Implementation

So we have to think creatively. Member States have a role to play in ensuring
women's full and effective contribution during peace processes, supporting local
civil society efforts, deploying more women in support of peace support
operations and also in identifying and proposing talented women for senior
peacekeeping and peacebuilding positions. In turn, the UN needs to attract the

In 60 years of UN peacekeeping, only 7 women have held the post of Special
Representative of the Secretary-General. In terms of boots on the ground, a
measurement from April this year put the percentage of women military
personnel on UN operations at only 1.9%. Yet many militaries, including the
UK'S and other Troop and Police Contributing Countries, have a much higher

First, he stressed the need to strengthen the international community's ability to
offer coordinated and well-managed support to national authorities, in order to
ensure a common strategy to drive integrated political, security and development
activities. Second, he saw a requirement for increased national and international
civilian capacities to plan and implement stabilisation and recovery efforts.

Despite this Council's recognition of the vital role that women can play in the
areas of conflict prevention and resolution, the remcord of women's participation in
peace processes since the adoption of resolutiori 1325 in 2000 is poor.
Remarkably, there are currently no women engaged as Special Envoys of the
Secretary-General. The Council has very recently reiterated this concern, in its

While women may be the first casualties of war, they remain active agents of change and play a
meaningful role in the recovery and reintegration of their families. Women are also instrumental in
bringing about democracy and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. It is for that reason that
SADC welcomes this opportunity, on the eighth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325

While SADC acknowledges that women and civil society organizations have been the driving
force behind our efforts and achievements, we are committed to continue to strengthen efforts to
address the challenges of peace and security for women. We therefore welcome the seriousness
with which the Security Council continues to address the question. In that connection, SADC

In our resolve to mainstream a gender perspective into all aspects of our lives, SADC heads of
State signed the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development on 17 August 2008. That instrument
has been hailed as an important step towards the empowerment of women, the elimination of
discrimination and the achievement of gender equality and equity. In the context of peace and

Gender equality and the empowerment of women is one of the founding principles of SADC and
is enshrined in the SADC Treaty of 1992. We have been greatly honoured by the leadership and
important contributions of women in recent peace processes and negotiations in our region. We
also take pride in the fact that, throughout our history, the women of Southern Africa have played

Women can make an even greater contribution to conflict prevention and settlement in all their
aspects. In post-conflict rehabilitation, we must make broader use of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women as a fundamental document. We must
also devote greater attention to gender mainstreaming in United Nations efforts to reduce poverty

We welcome the concrete steps taken by the United Nations system to guarantee the exercise of
women's rights. We believe that there is a need to make more active use of the expertise of the
Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. At the same time, we note that the
Secretary-General's report does not provide a comprehensive response to the Council's earlier