(Resumed) Women and Peace and Security - Security Council, 10175th meeting

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The 10,175th meeting of the Security Council is resumed.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Austria.
Thank you, Madam President.
Dear Foreign Minister Villavicencio, first of all, let me express my gratitude to Colombia for convening this open debate on women, peace and security, and also congratulate your country and your PR, Leonor Lobato Torres, for the chairmanship of the council this month.
Today, I personally address this council for the first time since Austria was elected to serve as an elected member for the 2027 and 2028 term.
We are grateful for the confidence and trust so many of the member states have placed in us, and we are ready to take on the responsibility this role entails.
President, in a time of growing disregard for standards we have adopted 25 years ago, let me be clear Austria will uphold its commitments to resolution 1325 and successor resolutions and act as a strong advocate for the women, peace and security agenda when we take our seat on this council.
Let me spell out a few concrete Austrian contributions in this regard.
First, as a convener and bridge builder, last February, we convened the Vienna Conference Women as Agents for Security and Peace.
We greatly appreciated the stimulating and in-depth exchange between foreign ministers, including you, Madam President, and followed up on the outcome document of the conference on this year's Commission on the Status of Women.
Commitments only count if pursued, we will bring Austria's tradition of dialogue to the Council by working across regional groups in order to find common ground on the implementation of our commitments on the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.
Second, by broadening partnerships together with the office of the Special Envoy on WPS of the African Union, Austria is preparing a high level roundtable during the week in October on strengthening peace processes through women leadership.
As a council member, Austria will work to ensure that the voices of civil society and women peacebuilders are heard and at the same time remain safe from reprisals.
Third, by strengthening protection to protection of civilians, as you know, is a core component of our work and our work intentions, um, including, of course, especially the protection of women and girls.
This includes advocating for the inclusion of robust gender responsive language in peacekeeping mandates, promoting women's participation in, in operational, operational settings and, um, addressing, addressing the compounded vulnerabilities of women and girls in armed conflict, in particular, when it comes to conflict related sexual violence.
President, we stand ready to continue to support meaningful and effective participation of women at all levels of peace and security efforts.
I thank you.
Gracias.
I thank you.
I wish to thank the delegation of Austria for their statement.
I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than three minutes in order to enable the council to carry out its work expeditiously.
Once the three minutes have elapsed, the microphone will begin to flash to indicate to speakers that they should bring their remarks to a close.
I now wish to give the floor to the delegation of Guatemala.
Madam president, Guatemala thanks, Colombia for convening this open debate on women, peace and security.
And we thank you, Madam Minister, for your leadership in presiding over this meeting.
Moreover, we wish to thank UN women and the representatives of civil society for their briefings.
80 years ago, our organisation was established with the purpose of preserving international peace and security.
Today, we recognise that this goal can only be fully achieved through the meaningful participation of women in all areas of conflict, prevention and resolution, as well as in peace building and sustaining peace processes.
The women, Peace and Security agenda advanced through resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions of the Security Council consolidated the view that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls were crucial for lasting peace.
Evidence demonstrates that inclusive peace processes create longer lasting agreements, strengthen the legitimacy of institutions, and serve to address the deep causes of conflicts.
In Guatemala, the participation of civil society is a fundamental pillar in the implementation of this agenda.
The National Action Plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 and the work of the Inter-Institutional Bureau for women, Peace and Security reflect a participative approach, one which promotes cooperation between state institutions, international bodies and civil society organisations.
This model recognises the fact that the participation of women is vital in order to prevent conflicts, to build peace, strengthen social cohesion and buttress a lasting peace.
Madam president, in spite of the achievements garnered, women continue to be underrepresented in many negotiation, mediation and decision making processes related to peace and security.
Consequently, there is a need to step up efforts to guarantee their full, equal, meaningful and safe participation at all levels and stages of these processes.
The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security to effectively discharge this mandate.
It is vital to strengthen partnerships between the United Nations, States and civil society to promote arenas in which women are able to fully contribute to conflict prevention and resolution, and to sustaining peace.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Guatemala for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Switzerland.
Madam.
Madam president, Switzerland thanks the Colombian presidency for highlighting the need to ensure the inclusion of women at all stages of peace processes as decision making and decision makers in their own right.
The women, peace and security agenda is not just a principle to declare.
It's an operational imperative for preventing conflict and building sustainable peace.
At a time when conflicts are multiplying and multilateralism is being put to the test, uh, shortcomings in its implementation weaken our collective action.
First, women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in all phases of peace processes must be guaranteed.
This also implies the effective protection of their rights so that they can engage fully.
Switzerland calls for the systematic and substantive inclusion of women in all UN supported mediation and peace processes.
We are determined to translate this principle into concrete action in the Great Lakes region.
Switzerland has supported the participation of women leaders in high level regional peace discussions.
We have also supported the launch of the Southern African Development Community Network of Women Mediators and strengthen women's leadership in mediation and conflict prevention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Switzerland also co-sponsored the Joint Declaration on Women's Participation put forth by the Secretary General.
These initiatives form part of our broader commitment to women peace builders around the world Second, we must strengthen women led civil society organisations as essential actors in peace building.
Switzerland advocates predictable, flexible and sustainable funding for these organisations, without which they work on the ground, remains structurally constrained.
The protection of women, human rights defenders and women peace activists must be strengthened urgently and systematically.
The threats and reprisals and acts of intimidation they face can not go unanswered.
We also call for a more ambitious and effective implementation of National Action Plans under Security Council Resolution 1325, in close cooperation with local women's groups, as well as for their meaningful participation in monitoring mechanisms and decision making processes.
Third, ongoing UN reform efforts and financial constraints must not weaken the implementation of the women peace and security agenda.
Efficiency measures and budget cuts must not come at the expense of gender expertise within peace operations, mediation structures or United Nations country teams.
Madam president, women must not be regarded merely as beneficiaries of peace, but as its architects.
Switzerland remains firmly committed to advancing the full implementation of the women, peace and Security agenda.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Switzerland for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Egypt.
Muchas gracias.
Thank you.
Thank you.
First, I'd like to express our gratitude, and we salute Her Excellency, the Foreign Minister of Colombia.
And we welcome her once again in New York with us.
I would also like to thank the Republic of Colombia for organizing this session.
And we thank the Colombian mission, and we congratulate it on its presidency of the Council for this month and for selecting this very important topic of discussion, which is which aims to enhance the role of women in conflict resolution.
This conversation and this this debate comes at a time when the world is witnessing an unprecedented rise in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises.
This is a burden that is primarily borne by women and girls.
And while the numbers of victims and displaced and those harmed by conflicts are rising, women are are more often than not distanced or kept away from negotiations tables and from any any issues related to peace and security.
Therefore, enhancing the participation of women is not simply a goal in terms of equality, but it is a requirement for a more sustainable and comprehensive peace experience.
International experience and relevant research have has proven that women play a pivotal role in the prevention of conflict and the resolution of conflict and building peace.
Women are often more capable of building trust inside local communities, and they're more able to reach out to the different components, especially women and children.
Moreover, women contribute to building social networks that support peace and stability.
Experience has proven that the participation of women in peacekeeping missions contributes towards enhancing the effectiveness of these missions, limiting any violations and highlighting the needs of women and girls within the issues of response and recovery and reconstruction.
Madam president, Egypt has long paid attention to enhancing the role of women and issues related to peace and security, because we believe that women are an important partner in achieving peace, security and peace, stability and development.
Egypt is proud in its support for women in peace keeping and its constant care to enhance their role, their leadership role in decision making, mediation, negotiation, peacekeeping and security.
Egyptian women are a an honourable model through their effective participation in United Nations peacekeeping efforts, especially through the Egyptian female police elements which have been widely lauded for their high professionalism and performing their duties, and in enhancing communication with local communities and supporting the protection of civilians.
The contribution of Egyptian women was not limited to the field.
It also extended to the to diplomacy and mediation and peace building.
Egyptian female diplomats have excellently represented the Egyptian state in many international fora.
Moreover, several exceptional Egyptian female ambassadors have conducted good offices and mediation and joined mediation networks that are part of the African Union and the League of Arab States.
This reflects the rising role of Egyptian women in supporting peace and stability regionally and internationally.
In addition to the above, Egypt reaffirms the great importance of enhancing of the close connection between women, peace and security, and, on the one hand, and security and peace building on the other And as a co-facilitator for the review of the Peace Building Architecture 2025, Egypt has taken care to include clear indications in the resolution to incorporate a gender perspective and a women peace and security perspective in terms of peacekeeping and conflict resolution, because experience has taught us that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women is not simply a matter of rights.
Rather, it is an important prerequisite for the achievement of a sustainable peace and strengthening the social network social fabric and dealing with the root causes of conflict.
Moreover, Egypt allocates great special importance to combating sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping operations.
We are honored that the President of Egypt, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has joined the circle of leaders that was launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to put an end to sexual exploitation and abuse.
Egypt plays a leading role in the United Nations in formatting and submitting the annual G.
A resolution on the prevention of SCA crimes in the United Nations peacekeeping operations.
We have contributed to the development of this resolution so that we apply an absolute zero tolerance policy for such practices within the framework of United Nations operations.
Moreover, Egypt has just completed the first National Plan of Action on Women, peace and Security.
This plan will be launched soon.
This plan is an important step towards institutionalizing national efforts in the field and enhancing the participation of women throughout all the aspects that relate to peace and security.
This plan aims to enhance female participation in peace and security at the regional and international levels.
It also aims to support capacity building efforts and offer technical support in conflict resolution and peacekeeping and building in conflict affected countries.
Moreover, this plan has several points on women leadership and conflict prevention and the protection of women during conflict and responding to women's needs in recovery and relief and reconstruction, not to mention enhancing Egypt's pioneering role in the field of international peacekeeping.
Madam president, we cannot speak of women, peace, and security.
While we do not mean without mentioning the suffering of women and girls throughout many crises in the world.
The women and girls in Gaza are bearing unprecedented humanitarian burdens because of the war and the grave loss of human life, and the destruction of infrastructure and the extreme deterioration of basic services.
Women in Sudan are facing extremely difficult circumstances.
