INSTRUCTION - U.S. SECURITY COUNCIL INTERVENTION

UNCLAS STATE 114792

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC GG PREL
SUBJECT: INSTRUCTION - U.S. SECURITY COUNCIL INTERVENTION
ON WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY

(U) This is an action request: USUN is instructed to draw
from the points below during the UN Security Council open
debate on Women and Peace and Security scheduled for Ocotber
29, 2008.

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The United States appreciates the opportunity to address the
Council on the vital role that the international community
plays in empowering women. The United States reiterates its
commitment to prevent the use of sexual violence as a tactic
of warfare. And, we must continue to build upon current
momentum to ensure the full participation of women in peace
processes and increased representation of women at all
decision-making levels of the United Nations.

First, it is imperative that the United Nations and the
international community continue to keep the issue of women,
peace, and security in the spotlight in order to bring about
change. Rape is a crime and sexual violence has a grievous
moral and psychological impact -- destroying not just the
lives of individuals and families ... but communities and
entire societies. Through greater awareness and action,
however, the international community is responding. For
example, in recent months, the Congolese government, in
conjunction with organizations like the American Bar
Association and the United Nations, has instituted capacity
building programs that have contributed to a decrease in
sexual violence and dramatic increases in prosecutions. Even
so, women, especially in rural villages, are not safe as
chaos and war continue to threaten this trend. Thus,
protection and assistance for victims of sexual violence in
situations of armed conflict remains an essential part of the
solution.

The United Nations has taken laudable steps but must
continually do more, particularly to eradicate sexual
exploitation by peacekeepers and to ensure that peacekeepers
respect the communities in which they work. The UN must also
must do more to factor the issue of women, peace, and
security into development portfolios across various sectors,
including health, education, democracy and governance, and
economic growth. Human trafficking, especially in conflict
situations, where women and girls are often abducted by
militia and turned into slaves or &war wives8 must also
continue to be addressed.

This is why the attention of the Council on this issue is so
important. Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820
address sexual violence and exploitation in conflict
situations more forcefully than ever before and Resolution
1820, in particular, requests that the Secretary-General
report on specific situations in which sexual violence has
been widely or systematically employed against civilians in
such situations. The United States is pleased that the UN
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) -- with its
expertise on conflict situations -- will be contributing to
the Secretary-General,s report on the implementation of this
Resolution.

We recommend that DPKO draw upon the inter-agency resources
of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, so that
a wide range of experts and observers in the field can gather
the sensitive and sometimes elusive information that will be
necessary to identify and combat sexual violence as an
instrument of war.

Second, we must also dramatically increase women,s
participation in all aspects of building peace and security.
Security Council Resolution 1820 recognizes and highlights
the need for these essential contributions, but also points
out that there is not adequate participation by women in
peace negotiations and processes. The United States believes
that ensuring the full participation of women in peace
processes as well as increased representation of women at all
decision-making levels is a proactive approach to getting to
the root of the challenges we face on the issue of women,
peace, and security. Empowerment of women in leadership will
garner results-oriented outcomes, but only when their
participation is substantive and institutionalized, rather
than ad hoc and marginalized.

Positive steps have been taken. For example, in 2006,
several dozen female Foreign Ministers and other high-ranking
officials from around the world, including U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, formed the Women Leaders, Working
Group. The Group works to ensure that the issues of women,s
political participation, access to justice, economic
empowerment, poverty reduction, combating violence against
women, and women in conflict and post-conflict situations are
international priorities. And it has made efforts to promote
the appointment of senior women as Special Representatives of
the Secretary-General and Special Envoys.

Last May, the U.S. launched a public-private partnership
called the 'One Woman Initiative' that focuses on women,s
entrepreneurship, political leadership, and the rule of law.
The project is initially focused on women in countries with
significant Muslim populations. The U.S. Government and
private donors have provided $100 million in funding, and the
first grants will be awarded this November.

Also this year, the U.S. hosted a Senior Roundtable for
Women,s Justice, where judges from around the world
discussed women,s lack of access to justice and best
practices to combat violence against women and improve
women,s legal enfranchisement. As a result of this
roundtable, the cosmetics company Avon Products contributed
$1 million to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against
Women, and this fall the United States will provide training
to 23 Malawi federal judges on issues related to violence
against women.

With regard to UN activities, the U.S. welcomes the
conclusions of the Secretary General,s report, which states
that the deployment of women in the field facilitates
engagement with local women which leads to more access to
appropriate services for women and girls and lowers the
incidents of sexual violence and abuse. We also applaud
efforts by nations such as Jamaica in attaining an equal
number of women and men in their UN peacekeeping contingents.


The United States would also like to commend Secretary Ban
for his leadership and commitment to increasing the number of
women candidates for UN Special Representative and for
Special Envoy positions. At present, 15 of the 37 UN Senior
Leadership positions are held by women, including Jane Holl
Lute -- Assistant Secretary General for Peacebuilding
Support, Margaret Loj of Denmark -- the Secretary General's
Special Representative (SRSG) in Liberia, and Rhadika
Coomaraswamy ) the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict.
The United States hopes that these appointments will continue
to increase and that empowerment issues become more prevalent
in country-specific reports in the Council.

At the same time however, women continue to be
underrepresented in peace negotiations. According to a
forthcoming UNIFEM report: only 2.7% of signatories of 15
sample agreements they reviewed were women. Where
information on negotiations was available, there were no
female lead negotiators; and women,s participation in
negotiating delegations averaged 7%. The United States looks
forward to working with Council members and the international
community to increase these opportunities.

With the adoption of UNSCR 1820, the Council signaled its
belief that it understands that when women are empowered,
societies can be more prosperous and entire communities can
be changed together and for the better. In today,s world,
no country can achieve lasting success, stability, and
security when half its population is sitting on the
sidelines. The United States looks forward to continuing to
share our best practices and experiences and to
institutionalizing women,s participation in building peace
and security.

Thank you.

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