's rights and cases of violence against women.

We have established a steering committee comprised of seven line ministries, the Commissioner for Human Rights and members of civil society, which meets under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to effectively coordinate the implementation of the National Action Plan.

To that end, by focusing on training and equipping the army, we have seen an encouraging growth in the number and capacities of our security forces. Those efforts have included women's participation in the Afghan National Army, in which they serve in a variety of capacities, including highly technical roles, such as pilots.