As the conflict rages on and as humanitarian needs arise, Egypt confirms that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full and effective and equal and meaningful participation of women at all, in all levels and all stages of the peace process We will continue to support efforts aimed at empowering women and enhancing their role as a an important partner in building a more secure, stable and prosperous societies.
And I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Egypt for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Saudi Arabia.
I thank you, Madam President.
I would at the outset like to welcome Her Excellency, the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Madame Rosa Yolanda, and we value her presidency, her presiding over the session.
And we thank the Republic of Colombia for holding this important session.
We thank the Briefers for the valuable information they furnished us with this morning.
Madam president, ladies and gentlemen the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its full support for the women, peace and security agenda.
And we believe in the pivotal role that women play in preventing conflicts and resolving them, and in building peace and promoting stability and sustainable development.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of the balanced and effective implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions.
Foremost amongst them is Security Council Resolution 1325 and later resolutions.
Saudi women contribute to the kingdom's efforts to maintain international peace and security through international programs, in partnership with several regional entities and international organizations.
They participate in these efforts through mechanisms and bodies of regional and international institutions such as the UN General Assembly, specialized committees and human rights bodies.
Madam president, ladies and gentlemen women and girls in many areas of conflict continue to face serious challenges challenges that hinder their participation and their empowerment.
This includes the escalation of violence in areas of armed conflict, which constitutes a violation of international rights, freedoms and norms.
Women suffer under the Israeli occupation, an occupation which commits all forms of violence and atrocities such as arbitrary detention and physical and psychological torture, which rises to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
From this perspective, my country underscores the importance of ensuring the full protection of for women and girls in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.
We call for holding perpetrators of violations and humanitarian crimes accountable.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasizes the importance of ensuring the full and meaningful participation of women in mediation efforts and in conflict resolution and peace building efforts and reconstruction in a manner that takes into account national priorities and the idiosyncrasies of each state.
It also stresses the need to enhance support given to conflict affected countries, so that they are able to build their national capacities and empower women to make effective contributions to peace and development efforts.
My country further stresses the need to respect the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity.
We stress the need for international efforts aimed at advancing the women, peace and security agenda.
These efforts must support national ownership and must be in line with the priorities and needs of the states concerned, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia renews its commitment to supporting international efforts aimed at strengthening the role of women in conflict prevention, peace building and achieving security and stability.
Because we believe that the participation and empowerment of women is an essential element for achieving a sustainable peace and comprehensive development.
I thank you, Madam President.
I thank the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I now give the floor to the delegation of Cuba.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, Cuba recognizes and notes with appreciation the presence of the Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Madame Rosa Viotti, NCO, in this open debate on women, peace and security.
Today, millions, millions of women throughout the world continue to be victims of war occupations and policies of domination.
We particularly wish to decry the devastating situation facing Palestinian women.
They for decades have suffered the consequences of the Israeli occupation, systematic violence, forced displacement, obstacles hampering their access to their most basic rights, hunger, and the devastation wrought by military aggression and the genocide against the Palestinian people.
Since the 7th of October 2023, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 72,000 people.
Among those that have died as a result of the Israeli offensive.
There are women and children.
Indeed, they make up more than half the total deaths.
Women and girls are playing, paying the highest price in armed conflicts.
They are killed, displaced victims of sexual violence and are frequently excluded from the peace processes that will decide their future.
Women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences of armed conflicts as well as those of foreign occupation, terrorism, unilateral coercive measures and humanitarian crises.
There is an urgent need to tackle the root causes of conflicts looting, pillaging, exploitation, foreign exploitation, foreign occupation, rather the blockade and unilateral coercive measures.
These all disproportionately affect women and their families.
There can be no lasting peace without justice, without respect for sovereignty and within without the right to development.
Madam president, Cuban women play a fundamental role in defending the fatherland, as well as in defending social justice, peace solidarity and sustainable development.
In spite of the colossal efforts undertaken by the Cuban government to pursue these goals, Cuban women are today suffering the consequences of a ratcheted up blockade.
This has been ratcheted up to extreme levels.
There is an energy siege and the implementation of so-called secondary sanctions.
These measures have further constrained access to medicine, medical technologies, hospital equipment, hospital teams and other essential resources that are vital for the protection of maternal and child health.
The ratcheting up of this policy places a disproportionate burden on women's shoulders, particularly against the backdrop of major difficulties in obtaining energy supply and against the backdrop of a scant supply of basic resources.
More than 32,880 pregnant women in Cuba are facing additional risks and additional constraints as a consequence of the energy blockade.
Moreover, many of these women are awaiting surgery and these people are waiting.
Surgery include girls and boys.
For more than six decades, the U.S.
government has fabricated false pretexts in an attempt to justify its criminal conduct and its collective punishment of Cuba.
Now, we're also seeing the frequent threat and systematic threat, indeed, of military aggression.
Cuba is a country of peace and to no extent, in no way stands as a threat to the United States.
We reiterate our readiness to engage in dialogue without interference in our domestic affairs.
Neither can any conditions be tied where this dialogue is concerned to our political systems.
However, I wish to warn that any military aggression will meet with the staunch resistance of our people, including of women in the defense of their sovereignty, their families, their independence, and their right to decide their own fate.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Cuba for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of India.
Madam president, I thank Colombia for convening today's open debate, bringing to focus a vital role of women in forging lasting and sustainable peace.
I also thank the Briefers for sharing their experience and views with us.
Madam president, it is well established that women face disproportionate and devastating consequences of armed conflict.
Besides facing displacement, loss of family and livelihood, they often endure sexual violence wielded deliberately as a weapon of war inflicting wounds physical, psychological and social that persist long after the guns fall silent.
Thus, peace agreements that leave women's concerns unaddressed are incomplete and fragile.
As a unSc resolution 1325 attests, women's meaningful participation in peace processes is a prerequisite for durable peace.
Madam president, women have consistently been at the forefront of grassroots peace initiatives.
Their role in community life, their deep understanding of local grievances, and their trusted role as caregivers and community anchors make them uniquely effective mediators at a human level.
From Liberia's women led pray ins that forced warring parties to the table, to Colombia's grassroots women networks that helped build durable national action plan for security, women's involvement has repeatedly transformed social attitudes and priorities, enabling eventual effective peace agreements.
Madam president, within the United Nations, Deployment of Uniformed Women and UN peacekeeping operations represents one of the most tangible and impactful dimensions of the women, peace and security agenda.
They build trust in communities.
They give hope to vulnerable populations, particularly women and children They serve as visible symbols of women's agency in maintaining peace and security.
Most critically, they help address gender based violence and ensure that peace processes reflect the needs and perspectives of all segments of society.
India was the first to deploy an all female unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, inspiring thousands of Liberian women to join their national police.
Today, over 160 Indian women peacekeepers serve in the field in various UN missions.
In addition, the centre for UN peacekeeping, established by the Indian Army in Delhi has been training female military officers from across the globe since 2016.
In February last year, India hosted the conference for Women Peacekeepers from the Global South, bringing together women peacekeepers from 35 countries.
In August last year, India hosted the UN Women Military Officers Course, which saw participation from 15 countries Our commitment has been recognised in the series of UN Gender Advocate Awards, won by Indian women peacekeepers in 2019 2024 and most recently by Major Abhilasha Barac in 2026.
These women peacekeepers were recognised for their role in connecting with local communities, empowering women and implementing women centric initiatives.
Madam president, none of the above efforts can ultimately yield lasting results unless women are genuinely empowered politically financially and socially.
Peace is a journey for which women must be enabled to contribute.
India's experience in this regard demonstrates its sustained commitment to this cause.
Constitutional reservation of seats in local, self-governing bodies has brought over a million women who are one third of elected positions in local governance.
The Women's Reservation Act of 2023 extends this provision to the Parliament of India.
India maintains a consistent record of having women leaders in high offices.
I am proud to note that we have a distinguished woman as our Head of State.
We have had a woman, Head of Government and Speaker of Parliament.
The presence of women in Indian Armed forces is also showing an upward trend.
Women led development is a model promoted by the government of India to make women the driving force of India's economic growth through digital and financial inclusion through direct benefits transfer, through access to education, skill development and health services.
India is investing in building independent and strong women that bring our society together Madam president, in closing, I would like to stress that women bind communities fractured by violence.
Communities in which women are economically self-reliant, politically represented and socially respected recover faster from conflict and are more resistant to its recurrence.
The road to lasting peace cannot be walked without women.
Thank you, Madam President.
Gracias.
I thank the delegation of India for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Luxembourg Madam president, I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of 19 members of the Feminist Foreign Policy Plus Group across regional New York based coalition, bringing together member states that are united in their commitment to place gender equality and the defence of all women's and girls rights at the heart of their domestic and foreign policies.
We thank Colombia for organising this open debate, and we thank you, Madam Foreign Minister, for presiding over our discussion today.
This debate gives us an opportunity to further the women and peace and security agenda, in addition to the annual debate taking place usually in October.
We also thank the Briefers for their presentations.
The last report by the Secretary General on Women and Peace and Security from September last year confirmed the grim picture that we see across the world against the backdrop of an increasing number of conflicts and protected crises.
The efforts to fulfil the commitments enshrined in Security Council resolutions on women and peace and security have been regressing over the past five years, as international law is flagrantly violated and conflicts become more widespread.
Women and girls are among the most vulnerable and the most directly impacted.
Yet when it comes to conflict resolution, women largely remain excluded from discussions.
Our group would like to make three points today First, as the Feminist Foreign Policy Plus group.
We are convinced that policy making is more effective when gender equality is placed at its centre.
We support the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all peace efforts and underline the need to increase the role of women as negotiators, as mediators and as members of peace operations on the ground.
The evidence shows that when women are part of the negotiations and have an active role in mediation processes, the resulting peace agreements are more sustainable and more just.
We should therefore redouble our efforts to advocate for peace processes that are truly inclusive of women, reflecting the role of women in societies.
Second, all policy decisions should be underpinned by robust data and follow up through the collection and analysis of data Awareness is created about the existing gaps in the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.
Data is also essential to assess the needs and vulnerabilities of all women and girls.
The UN system, including UN women, plays a key role in this area and continues to support member states in collecting and evaluating relevant data.
And third, the maintenance of international peace and security depends not only on preventing conflict, but on building more inclusive societies.
