NEW YORK: Marking the tenth anniversary of its landmark resolution on women and peace and security, the United Nations Security Council today endorsed a set of indicators to measure progress in filling urgent gaps in the protection and empowerment of women. In an open meeting that heard from more than 90 speakers, the Council noted with grave concern that, despite the normative framework and a wide range of activities spurred by the adoption of resolution 1325, women and girls were still ravaged by violence, and women's participation at all stages of peace processes remained too low. According to a presidential statement read out by Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, which holds the Council's rotating presidency for October, the Council endorsed a set of indicators presented by the Secretary-General for monitoring the situation of women in all situations of conflict and all peacemaking efforts, as well as activities to implement resolution 1325 by national and international actors, particularly all parts of the United Nations system. The Council underlined the need for timely and systematic reporting by all actors to make the indicators effective. Through the statement, it also expressed its intention to convene a high-level review in five years to assess progress made at the global, regional and national levels, renew commitments and address obstacles to the implementation of resolution 1325. Opening the meeting via video message this morning, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the wide-ranging activities, on the part of the United Nations and Member States, spurred by the resolution over the past 10 years, but also pointed out that the decade had been marred by widespread rape, physical abuse and other violations of the rights and physical security of women and children during and after conflict. The recent horrifying mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were a reminder of how much remained to be done, he said, adding that there was an overall lack of adequate methods for monitoring progress. For that reason, he called on the Council to endorse the comprehensive set of indicators set forth in his report, with a view to ending impunity and ensuring women's participation in all stages of peace processes. Pledging that the United Nations would lead by example, he said: “Only by acting on our promises can we hope to create change.” Ban's statement was followed by that of Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, newly appointed to head the new United Nations women's agency, who said that the comprehensive set of indicators represented a highly practical new tool to support implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. The Council then heard statements delivered by Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Hamidon Ali of Malaysia, President of the Economic and Social Council; and Thelma Awori of the Civil Society Advisory Group to the United Nations on Women, Peace and Security. “It is time for action, not words,” Awori said in what she described as one very clear message from civil society. Women must no longer become the “shocking statistics of one horror or another, be it rape in the eastern Congo, acid thrown in the faces of girls walking to school in Afghanistan, or impunity for crimes against women in conflict-affected countries”. Their exclusion from important forums must be ended, she emphasized, welcoming the Secretary-General's indicators and the creation of UN Women in that light. Following those presentations, representatives of nearly half the United Nations membership took the floor to welcome the accomplishments of the past decade following the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), and to urge intensified action to improve the situation of women on the ground, and their greater participation in peace activities. Many speakers pledged the full support of their respective countries for those efforts, with many also outlining national action plans. Most also stressed the need to end impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations. Most speakers also welcomed the set of indicators developed by the Secretariat, although some said they needed careful consideration or improvement. India's representative stressed that it was important to be aware of the difficulty of obtaining good data in conflict-ridden environments. Egypt's representative warned against any attempt to apply the indicators beyond conflict and post-conflict situations, saying that would be an encroachment by the Council on the competence of the General Assembly, in addition to duplicating the work of UN Women and other international efforts. Calling for the exercise of additional political will, many speakers found accomplishments on the ground over the past 10 years clearly disappointing, represented by the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We must now focus on action, implementation and accountability, so that 10 years from now we can look back with a sense of achievement and say that we have made a difference,” said Iceland's representative. BM/ReliefWeb
