Implementation

In this regard, Uganda, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNIFEM and the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues, held its first workshop from 14 to 16 September this year to agree on what these indicators will be for Uganda's action plan.

In conclusion, Uganda welcomes the adoption of resolution 1889 (2009), as it highlights this deficit and calls for a response to the needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations for sustainable peace and security.

In addition to the two women directly on the peace team, Uganda facilitated women's attendance at various meetings that were held during that process. In addition, during the talks a gender adviser was seconded to the Office of the Special Envoy to LRA- Affected Areas. This was the result of collaboration between UNIFEM and the United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

We also believe that the establishment of a set of indicators, as foreseen in resolution 1889 (2009), might serve as a useful means by which we can monitor and track the implementation of measures at the global level.

That is why Turkey has given its strong support to projects aimed at ensuring increased participation by women in all areas of social and political life. In other words, we believe that the empowerment of women in its entirety should be at the core of all our efforts. In that respect, let me cite our approach in Afghanistan.

Given the adoption of resolution 1888 (2009) only a week ago, this meeting has particular significance in demonstrating to the world at large the continued commitment of the Council to the empowerment of women in all its aspects. In this respect, I would like to commend Viet Nam's leading role in organizing this debate, as well as its efforts in preparing the resolution we have just adopted.

As mentioned in the Secretary-General's reports, there are many ongoing projects and programmes aimed at protecting women and girls against gender- based violence and other kinds of risks and challenges. However, despite the progress made so far, we cannot fail to note that much remains to be done, particularly in the area of implementation.

There is an urgent need to advocate more strongly for the equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

The primary responsibility for preventing and protecting women and girls in conflict situations and their aftermath should not lie with the international community alone. That would assist in promoting local ownership in peace processes. South Africa remains committed to the full and effective implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009).

The African Union and subregional organizations offer several advantages in the pursuit of effective conflict prevention and resolution.