This requires addressing the drivers of conflicts such as poverty, inequalities, climate vulnerabilities, exclusion and marginalisation, especially among women and girls.
By placing the promotion of gender equality at the heart of our collective efforts.
We can advance a foreign policy that is more representative, more equitable and ultimately more effective in reinforcing lasting peace, upholding human rights and dignity, and driving sustainable development.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Luxembourg for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Italy.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President.
I thank Colombia for convening this timely debate and for placing women's leadership at the centre of our discussions on the peace and security.
Italy aligns itself with the statements by the group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security and by the European Union.
25 years after the adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1325, the women, Peace and Security agenda remains as relevant as ever.
Peace cannot be built, sustained or owned by societies If half of their population is excluded from shaping it.
Women are not only victims of conflict, they are mediators, negotiators, peacebuilders, community leaders and agents of change.
The leadership is not simply a matter of rights and representation.
It is a strategic necessity for achieving more inclusive, legitimate and sustainable peace processes.
Yet women remain under-represented in peace negotiations and political transitions, while women led civil society organisations continue to face insufficient and insufficient funding, limited access to decision making spaces and growing security risks.
To address this gap between commitments and implementation, we must ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women at every stage of conflict prevention, mediation, peace building and post-conflict recovery.
This includes investing in women's leadership, supporting women, women, women, mediators and peacebuilders, and strengthening partnerships with the women led civil society organisations.
At a time when conflicts are multiplying and trust in institutions is under strain, witnessing a growing backlash against women's rights and autonomy, advancing women's participation remains one of the most effective investments in peace.
Italy continues to advance the implementation of the WPS agenda through its fifth National Action Plan for 2025 2029, with a particular focus on empowering women and at the community level and supporting those affected by conflict.
Held last week in Rome under the Italian Philippine Co-presidency, the state capital level meeting of the WPS Focal Points Network, marking the 25th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the network's 10th anniversary, reaffirms Italy's strong commitment to promote women's meaningful participation in peace processes.
We also welcome initiatives aimed at strengthening coordination and knowledge sharing within the United Nations system, as well as sustained support for women's organisations and networks, which play a crucial role in conflict prevention and peace building.
Italy has therefore joined the Secretaries-General Common Pledge for women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes and remains committed to turning commitments into concrete results.
Let us move beyond recognitions and towards implementation.
Let us ensure that women are not invited to peace processes as an afterthought, but are present from the outset as indispensable partners in building a more peaceful, just and secure world.
I thank you.
Gracias.
I thank the delegation of Italy for that statement.
I now give the floor to His Excellency, Mr.
Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.
Madam president, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member states.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Monaco and San Marino aligned themselves with the statement The European Union thanks Colombia and its Minister of Foreign Affairs for organising this crucial debate today.
We stand firm in our conviction that peace can only be achieved, sustained and comprehensive, with women's full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership.
This is not just a matter of rights and representation, which it surely is.
It is, crucially, a strategic imperative for peace and security colleagues.
Peace processes in which women are involved are proven to be 30% more likely to last, and women's participation in political and electoral processes and decision making is, of course, indispensable for good governance and for building inclusive and resilient societies.
Yet despite this clear imperative, urgent challenges do remain.
First, the shrinking space for UNled mediation calls for efforts to ensure that all mediation efforts, including those led by regional actors, are gender responsive and include women in meaningful way Second, while women play a key role in peace building at community level, they often remain excluded from formal peace negotiations, which demands closing the gap between track one and track two processes.
And third, women in politics, mediators and peace builders face targeted threats and persistent safety risks, which require stronger protection, funding and political support.
Madam president, in this context, the European Union remains strongly committed to ensuring women's full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels and stages of the peace processes from conflict prevention and mediation to resolution, to post-conflict recovery and to peace building.
We have translated this commitment into action.
The women peace and security agenda is a cornerstone of the European Union's foreign and security policy.
Operationalised through the EU Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
Other EU level strategic frameworks and national action plans adopted by Member States.
The EU supports women in mediation through a number of concrete measures, including.
First, the EU leads by example through the appointment of women special representatives with strong mediation mandates such as in the Horn of Africa and the South Caucasus.
And, of course, the head of the European Union's external Action Service is Kaja Kallas, a female leader Second, women experts are systematically included in EU mediation support teams, and the gender perspective is integrated across conflict analyses.
Mediation process designed and is also a key principle of the EU's new strategic approach on humanitarian diplomacy.
Third, the EU strengthens the network of women mediators and peacebuilders, including through the annual EU Community of Practice of Peace Mediation and through its support to the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediator Networks, among others.
Regarding measures to support women's participation in peace processes, the European Union and several member states also joined the UN Secretary General's common pledge last year, upholding a minimum of 33% target for women's participation in all EU supported peace process activities and investing in women's leadership through concrete mechanisms.
This includes supporting women leaders, experts and civil society representatives in directly engaging in negotiation and political processes, such as the women's advisory platform linked to the Belgrade-pristina dialogue.
The Women's Advisory Council for Middle East Peace and African Union.
UN efforts to reinvigorate the Advisory Board on Women, Peace and Security in the Great Lakes region.
The European Union also supports women Peacebuilders women led and civil society organisations to advance mediation, conflict prevention and inclusive governance in conflict affected communities, including in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Palestine and Syria, among others.
Madam president, in closing, the European Union wishes to acknowledge the peace process in Colombia, which has achieved the highest ever representation of women in modern history in which the EU supports, through its cooperation framework.
Looking forward, the European Union will continue to scale up support for structured pathways that ensure women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes as a means to ensure both gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and building lasting peace globally.
Thank you.
I thank Mr.
Lambrinidis for his statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Sierra Leone.
Madam president, we commend you as Foreign Minister of Colombia for presiding over this debate.
We thank Colombia for convening this important and timely debate and for its leadership in advancing the women peace and security agenda.
At this defining moment, we also thank the Secretary-General for his report, which is unambiguous.
Progress is real, but it is also irreversible.
The same report that records the doubling of women's participation in United Nations peacekeeping since 2017 also records that 676 million women and girls now live within 50km of a deadly conflict, the highest number since the 1990s.
We must take this warning seriously.
For Sierra Leone, the meaningful participation of women in peace processes is not an abstract policy.
It is based on our national experience.
Our country emerged from a civil conflict over two decades ago, and even though the conflict inflicted untold suffering, especially on women and girls, yet some of the strongest voices for peace in our darkest hour were women.
Women, mediators, market women, faith leaders, and traditional authorities who crossed every political and regional line to demand an end to the violence.
Their courage helped rebuild trust in our communities and laid the foundation for the peace and stability Sierra Leone enjoys today.
That lesson continues to guide our national practice.
We were among the first African member states to adopt a national action plan on women, peace and security, and we have deepened its implementation with each successive cycle.
We have backed this commitment with legislative action, including a recent statute to end child marriage, a milestone.
The Secretary-General's report specifically recognizes this year.
We continue to invest in local peacebuilding mechanisms and to strengthen partnerships with women led civil society organisations whose ground level work remains indispensable to conflict prevention and social cohesion.
Mr.
president, Sierra Leone has also sought to carry this commitment into our diplomacy here in the United Nations.
In 2024, we were proud to co-chair alongside Switzerland and Denmark.
In 2025, the informal expert group on women, Peace and Security, whose recommendation this council has echoed in strengthening protection and participation language across mandate renewals.
We also note the recognition of the United Nations role in co-leading a multi-stakeholder effort in Sierra Leone that helps defuse Post-electoral tensions and produced an agreement on national unity between the government and the main opposition party, an agreement that itself commits to advancing gender parity at all levels, reducing to half candidate nomination fees and confronting electoral violence against women.
This is what the women peace and security agenda looks like when it moves from resolution to practice.
The evidence, therefore, before this council is clear.
Peace processes that include women last longer, excluding women from negotiations, mediation and transitions diminish both the legitimacy and the durability of any settlement.
We therefore join the Secretary-General's call for concrete, measurable action financing that reaches women led organizations directly, quotas and targets that are enforced rather than remaining aspirational and protection for women.
Peace builders who continue to face reprisals simply for speaking up.
25 years after resolution 1325.
The gap between commitment and implementation remains the central challenge.
Sierra Leone's own experience offers a simple answer peace is not made for women.
It is made stronger when it is made with women.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Sierra Leone for that statement I now give the floor to the delegation of Lithuania.
Mr.
president, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the three Baltic states.
We align ourselves with the European Union statement, and we would like to add the following remarks.
The implementation gap in the women peace and security agenda remains significant, particularly regarding women's participation in peace processes.
When women lead, peace processes, deliver more inclusive and durable outcomes, and yet, in diverse armed conflict settings, women remain excluded from decision making.
Even though women as well as girls are disproportionately affected, from Sudan to Gaza, from Afghanistan to Myanmar, women and girls face higher risk of sexual, sexual and gender based violence.
Displacement and loss of lives, livelihoods, limited access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services.
Moreover, women, human rights defenders and peacebuilders are increasingly targeted even as they continue to sustain dialogue and resilience, often with formal processes fall short.
President As most wars, Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine is not gender neutral.
It has profoundly affected women and girls through displacement, economic insecurity and erosion of basic services and protection mechanisms and conflict related sexual violence.
According to the UN Secretary General Annual Report on conflict related sexual Violence, the UN has verified cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Russia, including against women and men detainees.
The report also documents the use of sexual violence as a method of torture against women and girls, including in private homes, during unlawful detention and at checkpoints.
At the same time, Ukrainian women are not defined by victimhood.
They are on the front lines as soldiers, first responders, community organizers, mediators and leaders rebuilding rebuilding their country under fire.
They are architects of resilience and the foundation for a just and lasting peace.
President.
To bridge the gap between commitments and implementation, we highlight the need for focused and sustained efforts in three key areas first, provide sustained and predictable funding to women led organizations.
Second, ensure structured and accessible pathways for women's participation in all peace processes.
Third, strengthen accountability for violation of women women's rights in the context of armed conflicts, including conflict related sexual violence.
The Baltic states remain firmly committed to advancing the peace agenda, including through our National action Plans.
We have each adopted and implemented naps as practical tools to translate global commitments into concrete policy and action.
Through naps, we have strengthened coordination across institutions, integrated gender perspectives into security and foreign policy, and expanded support to partners, including women led civil society organizations in conflict affected regions.
