Implementation

The increased awareness of gender across the United Nations system is indeed encouraging. In this respect, Denmark welcomes the recent decision of the General Assembly to establish a United Nations gender entity. We hope that the entity will bring about the much needed improvements to the work of the United Nations, including in the area of international peace and security.

The Danish national action plan was formulated in a participatory manner involving all relevant national stakeholders. An annual dialogue with civil society is planned and an inter-ministerial working group is responsible for reporting on the plan's implementation. I have elaborated in some detail on the Danish national action plan and its objectives, since resolution 1325 (2000) in itself will not do the trick. It must be implemented.

Resolution 1325 (2009) is a strong resolution, and we all have an obligation to implement it effectively. We see the adoption of today's resolution 1889 (2009) as a step towards strengthening our joint efforts in that respect. Some progress has been made and should be recognized. Incorporation of gender perspectives into peace processes is emerging, but slowly.

Denmark fully agrees with the recommendations of the Secretary-General on ensuring accountability. We also emphasize the stated need for concerted efforts to collect data. At the end of the day, it is results that count.

We align ourselves with the statement to be delivered later by the representative of Sweden on behalf of the European Union. Here, I shall make additional remarks in my national capacity. Almost a decade has passed since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). We have witnessed much progress in the area of the empowerment of women.

These commitments are commendable, but we are of the belief that putting words into action is the only way that we can approach the resolution of remaining issues. And those issues are many. As many situations on the agenda of the Security Council have shown, women still have a long way to go in order to fulfill the empowerment goals as well as to fully realize their human rights, not only in armed conflict but in times of peace as well.

Croatia has included elements of resolution 1325 (2000) in its national strategy on gender equality, but we are aware that gaps in the implementation of that resolution need to be continuously monitored. In that regard, my Government extends its support to the leadership of the composite gender entity that is to be established within the United Nations. We see it as an important tool in advancing the issue of women and peace and security.

As reported by UNIFEM, there is a substantial gap in financing women's needs in post-conflict situations. How did that happen? The answer is clear: women have not been included from the very beginning of peace processes, especially in peace negotiations.

In order to re-energize its implementation, we still need to consolidate a global strategy with clear targets and adequate benchmarks for measuring progress. In this regard, resolution 1889 (2009), adopted today, calls for greater empowerment of women in the evaluation of needs and in planning in post-conflict situations. That is certainly a step in the right direction.

During the past year much thought has been given in the Security Council to the issue of women and peace and security. We responded to gender concerns through resolution 1820 (2008) last year. The recently adopted resolution 1888 (2009) and resolution 1889 (2009), adopted today, all contribute to strengthening a process that began with the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000).