WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY - GUIDANCE FOR U.S. INTERVENTION DURING OCTOBER 5 SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE

UNCLAS STATE 103137 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPKO PHUM PREL CG KWWMN SUBJECT: WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY - GUIDANCE FOR U.S. INTERVENTION DURING OCTOBER 5 SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ¶1. (U) This is an action request: USUN is instructed to draw from the points below during the UN Security Council thematic debate on Women, peace and security scheduled for October 5, ¶2009. ¶2. (U) Begin points: Thank you Mr. President. My delegation would like to welcome you to the Council and to thank you for organizing today,s important and timely debate. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of Resolution 1325, the Council,s continued focus on women, peace and security is critical. As the Secretary-General notes in his recent report, while much has been done in response to Resolution 1325 in the nine years since its adoption, armed conflict continues to have a devastating impact on women and girls, particularly in the areas of social, economic and political disempowerment as well as sexual and physical harm. For this reason, the United States agrees with the Secretary-General that Member States must renew their commitment and intensify their efforts to implement the provisions of Resolution 1325, and we strongly support the Secretary-General,s proposals for action outlined in the report. Mr. President We have heard many times in this chamber that more women should be included in peace processes and post-conflict deliberations. If a sustainable peace is to be achieved in any post-conflict situation, a peace agreement must take into account the concerns of those most adversely affected by conflict. But significant challenges remain, and women are more often than not excluded from peace negotiations and peacebuilding efforts. In fact, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) points out that since 1992 only 2.4 percent of signatories to peace agreements were women. Let us recall the example of Liberia where grassroots women,s organizations had a visible impact on that country,s peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts. Their activism on behalf of the welfare of the average citizen helped to break the impasse faced by leaders of warring factions in the struggle for political dominance. But women should not have to travel to Accra, Ghana and demonstrate outside the seat of negotiations to be heard as Liberian women did in 2003. The Secretary General rightly notes that Member States should ensure women,s participation in decision making and that the international community should pursue a strategy to ensure the participation of women in all peace processes, including by providing appropriate training and capacity building programs to this end. Mr. President Resolution 1325 emphasizes the responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes including those relating to sexual and other violence against women and girls. Resolution 1820, adopted in 2008, establishes a clear link between maintaining international peace and security and preventing and responding to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Last week this Council took decisive action in addressing conflict-related sexual violence through adoption of resolution 1888. Resolution 1888 sends an unequivocal message: violence against women and children will not be tolerated and must be stopped. The Council made clear that ending impunity is essential if a society in conflict or recovering from conflict is to come to terms with past abuses committed against civilians and to prevent future such abuses. The United States looks forward to the complete and rapid implementation of resolution 1888, including the call for the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary General to lead, coordinate and advocate for efforts to end conflict-related sexual violence. As Secretary Clinton said in this chamber on the adoption of this resolution &It is time for all of us to assume our responsibility to go beyond condemning this behavior, to taking concrete steps to end it, to make it socially unacceptable, to recognize it is not cultural; it is criminal.8 Mr. President The Secretary-General makes clear the need to increase the number of women as mediators, special representatives and special envoys and as peacekeepers throughout the world. We commend the Secretary-General for his leadership and efforts to increase the number of women in senior UN positions and hope that these appointments will continue to increase. We also commend Member States, such as Jamaica and India for ensuring that women peacekeepers figure prominently in their peacekeeping contingents. Mr. President It is imperative that the United Nations do more to keep the issue of women, peace and security in the spotlight and to ensure that half of the world,s population is accorded equal rights and opportunities. In this regard, we thank the delegation of Vietnam for preparing the draft resolution under consideration today and are very pleased to support it. CLINTON