President, the Baltic states stand ready to continue working with partners across regions to ensure that WP s agenda move from principle to practice.
Because peace is not only decided at negotiation table.
It is built in communities.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Lithuania for that statement.
I now give the floor to Canada.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Canada has the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of 67 member states, of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, representing all regions of the United Nations and the European Union.
We thank Colombia for convening this debate at a moment when peace processes are changing in ways that are not consistently upholding the standards that we have agreed upon across multiple conflicts.
Women are missing from peace talks and negotiations or are included too late to influence their direction.
This is not incidental.
It is the result of choices about who holds power.
Too often, decisions about the future of entire societies are made by a narrow set of actors, reflecting a limited range of experiences, aspirations and interests.
It disregards well-established data and shapes peace process outcomes in ways that risks reinforcing the very dynamics that drive conflict.
When participation is incomplete, peace is incomplete This is not simply a lack of progress.
It is a deviation from agreed upon standards standards that strengthen the pursuit of peace.
We cannot allow this to take hold or to deepen.
The group of friends calls on UN member States involved in peace negotiations to ensure that women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in their efforts.
As This Council has called for repeatedly.
We would like to make four points.
First, the group of friends underscores that participation must be treated as essential.
Those who convene or influence negotiations must ensure that women are not only present, but able to shape decisions from the outset across all tracks and at every stage.
Inclusion must be built into the design of processes.
Second, we must address the conditions that make participation possible.
This requires predictable and flexible financing, as well as concrete measures to ensure the safety and protection of women.
Peace builders who continue to face targeted threats, intimidation and reprisals for their leadership.
Women led and women's rights civil society organisations are not peripheral.
They are often the first to respond, the last to leave and among the most trusted actors on the ground.
Their leadership must be recognised, supported and protected.
Third, national ownership remains critical.
National action plans on women, peace and security have demonstrated their value where they are properly resourced, implemented and monitored.
They can anchor continuity, strengthen institutions and sustain progress through periods of transition.
Many of these plans, adopted by 117 countries today, include commitments on women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes.
This brings me to our fourth and final point.
Inclusion must be backed by accountability.
Commitments to participation should not depend on selective political will alone.
They should be expected, tracked and reported across all peace processes.
Inclusion should be seen as an integral part of effective peace making.
Mr.
president, if we continue to accept partial inclusion, we will continue to see partial peace outcomes.
If we are serious about sustaining peace, then participation cannot remain aspirational.
The credibility of our commitments and the durability of peace itself depends on it.
We thank you.
I thank Canada for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of El Salvador.
Thank you very much indeed.
President El Salvador echoes the statement made by Canada on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.
We are grateful to Colombia for convening this open debate, this high level open debate, indeed, on an issue which is not only timely but also urgent.
Peace is decided with women.
25 years have elapsed since the adoption of resolution 1325.
The normative framework is now clear.
Evidence is equally clear the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women is not an incidental component of peace processes.
It is a prerequisite to ensure that these processes are legitimate, inclusive and sustainable.
However, we continue to see a colossal gap between commitments entered into and the reality experienced by millions of women and girls in contexts of conflict, when conflicts become protracted, when political settlements are postponed, and when violence becomes normalised.
The consequences for women are devastating.
Consequently, El Salvador underscores the urgent need to ensure that this council strengthens its response capacity as a collective group response to various crises and conflicts.
That is, the lack of political solutions in the persistent nature of hostilities has a disproportionate impact on women and girls.
It translates into an increase in forced displacement, sexual violence, less access to justice, reduced opportunities to participate, and a more marked erosion of trust in institutions.
President for El Salvador, the women, peace and security agenda is particularly relevant Our country is well aware of the value of peace and recognises that sustaining peace requires inclusive institutions, resilient communities and women that actively participate in the prevention of violence, social cohesion and decision making processes.
In that spirit, El Salvador in 2014 created the National Committee for the Implementation of Resolution 1325.
It comprises state institutions, civil society organisations and international bodies.
Moreover, this committee has established national action plans designed to bolster the participation of women to integrate their perspectives into public policies and to promote their leadership in peace building.
We particularly wish to underscore the role of women at a territorial level.
Their community leadership contributes to the peaceful coexistence of all, as well as to the prevention of violence and social resilience.
That experience has taught El Salvador that we ought to issue for appeals.
These are.
They.
We call for the inclusion of robust language about women, peace and security into the thematic and country specific products of the Security Council.
However, language is not sufficient alone.
The Council must follow up on the implementation of its own decisions and guarantee that commitments translate into tangible changes on the ground.
My second appeal as a country that contributes to UN peacekeeping operations, El Salvador supports the deployment of advisers, both men and women, for the Protection of women in peace operations, as well as their deployment during transitional processes towards special political missions and the implementation of country teams We should not see a loss of capacity in terms of monitoring and responding to violence against women.
We underscore the need to strengthen the Peace Building fund.
The support it provides is vital to promote the participation of women in peace building efforts particularly at a local and community level.
For we appeal to member states to refrain from transferring weapons and munitions when there is a risk that these will be used to commit grave violations of international humanitarian law and and conflict related sexual violence.
Protecting women and girls also demands that there be responsibility used in the trade and transfer of weapons.
President peace cannot be built by leaving half of society out of the negotiation table.
As such, we reaffirm our commitment to a women peace and security agenda, which moves from aspirations to implementation.
That goes from symbolic participation to real influence of women, and one which goes from broad commitments to tangible results for all women and girls.
Many thanks indeed.
I thank the delegation of El Salvador for that statement.
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind speakers of the importance of limiting their statements to three minutes that will allow the council to carry out its work expeditiously.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Spain.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Spain aligns itself with the statements made by the group of friends on women, Peace and security and the European Union I wish to thank the Colombian presidency for convening this open debate at a time in which we are facing growing challenges for peace, security and compliance with international law.
Colombia stands as a model to follow in terms of streamlining a gender perspective into peace processes, as well, as well as when it comes to recognising the fundamental role played by women and civil society organisations in building a just and lasting peace.
The title of this debate, Peace is Decided with women, is not a rhetorical aspiration.
Rather it is.
It is a reality supported by data and experience on the ground.
However, today we are witnessing an alarming backsliding and undoing of progress in terms of the rights of women and girls in too many contexts Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza or the DRC.
Women's rights are the first to be violated and the last to be restored.
The most recent report of the Secretary General on women, Peace and Security stated that in 2024, women accounted for scarcely 7% of negotiators in global peace processes.
In other words, almost nine out of ten negotiating tables did not include a single woman.
This data is an urgent appeal to action on the part of the international community.
The WP s agenda must remain a priority also for this Security Council.
During its last two year term on the council, Spain championed the introduction of two new working methods one the IAG on WPS and two the possibility of inviting civil society women representatives of civil society to council meetings.
Since then, the percentage of Security Council decisions addressing gender related issues has substantially improved, and more than 320 women from civil society have briefed the council.
Spain's commitment to this agenda is staunch and clear.
On the second and 3rd of June, we hosted the latest ministerial conference on feminist foreign policy under the banner Building Democracy.
This conference adopted a political declaration that reaffirms that there is a correlation between gender equality, peace, security and democracy.
We encourage countries here present to accede to that declaration.
The WPS agenda is an agenda of prevention and investment in peace, security and stability.
Spain champions preventive diplomacy and mediation as the best tools against conflict.
It is a priority of our humanitarian diplomacy strategy By way of example, the Ibero-American Network of Women Mediators, which we founded, presented at the aforementioned conference, recommendations for the participation of women in mediation and peace building processes.
The network proposed work streams to rethink the peace architecture in Iberia, Iberia, the Iberoamerican region.
From a gender perspective, we have preventive diplomacy and alongside it there is our third National Action plan, the WPS 2025 to 2030.
Priorities include the integration of women in peace processes, protection with a zero tolerance policy on sexual violence, and the streamlining of gender across humanitarian action, as well as the institutionalization of WPS into governments work.
In line with this plan, it's vital to make good on commitments and to support the work of civil society organizations that are led by women.
They are on the front lines when it comes to responding to conflicts.
It's also vital to support.
In terms of financing, Spain continues to contribute to UN women, and we must all contribute to the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund.
We must combat impunity for crimes against women and girls using all instruments, including the Srsg for CRC, an office that counters this scourge, we must continue to ensure the full implementation of the WPS agenda.
Spain reiterates its commitment to that agenda through Action Abroad, which is consistent feminist development policy and staunch support for renewed, buttressed and inclusive multilateralism.
There can be no lasting peace without the full participation of women.
Guaranteeing their leadership is not only a matter of justice, it is a vital prerequisite for international peace and security.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Spain for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Mozambique.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I wish to thank the Colombian presidency for convening this debate and commend the Briefers for their insightful presentation this morning.
Mr.
president, more than two decades since resolution 1325.
The evidence is unambiguous.
Peace process that include women produce more durable agreements, more legitimate institutions, and more effective recovery.
This is not a matter of advocacy.
It is a matter of record.
Yet the trend is moving in the wrong direction.
As the Secretary General's own reports have noted, UN led mediation, which historically achieves the highest levels of women's participation, is in decline.
In its place, we are seeing a proliferation of diplomatic processes where women's participation in peace negotiations, political transitions, security institutions and post-conflict recovery process remains minimal or absent.
The agreement that results are less likely to hold the council should be deeply concerned by this pattern.
Mr.
president, Mozambique's own experience from the liberation struggle to peace consolidation confirms that women are not merely victims of conflict, they are freedom fighters, mediators, community leaders, peace builders, security actors, humanitarians and agents of national reconstruction.
Our UN support to DDR experience taught us something specific women, ex-combatants and women in affected communities require targeted socioeconomic support, recognition and meaningful participation in local reconciliation processes.
Gender responsive DDR is not a secondary concern.
It is integral to whether peace holds We therefore call for a renewed commitment to removing the barriers that continue to limit women's participation, investing in women's leadership expanding access to education and economic opportunities.
Protecting women and girls from all forms of violence, and supporting women led organizations at the forefront of peace building.
In closing, Mr.
President, peace is most resilient when it embodies the voices, experiences, and aspirations of the world society.
