Summary: October 29, 2003: General Statement to the Security Council of the United Nations by H.E. Ambassador Marcello Spatafora, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN on behalf of the European Union. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY - Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) (New York)
Mr. President,
I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and the associated countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey declare that they align themselves with this statement.
The EU welcomes the opportunity to highlight the importance of Security Council Resolution 1325(2000). In discussions last year in the Council, the EU put forward a number of proposals to make the resolution more operational: to revise guidelines and standard operation procedures, to look into organization and training, to provide gender officers in field missions and to mainstream gender in all peace mandates, mission planning and staffing. The deliberations last October confirmed the
commitment of the Council to gender. I am pleased to inform the Council that the EU has recently discussed a new initiative which builds on the Resolution 1325 and which can serve as a basis for setting up a road map for strengthening a gender perspective in EU conflict management.
Resolution 1325 represents one of the most important milestones of gender mainstreaming at the UN. Since October 2000, this important tool has allowed all UN bodies and agencies, through the Inter-agency Task Force on Women Peace and Security, to work together on issues of women, peace and security. It has provided the mandate for DPKO, DDA and DPA to actively include gender issues on their agenda. It has also encouraged Member States to do the same in their work at the UNSC. Along these lines
the EU, during the Athens Forum on "Gender, Peace and Foreign Policy: the European Union Perspective", held in May 2003, called on Member States to ensure, in a systematic manner, that women in conflict and post-conflict situations were fully empowered.
Mr. President,
Peace is inextricably linked to equality between women and men. The growing targeting of civilians, particularly women and girls, exacerbates violations of the human rights of women. As shown by the 2002 study on women, peace and security prepared by the Office of the Special Adviser, women are not only victims of armed conflict: they are also active agents and often direct participants in conflict. Women also play an active role in informal peace processes before, during and after conflicts,
although they are frequently excluded from formal peace processes, including negotiations and the drafting of peace accords and reconstruction plans.
Last year, on the second anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, the Secretary-General presented a 21-point programme based on the findings of the aforementioned study, for ensuring Security Council's action for the full implementation of the Resolution. On that occasion, the EU welcomed the system-wide implementation action plan, developed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Women, Peace and Security. The Plan covered all areas pertaining to mandates of United Nations entities
identified in the resolution, including gender mainstreaming, training, humanitarian assistance, post-conflict co-operation and development, disarmament, gender-sensitive training, protection of women and girls in armed conflict, constitutional and political aspects, and reproductive health.
Mr. President,
The EU believes that the full implementation of Resolution 1325 can only be achieved through an increased recognition of the crucial role of women in all the cited areas. One of the most important issues to be addressed with regard to women and armed conflict still remains women's participation in conflict resolution and the negotiation of peace agreements at the national and international levels.
The EU welcomes the creation last spring of a gender focal point position in DPKO, which it considers an important factor in mainstreaming gender in peacekeeping operations. The EU also encourages the Secretary-General to intensify efforts to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys, especially in matters related to peacekeeping, peace-building and preventive diplomacy. The strengthening of the full participation of women in constitutional and electoral processes in post-
conflict countries is also of utmost importance. The EU believes that women's increased involvement in all these areas would contribute to the achievement of the overall goal of gender equality in relation to peace and security. This goal is still, three years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, far from achieved. As the Outcome Document of the Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly recognised, the lack of gender-awareness in these areas presents serious obstacles for the
countries currently in a conflict or post-conflict situation.
Mr. President,
In today's conflicts, women and girls are more and more often directly targeted, and rape and sexual violence continue to be used as weapons of war. Clearly, this differential impact on women and girls calls for more effective responses from the international community. Much more needs to be done to make those involved in conflicts aware of relevant international laws and to prosecute and punish those who violate them. In this respect, the EU calls upon all States to ratify and implement the
ICC Statute and actively co-operate with the Court, which has a vital role to ensure justice for all and to fight impunity. The EU is also strongly committed to the adoption of all international measures and instruments, including the "Palermo Protocol", aimed at supporting the fight against trafficking of human beings, in particular women and children, and the CEDAW Convention. The EU calls upon States to do the same.
Mr. President,
The European Union strongly believes that the international community must continue to focus its attention and advocacy on the situation of women in conflicts throughout the world, to ensure the incorporation of a gender perspective in DDR, rehabilitation, reconstruction, repatriation, resettlement and development programmes and the active and equal participation of women in these processes.
Thank you.
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