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STATEMENT AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON THE AGENDA ITEM: NEW YORK, 23 OCTOBER 2007 Mr. President, Let me first express my appreciation to the delegation of Ghana for convening this debate on Women, Peace, and Security. My delegation is certain that under the able stewardship of Minister Akwasi Osei-Adjei, the Council will arrive at a successful outcome. Mr. President, We have come some distance since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000. The plight of women in armed conflict has been publicized and new paths of leadership have been forged by women in the political environment, in peacekeeping, and in peace-building. However, further actions are needed in closing the gap between our political pledges and the current reality of empowering women in situations of armed conflict, peace and security. While war is a great equalizer of suffering, the plight that women bear in conflict situations is compounded by the physical displacement in war, the environmental hazards of war, and sexual crimes, such as rape, which are attendant to war. In many armed conflict situations, women are already marginalized in the political process. And, the conflict situation makes this reality even more apparent. Mr. President, We need to ensure that fair treatment and the protection of women are incorporated into all phases of peace processes. A negotiation which satisfies the needs of the parties requires that all relevant actors be involved irrespective of their gender. Women are habitually underrepresented and bring additional interests and roles to bear which need to be integrated in any peace process, including as victims and witnesses. Including women may have the added benefit of opening up the palette of options for successful negotiation by increasing the number of issues at stake and subsequent bargaining leverage. A key issue is the identification of and selection of women who can participate in peace negotiations. Like their male counterparts, female participants should be linked to the greater community and have a representative stake in the outcome. In addition to conflict and ceasefire agreements, we also need to consider how the interests and needs of women can be addressed in the post-conflict peace process and in the workings of the Peace-building Commission. Political leaders need to be sensitized to the existing problems by listening directly to victims and witnesses and giving them an opportunity to share their difficulties. We should also envisage how the UN system might be able to engage in remediation efforts in conjunction with other relevant civil society organizations. Mr. President, Grassroots efforts can be employed. In many countries and communities, there are local conflict resolution procedures and women’s peace initiatives that might be utilized in order to gain a peace that is most compatible with the situation in that country. We should seek to utilize mechanisms that have worked for that community and worked in the past when seeking to achieve a peaceful resolution. Resolution 1325 provides a strong impetus, but it’s only really a guideline and further strengthening our efforts in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We need to consider homegrown initiatives that develop within national and regional contexts and utilize local wisdom and capacity. Mr. President, To encourage the development and dispersion of best-practices, regional organizations can be involved in conducting workshops on issues related to women in armed conflict, peace processes and peace-building. Furthermore, we support the development of a database of good practices to further our efforts. This undertaking can be accelerated in the form of a comprehensive knowledge and information management system that can be instituted. Such an effort could include a demographic database of shifting gender distributions and political involvement. Concomitant with the role of national strategies and indigenous initiatives, civil society organizations can play an important role in assisting and enabling women in conflict environments. Their efforts have benefited women in the population, as well as contributed to peace. They can play an invaluable role in engaging in campaigns to raise awareness about women’s issues, including the participation of women in peacekeeping. Mr. President, Women represent over half the world’s population today and their presence in political processes in many parts of the world is growing But, they are underrepresented in the phases of conflict resolution, peace and security in places where conflict persists. Men still are dominantly represented in these processes, with the result that women are often disenfranchised. Resolution 1325 charts a course to improving the lot of women in armed conflict situations. It is only the beginning of a journey. It should not discourage continued thinking regarding new and creative ways to empower women and raise their voices to a higher plane. Lastly, we view it pertinent that Council should continue to cooperate more closely with other relevant United Nations organs in this endeavor. Thank you, Mr. President.
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