Institutions are more trusted, legitimate, and effective when those who lead them reflect the societies they serve and principles they proclaim, and the full participation of women enables societies to more effectively heal, rebuild and thrive.
As the United Nations prepares for its next chapter of leadership, the membership has an opportunity to demonstrate, without slogans that the promise of women's full, equal and meaningful participation applies to every level, including the highest.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Las gracias a la delegation.
I wish to thank the delegation of Mozambique.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Croatia.
Thank you, Mr.
President and Colombia, for convening this important debate And to all the briefers for the valuable insights.
Croatia aligns itself with the statements of the European Union on behalf of its Member States and the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and security.
And I wish to add a few remarks in my national capacity.
Over the last two decades, we have put great effort into establishing the empowerment of women and girls as a normative imperative for sustainable peace and security.
And despite clear evidence confirming the positive impact of women's participation at all levels of decision making, including in conflict prevention and resolution, progress remains slow.
Women continue to face significant barriers and the failure to uphold their human rights in the times of peace leaves them disproportionately exposed when conflicts break out.
Mr.
president, resolution 1325 broadened our understanding of peace and security by prioritizing women's participation and the protection of those most affected by conflict.
Croatia can attest from experience that to the decisive role women can play in driving reconciliation and rebuilding society.
As fighters, humanitarians and community organizers, they helped preserve the social fabric at a moment of national rupture.
Their unique role in peace building efforts contributed to accountability and the search for the missing, and we consider, therefore, the women peace and security agenda a practical necessity for building lasting peace and resilient institutions.
This commitment is reflected in our Third National Action Plan and continued efforts to support women's leadership through UN certified pre-deployment training and greater representation in the military and security sectors.
It has been said many times, but it bears repeating.
Peace that excludes half of the world's population is neither credible nor sustainable.
The UN must continue promoting women's full fledged participation while maintaining its strong and visible presence in mediation and political processes.
And let me conclude by emphasizing that member states must demonstrate greater political will and make full use of all the tools that are disposal to enhance women peace and security policies.
In this regard, we underline the important work of the Peacebuilding Commission and encourage financing of the Peace Building Fund, whose gender responsive programmes have delivered tangible results in the most fragile of conflict contexts.
I thank you.
Las gracias.
I thank the delegation of Croatia.
I now give the floor to the delegation of the Maldives.
Thank you president.
I thank Colombia, the president of the council for convening this open debate.
Many of us know her.
A young woman in Gaza speaks to the world on her phone.
She is in a tent or a street reduced to rubble.
She says that she is alive.
She reports on hunger, fear, displacement and death.
This is political testimony and this council's reckoning.
Peace agreements lose legitimacy when the women who live.
These realities are kept out of the rooms where ceasefires, security and recovery is decided.
In the video, she records from Gaza there is no distance between the woman and the war.
It is around her, on her face, in her voice, in the exhaustion she cannot hide and the resolve she refuses to lose This is what modern war asks of women to document their own destruction, so that the world may eventually believe what it knows.
This council's resolution 1325 was created to reject this injustice, to protect women from conflict related violence and reclaim women's place as mediators, leaders and peacebuilders.
Yet in Palestine, that promise is being violated daily.
A woman in Gaza cannot ask whether the language of a ceasefire agreement is strong enough.
She asks if it will mean anything this time, whether the crossing will open, whether water will reach her children, whether their tent will survive the heat, whether her family is meager.
Rations will be safe from rats, whether the next settler attack will destroy the remnants of her heritage, whether relatives displaced by the closure of refugee camps will find their way to safety.
In Gaza, water shortages forced families to choose between drinking and hygiene.
Aid is delayed and unpredictable.
In the West Bank, settler violence and demolitions continue, with more than 950 attacks documented this year.
This requires women negotiators and mediators.
Engagement with Palestinian women led society protection, financing and accountability.
Participation is not only about numbers, it is about impact.
Women's ideas must shape the solutions.
A lasting peace must grant justice for Palestine.
The Maldives urges the admission of the State of Palestine as a full member state of the United Nations, and calls on all Member States to recognise Palestinian.
Based on pre.
1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Justice for Palestine must also mean justice for Palestinian women, not as victims or witnesses to war.
Peace cannot be decided over women.
It must be shaped with full, equal, meaningful and safe participation.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of the Maldives.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Germany.
Mr.
president, I thank you for convening today's debate and for the contribution of the Briefers.
There are many reasons why the pursuit of durable peace is too often unsuccessful.
Some of those reasons reflect the difficult and protracted work of making peace, making, and building peace itself.
But some reasons exist because we choose to accept narrow, exclusive processes processes proven to deliver worse results for peace and security.
Participation in peace processes is key.
Let me start from two assessments.
First, today, facing multiple crises, there is a need for more and for more participative peace processes.
And second, the participation of women is key to their success.
We.
We need those directly involved to appreciate the.
Sustainable.
Peace is more realistic when it was achieved in an inclusive process, one in which women were equally and meaningfully involved.
We call on all those who convene and have influence on negotiations to ensure that women are able to shape decisions every step of the way What can we do to achieve this Germany strives to strengthen the role of women in political and peace processes through our foreign policy engagement.
We work with partner organisations to ensure targeted and specific support to women peace builders We have also tracked the participation of Women in Peace mediation and dialogue processes supported by Germany.
The results have been encouraging but are far from satisfactory.
Germany has gladly joined the UN Secretary General's common pledge to increase women's participation in peace processes, and calls on others to do the same.
We work to ensure that the double that remains high on the agenda of multilateral multilateral platforms, including through our UN Peacebuilding Commission Chairpersonship last year.
Germany has been a steadfast partner and largest donor to the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund, providing direct and flexible support to women led civil society organisations who engage in peacebuilding efforts around the world, including in Colombia.
We plan to contribute to the fund substantially in the future as well.
In addition Germany provides support to various regional women networks that aim to enhance women's leadership, such as the African Women Leaders Network and the Unidas Network in Latin America Collectively, we must improve our efforts to protect women peacebuilders from violence, intimidation, harassment and reprisals.
Engaging in favor of women peace builders is not merely a matter of doing the right thing, or a matter of adhering to agreed standards.
It's a matter of achieving the best outcomes possible.
It can mean the difference between building sustainable peace and continued hostilities.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Germany.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Turkey.
Mr.
president, we thank the Colombian presidency for convening this important debate and commend the Briefers for their dedication.
The women Peace and Security Agenda is a critical tool for conflict prevention and resolution, as well as for peace building and sustaining peace.
Women are disproportionately affected by violence, displacement and instability, and yet their voices remain marginalised in the very processes aimed at resolving this crisis.
The absence of women's meaningful participation in peace processes remains a significant challenge to conflict resolution.
The evidence is clear peace agreements are more durable and societies are more resilient than women.
Participate meaningfully in peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction.
This is because women's participation broadens perspectives, strengthens social cohesion, enhances the legitimacy of institutions, and contributes to addressing the root causes of conflict.
Sustainable peace cannot be achieved when half of the society is excluded from shaping its future.
The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security requires more robust implementation and accountability to address this imbalance.
Mr.
president, Turkey is among the leading countries actively promoting awareness of the importance of women's participation in peace processes.
We endorsed Secretary General's campaign for a common pledge to increase women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes in 2024.
As the co-chair of Group of Friends of Mediation, we prioritize the role of women in mediation efforts.
We highlight the importance of women's participation in peace processes at the annually organised Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
We annually organise mediation for peace certificate programs for junior diplomats, where we underline the importance of women's role in international peace mediation.
As a matter of fact, Turkish diplomacy specifically advocates women diplomats active participation in mediation processes provides training opportunities and investment capacity, building programs for women at all levels to equip them with the tools to engage in peace negotiations effectively.
These programs also include meant to build awareness and foster inclusive practices in mediation.
This is to ensure that peace processes are credible, inclusive and capable of supporting reconciliation and social cohesion.
Today, Turkey's diplomatic network reflects this commitment in a very tangible way.
We have a dedicated Directorate General for International Mediation, which is responsible for conducting and supporting mediation activities by Turkey, is comprised of approximately 65% of women diplomats.
85 Turkish women ambassadors are serving across continents, from Africa to Asia, contributing actively to dialogue, trust building and conflict resolution in diverse and often complex settings.
Last year, we recruited 60 female career diplomats, 43 of the total number and promising a women led peace processes in the future.
Coming from the bottom.
This is not only a matter of representation, it is a true belief of how inclusivity strengthens peace processes.
Mr.
president, Turkey's experience shows that inclusive diplomacy is not an aspiration.
It is practice, and this practice directly contributes to more sustainable, locally grounded peace.
Turkey will continue to emphasize and advocate for the meaningful participation of women in peace processes at every opportunity by highlighting highlighting the contributions of women as mediators, negotiators, peace builders, and leaders.
We can contribute to the establishment of a just, lasting and inclusive peace for present and future generations.
Thank you.
I thank Turkey Turkey for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Morocco.
Merci, monsieur.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Please allow me to, first of all, warmly thank from on behalf of the Morocco, to Her Excellency Madame Rosa.
Yolanda Villavicencio, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia, Colombia.
We thank her for her personal participation in this public open debate organized by Colombia during its presidency of the Council this month.
The theme we have today is a very important one, and the choice is particularly apt because it shows something essential, namely, that peace is decided with women.
It's built with women, and emerging sustainably from conflicts means strengthening full and effective participation of women at all levels of peace processes.
Mr.
president, we are clearly convinced that peace is much more resilient when women participate in it, and we have a proof of that through figures and facts, peace processes with women have a greater chance of being successful.
The agreements which result with their participation in 35% more chance of lasting.
Therefore, the participation of women is not a favor to be granted, nor is it just a moral imperative.
It's a condition for the durability of peace and collective security.
For more than a quarter of a century now under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI, we have been moving down the road of equality.
There have been in-depth constitutional, legislative and institutional reforms, and this national trend fuels our external action Morocco today has a feminist diplomacy in the service of peace.
In March 2022, the Kingdom adopted its first national action Plan so as to implement resolution 1325.
This plan is a result of a broad consultative process which started in 2019, and it's based on the following agenda pillars participation, prevention, protection as well as rescue and recovery.
It makes a gender approach, a central axis of the National Strategy and international action of the Kingdom of Morocco.
