Implementation

With regard to development, we have begun to implement our 10-year national action plan for the women of Afghanistan based upon the priorities of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. As part of the action plan, we have established gender units in 14 of the 25 Government ministries.

We meet today to recognize the crucial role of women in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the tangible fruits of which have already been seen in Afghanistan in the decisive presence of women at the Consultative Peace Jirga in 2010 and in the continuing efforts to ensure women's participation in leadership positions within and outside of the Afghan Government.

We are also focusing on women political actors at national, subnational and local levels, as well as on capacity-building and advocacy strategies to enable them to obtain critical roles in high-level decisionmaking processes, policy and law-making positions in key Government institutions and to assist them in carrying out their significant political and social responsibilities.

Our international partners have assisted the Afghan Government in our endeavours. UN-Women has administered a multi-donor trust fund for the elimination of violence against women that provided grants for national organizations to combat violence against women.

Building a stable and secure environment that enables women to live free of intimidation and violence and promotes their participation and leadership in efforts to maintain peace and security is one of the core objectives of the Afghan Government.

Secondly, our approach to SSR has been too narrow. We must broaden it to take into account what host populations time and again demand, namely, a clear recognition that human rights, good governance and gender equality are inextricably linked with security sector reform.

At the regional level, the African Union (AU) is in the process of developing a policy framework document for SSR that refocuses emphasis from military security to human security by defending and protecting all citizens from all forms of violence and insecurity, including gender-based violence.

To that end, we see the need for more integrated planning and implementation of United Nations mandates across the entire peacebuilding continuum, starting with mediation, passing through disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and moving towards rule of law assistance, the empowerment of youth and women and socio-economic recovery.

It is also important to ensure the participation of all members of society, including women. They should be better represented in security institutions and their rights should be properly respected. In that connection, the efforts by the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea Bissau to integrate women into that country's police and military institutions should be continued and supported.

Special attention should be paid to the participation of women in planning, leading and implementing security sector reforms. Women are actors and stakeholders in upholding and promoting security and the rule of law. In this regard, we would like to recall the action plan of the Secretary-General on women's participation in peacebuilding.