In September 2025 in New York, Morocco launched an extension of this plan until 2026, and this coincided with two major milestones 25 years anniversary of resolution 13, 25 and 30 years of the Beijing Declaration.
This extension consolidates accomplishments and places women at the heart of prevention, mediation and reconstruction.
Morocco is convinced that the essential contribution made by women as major mechanisms for early warning, raising awareness about local security and the role they place in mediation.
The Kingdom, therefore, actively participates in a number of initiatives, including the initiative on the Promotion of Mediation in the Mediterranean, the Network of Focal points, and the network of Mediterranean women since they were created in 1956.
The Royal Armed Forces had an early integration of women in this institution, and since then it has been growing.
In fact, His Majesty the King Mohammed VI, who is a Supreme Commander and chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, issued instructions to all military economies academies to allow women servicemen to participate in competition for entry into that on the same level as men.
Therefore, uh, in Morocco, women participate in the administration of national defense and in all of the components of the armed forces land, air, marine and gendarmerie.
They are also present in U.N.
peacekeeping missions whenever our contingents are present.
We are the ninth highest contributor to the peacekeeping operations with the UN.
We deploy 3400 blue helmets.
Out of them, 120 women, more than 1700 soldiers in essential, uh, positions.
Since 1990, they have been serving with professionalism within Minusca and Unmis and occupy about 31% of individual officer posts within the peacekeeping operations, beyond the thresholds of the United Nations have set for themselves And, uh, service women from Morocco are at approximately 3.5% of the total number deployed by the by our Royal Armed forces.
We invest in strengthening their capacities.
The city of Agadir, for example in 2025, hosted the foreign French speaking training for service women involved in peacekeeping operations.
This was done in partnership with France and the United Nations.
And at the same spirit, we participated in the training of 175 women mediators and election observers in Africa between 2022 and 2025.
To conclude, Mr.
President, I would like to underscore the fact that the peace agenda is universal.
Its success rests on shared ownership and collective engagement, aimed at translating these goals into specific actions and ensuring that women have their proper place in prevention and conflict resolution, as well as in peace building.
Morocco will continue promoting full and effective participation of women at all levels.
Because investing in women is investing in peace.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Morocco.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Ukraine.
Mr.
president, distinguished members of the Security Council Ukraine is grateful to the presidency of Colombia for convening this open debate and for bringing before the Security Council a truth that should have become self-evident long ago.
Peace cannot be built when women are expected merely to endure the consequences of war, while being denied their rightful place in shaping the respective decisions.
The women peace and security agenda is no longer an abstraction for Ukraine.
It has already become an integral part of our daily life.
It embodies faces of women who courageously defend Ukraine in uniform, who treat the wounded after Russia's missile and drone strikes, who document daily war crimes, support survivors of conflict related sexual violence, who searched for unlawfully deported children, rarely for the return of prisoners of war, and hold entire communities together.
While Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine's statehood.
That is the reason why Ukraine rejects an illusion that women's participation in peace and security processes can wait until after the war, as though justice, equality and human dignity were luxuries reserved for more peaceful times.
If women are included only after the war is over, then the war itself will have already shaped the terms of peace.
And if peace is shaped without those who carry such a profound share of its human cost, such peace will never be just.
Mr.
president, in February this year, Ukraine, in the middle of the war, adopted its third National Action plan until 2030 on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325.
This action plan was developed through an inclusive process involving central authorities, regional administration, civil society, and most importantly, women's organisations.
It embeds the gender perspective into security and defence policy.
Recovery.
Justice, reparation, reintegration, support for survivors and decision making at all levels.
Ukraine is proving that women peace and security agenda has become a practical instrument of governance.
Even in these dark times of Russia's war of annihilation.
Every day, Ukraine is implementing its best international practices under this agenda, even under Russian missiles, drones and bombs.
Mr.
president, the real question is whether political institutions, security establishments and international mediation frameworks are ready to share power, resources and responsibility with women rather than symbolically inviting them to bless decisions already taken elsewhere.
That is why Ukraine continues to back its UN commitments with concrete policies.
Together with UN women.
This year, Ukraine launched the lines for gender Responsive and Inclusive Recovery, which now brings together more than 110 members.
Governments, international organisations, financial institutions, businesses and civil society.
Mr.
president, today more than 75,000 Ukrainian women serve in armed forces, of whom more than 55,000 are active duty military personnel.
More than 11,000 of them are military officers.
They serve as commanders, snipers and combat medics on the most dangerous sections of the front for their personal bravery.
1705 women have already been awarded state honours and five have received the highest title.
The Hero of Ukraine.
All these brave women do not need ceremonial praise once a year.
What they need are more efficient institutions worthy of their courage.
They need more equal opportunities, proper equipment, access to leadership, protection from discrimination, and a real voice in shaping security and defence policy.
And that is our goal for Ukraine.
The women peace and security agenda is not a side chapter of the ongoing peace process.
It is one of the foundations of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace that we try to achieve, and it will be impossible to achieve that peace without the leadership, participation and strong voices of women.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Ukraine.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Malta.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the presidency for convening this important debate and for advancing a concept note that rightly places women's full, equal and meaningful, meaningful and safe participation at the centre of peace processes.
Malta aligns itself with the statements delivered by the European Union and the Group of Friends of Peace.
At a time of rising conflicts and deepening fragility.
The message is clear peace cannot be sustainable when half of the population remains excluded from shaping it.
While the international community has made important achievements under the WPS agenda, barriers that prevent women from participating fully, equally, meaningfully and safely in peace processes and post-conflict transitions persist.
Women remain underrepresented in peace negotiations and decision making.
Less than 10% of negotiators, just over 13% of mediators while bearing disproportionate impact of conflict, including violence and structural inequality.
Yet women are not only victims of conflict, but are essential actors in conflict prevention, resolution and recovery.
Mr.
president, Malta remains committed to the WPS agenda following the completion of our first National Action Plan.
We recently launched our second National Action Plan on WPS, an ambitious evidence based framework based on a whole of government and whole of society approach anchored in inclusive partnerships and national ownership.
During its tenure on the UN Security Council, between 2023 and 2024, Malta worked to ensure that the WPS agenda was fully and meaningfully integrated into the council's work.
We supported the safe participation of women civil society Briefers, recognising their essential contributions to forming council decision making.
We created spaces for women peacebuilders from Afghanistan to Somalia to engage directly with council members and shape international responses.
Malta's engagement extends beyond this council.
We continue to advance gender responsive approaches across regional and international frameworks, including within the OSCE and the EU's security and defence engagements.
We have also taken leadership in integrating gender perspectives into disarmament, including as gender focal point under the TPN.
W building on this.
Allow me to highlight three areas for action.
First, we must remove the barriers that continue to prevent women from participating fully, equally, meaningfully and safely in peace processes and political transitions.
When women have a seat at the table, peace agreements are stronger, communities are safer, and recovery is more durable.
Second, ensuring sustained and predictable support for women led civil society organisations who remain indispensable actors in peace building and conflict prevention.
Malta has contributed financially towards WPS agenda such as through our contributions towards the UN Women of Afghanistan Country Office, the rapid response window of the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund and the UN women's WPS Global Facility.
Third, strengthening accountability so that commitments translate into measurable change precedent.
In closing, Malta will continue to work with partners across the United Nations system.
We recall that the WPS agenda is not only about giving women a seat at the table, but a guarantee that peace itself has a future.
Peace cannot be built without women, and it cannot be sustained without their leadership.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Malta for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Mexico.
Thank you very much indeed, Mr.
President.
The women Peace and security agenda is facing myriad challenges.
These include include the increasing intensity of conflicts, severe restrictions recently seen on humanitarian assistance, the rising tide of sexual violence in armed conflicts, the undoing also recently seen of progress in terms of women's rights and the gender equality agenda and budget cuts, and the liquidity crisis currently facing the United Nations.
In light of the above, we welcome the fact that Colombia has convened this debate.
The peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias of Colombia.
The FARC in 2016 was the first peace agreement globally to fully incorporate a gender perspective.
It is an example that demonstrates to the world that inclusive peace processes processes are more likely to produce sustainable results.
In line with its feminist foreign policy, Mexico recognizes women as mediators and peacebuilders.
This.
At a community, local and regional level.
They are vital actors in weaving our social fabric.
I am delighted to announce that this year, the Government of Mexico will present its second National Action Plan on this agenda for 2026 to 2030.
This new action plan incorporates a multidimensional intersectional and intergenerational approach and provides for a stronger relationship with civil society At the same time, Mexico, as president pro tempore of the Ibero-American Network of Women Mediators, is contributing to strengthening the governance and institutional framework of that initiative that dates back to 2023.
In this capacity, we are also seeking to integrate the visions, perspectives and local experiences of women mediators and peace builders into efforts at a regional and international level.
In so doing, we are seeking to bring an Iberoamerican perspective to the global movement of regional networks.
The contributions made by the aforementioned Iberoamerican network seek to stand as a framework of reference, and to feed in to the work done by local and regional networks of women mediators.
Our work also seeks to lend visibility to the daily leadership of women in this sphere.
Peace building requires a shared commitment so that the knowledge and experiences of women in mediation at a local level can be duly recognized and ultimately be translated into sustainable, transformative policy.
The contribution that women make to peacekeeping is today more necessary than ever before.
Member states are committed to ensuring that the inclusion of women and their work is guaranteed.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Mexico for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Japan.
Thank you, Mr.
President Japan expresses its sincere appreciation to Colombia for its outstanding leadership on women, peace and security.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of WPS.
Yet despite this milestone, women remain significantly underrepresented in peace negotiations and transitional processes in conflict affected areas in conflict situations.
It is critically important that women participate in peace negotiations and political transition processes in order to ensure women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation.
It is necessary to create an enabling environment for women to do so.
Women are often disproportionately affected by fragile situations such as water and food insecurity and breakdown of basic services, particularly in conflict affected areas, with only reason of their of their gender While protection must be prioritized, it is also crucial to create a cycle in which women are empowered, enabling them to more readily engage in subsequent peace building and peace negotiations.
In practice through its support to UN women in the Central African Republic Japan has implemented workshops for approximately 50 women led civil society organizations to strengthen women's leadership in peace building.
Such efforts contribute to building the capacity of women to actively and independently engage in peace building and peace negotiations.
These initiatives are also closely aligned with the approach of human security, which Japan has long advocated.
This approach places the protection and empowerment of individuals at its core, and is consistent with the principle of leaving no one behind.
This human centered approach can effectively promote women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation with recognizing women led civil society organizations as indispensable central actors in promoting such promoting and sustaining peace.
Japan believes nurturing the next generation of young people is also essential to advancing the WPS agenda.
Japan launched the Next Generation Network Programme for Gender Equality in 2025.
This programme aims to promote gender equality.
Together with partners across the world and to realize a future society that is diverse, inclusive and resilient.
Embodying Japan's commitment to placing a special.
Especially women and young people at the heart of peace building.
The programme's key pillars are the cultivation of next generation leaders, the creation of interactive platforms for dialogue and building of transnational networks, thereby laying the foundation for women led civil society organizations to exert collective influence on peace processes.
Japan remains firmly committed to advancing this agenda together with its partners across the world.
Finally, I would like to mention our practice and contribution.
Japan co-chaired the WPS Focal Points Network with Norway last year, and we are pleased to welcome Italy and the Philippines as the new co-chairs this year in the Asia Pacific region.
Japan is committed to lead the lead for promoting, dissemination and implementation of the agenda through UN women.
Japan is implementing the partnership for peace initiative commemorating the 25th anniversary of the WPS agenda, providing support to Asia Pacific region.
Through this project, Japan is supporting Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia in developing their national action plans while promoting more inclusive national networks for women.
Peace builders comprised of not only the public sector but also civil society organizations, Japan remains deeply committed to ensuring women's active participation and leadership in all areas of peace and security and will continue to advance the WPS agenda, together with its partners across Asia and beyond.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Japan.
I now give the floor to the delegation of the United Arab Emirates.
Mr.
president, I thank Minister Villavicencio for having chaired this important debate on the women, peace and security agenda.
I also thank Executive Director Bahouth and the Civil Society Briefers for their valuable insights.
Mr.
president, it is a fact that women and girls remain disproportionately affected by conflict, facing heightened risks of displacement, violence and economic hardship.
It is also a fact that women are indispensable partners in preventing violence, sustaining peace and rebuilding societies in the aftermath of conflict.
This is not only a matter of principle.
Decades of evidence demonstrate that women's participation in peace building and peace negotiations leads to more durable and sustainable peace.
These two data points inform the commitment of the United Arab Emirates to the women, peace and security agenda.
The UAE continues to invest in women as leaders, peace builders and agents of change, including through the Sheikha Fatima bint Mbarak initiative, implemented in partnership with UN women.
Mr.
president, recognising the indispensable role of women requires ensuring their full, equal and meaningful participation at every stage of peace negotiations and political processes, not as observers but as decision makers, mediators and negotiators.
Equally important are opportunities for women's economic participation, including in post-conflict settings where their contributions are critical to recovery, reconstruction and long term stability.
In this regard, I would like to highlight three points.
First, the empowerment of women and girls across the whole of society is an investment in peace.
Empowering women before conflicts emerge is one of the most effective tools for building resilient and peaceful societies.
This has been a critical part of the UAE's development model, and we are proud to be among the leading countries in its region, in our region, to adopt a national action plan on women, peace and security.
Second, we encourage the Security Council to continue meaningfully engaging with women civil society briefers.
They provide valuable perspectives on emerging issues and developments related to situations on the Council's agenda.
This is why the UAE joined the shared commitments on peace during its council tenure, and continues to encourage all council members to support these commitments and promote their implementation.
In this regard, we commend the Colombian presidency for ensuring that women's civil society representatives are invited to brief the Council.
Third, the WPS agenda must keep pace with the ways in which technology is increasingly shaping conflict, humanitarian response and peace operations.
Women must have a seat at the table in discussions on emerging technologies to help ensure that digital policies are inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs of all those they affect.
Mr.
president, the UAE remains committed to advancing the WPS agenda through practical partnerships and sustained investment in women's leadership.
The full, equal and meaningful participation of women is not merely a box to be ticked, but rather a prerequisite for sustainable peace and security.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of the United Arab Emirates.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Romania.
Thank you.
President Romania aligned to the EU statement and to the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.
Romania supports the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in peace processes, conflict prevention, recovery and peace building efforts.
And this is not just a matter of representation, but a prerequisite for the legitimacy effectiveness, and sustainability of peace and security efforts.
It is also a matter of recognition.
The experience of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine demonstrates, among many other things, that resilience depends on the engagement of entire communities in which women play a critical role across all dimensions.
We honor the heroism and sacrifice of Ukrainian women in defending their country, their communities, their families and their workplaces against the aggressor.
We also honored the resilience of women all over the world who are deeply affected by the disproportionate impact of armed conflict.
President Romania remains firmly committed to implementing the women peace and security agenda nationally and internationally.
We adopted our second national plan and strategy over the 2024 2028 timeline, a consolidated framework tailored to local realities and created by the representatives from the government, sector, civil society, academia and parliamentary structures.
We operate a permanent group for national implementation steered by the Ministry of Defence.
Women's Participation in peace processes begins long before crisis emerge.
It starts with education, leadership development, civic engagement, and investments in societal resilience.
Against this background, our Ministry of Defense initiated in 2025, the shift for Romania campaign, a broad outreach and skills effort in support of young women pursuing a career in the service of public order, defense and security.
Following workshops and other activities within our military academies, the campaign will continue during this autumn with outreach activities within civilian high schools across the country.
We continue to support women's participation in policing and peace operations.
We are actively participating in the high level network and Gender responsive Policing Initiative, and contributing to the development and exchange of best practices aimed at strengthening gender sensitive policing approaches across peace operations.
And we also continue to work to strengthen women's voice in international negotiations within our Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
57% of management roles and almost half of heads of missions positions are held by women.
President.
At a time of growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts and humanitarian crises, the WPS agenda is not a secondary issue.
It is central to international peace and security.
Our responsibility is clear to move forward and only forward, from commitments to implementation and from rhetoric to measurable action.
And in this process, Romania is pulling its weight.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of Romania for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Nepal.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
At the outset, I thank the presidency of Colombia for convening this timely debate on women, peace and security agenda.
I also thank the distinguished Briefers for their insightful presentations.
President, the adoption of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 remains a powerful reminder that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without women's leadership and participation.
Indeed, women are not only affected by conflict, they are indispensable actors in conflict prevention, mediation, peace building, peacekeeping, and post-conflict recovery.
Their leadership, their experiences, and their expertise strengthen every stage of the peace continuum, bringing perspective and solutions that make prevention more effective, negotiation more inclusive and peace and recovery more sustainable.
Eight women remain underrepresented.
Where peace is negotiated and where decisions are made, even as they bear the disproportionate consequences of conflict.
Mr.
president, Nepal remains firmly committed to advancing the WP s agenda.
In 2011, Nepal became the first country in South Asia and second in Asia to adopt a national action plan for the implementation of the Security Council resolutions 1325 and 1820.
Nepal launched its second National Action Plan in 2022, focusing on the needs, rights and participations of conflict affected women and children.
Our Constitution guarantees gender equality, safeguards women's fundamental rights and makes gender discrimination punishable by law.
Is the leading troop and police contributing country and top contributor of female peacekeepers.
Nepal upholds the highest standards of conduct in peacekeeping.
Our women peacekeepers have contributed to fostering trust with local communities, strengthening confidence building measures, protecting civilians and advancing gender responsive approaches to peacekeeping.
Nepal is also happy to co-chair along with Luxembourg, the Feminist Foreign Policy Plus group.
This year, Mr.
President to advance the women peace and security agenda.
Allow me to highlight five key priorities.
First, meaningful participation We must ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace negotiations, mediation, peacekeeping and decision making processes for these structural barriers that prevent women from participating in peace and political processes must be addressed.
Second, protection.
We must strengthen measures to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against women and girls, including in conflict and post-conflict settings, and ensure accountability.
Third, prevention.
We must address the root causes and structural drivers of violence and conflict, including inequality, exclusion, discrimination and lack of opportunities, particularly for women and girls.
Fourth, empowerment.
We must invest in women's leadership, education, economic empowerment and resilience.
Recognizing women as partners in building sustainable peace.
We must scale up investment in women led peacebuilding, strengthen institutional capacity and ensure measurable impact.
Fifth, implementation and accountability.
We must translate commitments into actions through adequate financing.
Stronger institutions, strengthened international cooperation, effective implementation of national and international frameworks.
Global solidarity and cooperation must be strengthened to support national efforts, including through capacity building, technical assistance, sharing of best practices and robust data system.
Mr.
president, Nepal strongly supports the theme of this open debate that peace is not only built for women, it is built and decided with women.
The experiences of many countries, including Nepal demonstrate that investing in women's leadership and participation is strengthened, both peace and democratic governance.
The challenge today is not the lack of norms, but a lack of consistent implementation, accountability and adequate financing for which we need to work together.
Nepal remains committed to advancing the women, peace and security agenda, and working with the international community to ensure that women are are present not only at the table, but are empowered to save the decisions that determine the future of our peace and security.
I thank you I thank the delegation of Nepal I give the floor to the delegation of Cambodia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I extend my sincere congratulations to Colombia on its presidency of this Security Council.
And thank you for, Mr.
President, for convening this timely debate on an issue of profound importance to women, peace and security agendas, particularly at a time of growing global uncertainty, turbulence and transformations.
History has shown that women and children are often the most affected by wars, conflicts, and confrontation that they neither create nor controls for Cambodia.
Advancing the women peace and security agenda is not merely a policy commitment, but a lived experience.
It has long been an integral part of our political, economic and social development efforts, including under the leadership of Prime Minister Hogmanay.
Currently, our Prime Ministers, Cambodia firmly believes that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women is essential not only to achieving peace but also to sustaining it at the national, regional and global levels.
Since 2006, Cambodia has deployed more than 10,000 peacekeepers to 12 United Nations missions worldwide, including over 1000 women peacekeepers.
Their contributions in demining, medical support and emerging engineering have demonstrated the indispensable role women played in peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and in post-conflict recovery.
Cambodia.
Therefore, call for strengthened international cooperation, particularly within the United Nations framework, to enhance partnerships that support the implementation of national action plans.
Expand capacity building opportunities for women and ensures predictable funding for gender responsive Recovery and Resilience programme.
Mr.
president, in closing, Cambodia reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the women, peace and security agenda and to working closely with all partners, including the United Nations, to ensure that women are fully represented and actively engaged in all peace, security and development process.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of Cambodia.
I now give the floor to the delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
President, Distinguished Delegations, on behalf of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
I wish to express my gratitude for the convening of this essential debate on the role of women in peace building and sustaining peace.
Women have not only historically disproportionately borne the brunt of conflict, we have also proven to be vital protagonists in preventing conflicts, resolving them, and rebuilding after them from community level work to work at the highest level of policy making, women have served to build bridges, bolster dialogue mend the social fabric and promote lasting solutions to crises.
It is encouraging to note that in the current process, to select the next secretary general of the United Nations, candidacies from women constitute the majority.
This reflects that progress has been made in recognising the leading role that women play, and that there's increasing recognition of what they do to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security.
President excellencies, we cannot talk about lasting peace for as long as there continue to exist unilateral coercive measures.
These undermine the stability, development and well-being of peoples.
For this reason, they must be lifted immediately.
Venezuela reaffirms the fact that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision making processes strengthens political agreements which are inclusive.
It also builds trust in institutions and encourages efforts to address the structural causes of conflicts.
Against that backdrop, we wish to point to the role played by the Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Doctor Delcy Rodriguez.
Her experience in high office has emphasized the importance of women's leadership in dialogue, negotiation and public administration.
After taking up the office of Acting President in January January 2026, she has discharged her institutional responsibilities in such a way as to preserve stability, peace and the continued smooth functioning of the state that has reaffirmed the valuable role that women play in managing political, public, rather public affairs.
To conclude, we reiterate that it is only via sustained political will, underpinned with adequate resources and accompanied by concrete actions that we can move towards fairer more inclusive and peaceful societies.
Thank you president.
I wish to thank the delegation of Venezuela.
I give the floor to the Dominican Republic.
Thank you.
President.
The Dominican Republic wishes to thank the Republic of Colombia for convening this open debate.
We recognise Colombia's leadership in furthering the women peace and security agenda in an international context marked marked by persistent conflicts and growing tension.
It is vital and indeed impossible not to recognise that sustaining peace is an unattainable goal without the full participation of women.
More than two decades after the adoption of resolution 1325, progress has been made.
However structural challenges remain.
These hamper the full implementation of this resolution, particularly when it comes to the participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution processes and mediation, guaranteeing that women's participation is full, equal, meaningful and safe remains a goal as yet unachieved.
This reality points to the need to move away from normative commitments and towards operational, measurable and sustainable mechanisms.
With this in mind, it is a matter of priority to bolster the institutional architecture that underpins the participation of women in peace processes.
Achieving that goal involves, inter alia, the implementation of binding normative frameworks and the systematic incorporation of gender inclusion clauses into mediation mandates, peace agreements and political transition processes.
It also involves the establishment of predictable, flexible and sustained financing mechanisms to support the direct participation of mediation.
Women mediators, negotiators, and women led civil society organisations.
There should also be specific funds allocated within existing peacebuilding mechanisms.
There should also be the development of clear indicators and evaluation and monitoring systems to assess the impact of these measures on the sustainability of agreements achieved.
It is also vital to improve guarantees for the protection of women that participate in political and peace processes.
This should include specific measures to tackle gender based violence, both in physical and digital spaces.
There should also be work done to ensure enabling environments for the participation of women free of reprisals.
It is also important to streamline the gender perspective in post-conflict reconstruction processes, including into security sector reform and DDR programmes, and the gender perspective should also be streamlined across transitional justice mechanisms Evidence points to the fact that excluding the gender perspective limits the effectiveness of the aforementioned interventions and reduces institutional resilience.
President.
According to statistics from Latin America and the Caribbean violence linked to organised crime, drug trafficking and community level armed conflict disproportionately affects women and girls.
These phenomena create false displacement and chronic insecurity phenomena, which require a more effective institutional response.
National action plans for the WPS agenda are key instruments for national level implementation.
However, their effectiveness depends on adequate financing that being aligned with national priorities and the existence of robust and inclusive accountability mechanisms.
President, our actions nationally are consistent with our international commitments, and that encourages us to take concrete strides forwards.
In August 2025, the Dominican Republic participated in a regional workshop organised by UN women only to strengthen the incorporation of a gender perspective into arms control work.
Here we wish to announce to the Council that with that technical assistance, we have formally resumed efforts to establish our National Action Plan on WPS.
In this same spirit, we underscore the importance of increasing coordination between the Security Council, the UN system and regional stakeholders in order to guarantee coherence with the implementation of this agenda and in order to maximise the impact it has on the ground we reiterate the fact that the effective participation of women is a decisive and transformative component of conflict prevention, and of efforts to build a genuinely lasting peace.
Without the full participation of women, it will not be possible to build inclusive, resilient societies, nor will it be possible to buttress lasting peace.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of the Dominican Republic.
I now give the floor to the.
Next delegation.
Slovenia.
Today's open debate and I also thank the Briefers for their valuable contributions.
Slovenia aligns itself with the statements made by the European Union and the group of friends on women, peace and Security.
Mr.
president, colleagues, women, peace and security agenda remains one of the strongest normative frameworks for advancing peace and security.
At its core lies a simple but powerful principle.
Women must be protected from violence and fully included in efforts to prevent conflict, to build peace and to support recovery.
Yet the reality remains deeply troubling.
Across the world, women and girls continue to bear disproportionate burden of armed conflict.
Their rights are violated, their security threatened, and their voices still too often excluded from decision making.
In this context, allow me to highlight the following two points.
First experience has repeatedly shown that inclusive peace processes lead to more resilient societies and more sustainable peace.
It is vital to connect political legitimacy of any peace process with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women at every stage, from conflict prevention and mediation to peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction and governance.
Gender quotas or dedicated seats are effective means to achieve this.
Second, we must strengthen platforms that amplify the voices from women, peace builders in conflict and crisis settings.
We must also help to ensure safe and enabling environments that are essential to their work on peace building and conflict resolution.
At the same time, we must stand firm against any threats, harassment, sexual and gender based violence and all forms of reprisals aimed against them.
In this regard, Slovenia strongly supports accountability mechanisms addressing such violence, including reproductive violence Mr.
president, we firmly believe that national ownership is essential for the effective implementation of the WPS agenda and that national action plans are a practical tool in this regard.
117 such plans have already been adopted around the globe, and we are proud to have adopted Slovenia's third National Action Plan on WPS in 2025.
Mr.
president, let me conclude by a simple message.
Women must be fully represented and able to shape decisions that make our lives and communities more peaceful, resilient, and just.
So let us therefore renew our commitment to the full implementation of WPS and ensure that women's voices are not only heard, but reflected in the decisions we take.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Slovenia.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Kenya.
Mr.
president, I thank you for convening this meeting and the Briefers for their valuable insights.
More than two decades after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, the international community is united in normative commitment.
However, there is a persistent gap between commitment and practice in ensuring women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in peace processes and political transitions.
Women remain significantly underrepresented in peace negotiations, mediation, transitional governance and security institutions.
In many contexts, women's organization remain the first responders to crisis, yet the last to receive sustained financial and institutional support.
Kenya has deliberately leveraged the framework of resolution 1325 to translate global commitments into concrete national action.
Since launching its first national action plan in 2016, we have advanced women's participation in peace building, leadership and security institutions, strengthened responses to gender based violence, and deepened localization through county action plans within our region.
Kenya participates in the Intergovernmental authority on development programs that support women's participation in mediation, early warning and conflict prevention in the Horn of Africa and the African Union We engage firm West Africa, helping deploy women mediators and strengthen regional peace building networks.
Together, these efforts position Kenya as a key contributor to Institutionalising women's leadership in peace and security processes.
The Secretary-General's Report on Women and Peace and Security underscores meaningful progress driven by women's leadership, expanded rights in post-conflict settings, stronger gender responsive laws and policies, more inclusive security and justice institutions, and improved services for survivors of gender based violence.
These advances underscore the transformative impact of women's engagement.
Building upon this momentum, Kenya proposes three priorities to strengthen and sustain the resilience of the women peace and security agenda.
First, meaningful participation of women is indispensable to sustainable peace and stability Their exclusion risks undermining and reversing hard won gains, and such participation must be deliberate.
It must be structured and fully integrated across all peace and security processes.
Second, Security Council must remain united in its commitment to the Wfps agenda, including ensuring that peacekeeping and peace operations mandates fully integrate its provisions and respond effectively to the realities faced by women in conflict settings.
Third, Mr.
President, while the UN Haiti reforms are necessary and welcome, they must not dilute or marginalize the women peace and security agenda.
Its centrality to sustaining peace must be preserved and reinforced and not treated as peripheral amid other competing priorities.
In conclusion, Kenya reaffirms that women peace and security agenda is fundamental to sustaining peace preventing conflict and building resilient societies.
We call upon all Member States to match commitment with action and to ensure that the promise of resolution 1325 is fully realized.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of Kenya, and I now give the floor to the delegation of Timor-Leste.
Mr.
president.
Allow me to commend Colombia for convening this important debate and for its continued leadership in advancing the women peace and security agenda.
We also thank the Briefers this morning for their valuable contribution.
Excellencies, the discussion takes place at a moment of deep concern.
The Secretary General's most recent report on women, peace and security highlights setbacks in the implementation of resolution 1325 and its successor resolutions across several situations before this council.
Women and girls continue to face heightened violence, shrinking civic space and the erosion of rights.
These trends undermine not only gender equality, but also international peace and security.
For Timor-Leste, this agenda is informed by lived experience.
The courage and leadership of Timorese women were instrumental in our country's transition from conflict to peace.
They sustained communities, promoted dialogue, and played indispensable roles in reconciliation, recovery and nation building.
Their experience demonstrates that women's participation is not only a matter of rights, but also a prerequisite for durable peace and inclusive institutions.
25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 the challenge is no longer the absence of norms, but the failure to implement them consistently.
This council has both the responsibility and the authority to help close the gap Timor-Leste therefore highlights five priorities first, ensure women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in all peace processes supported by the United Nations.
Evidence shows that peace processes that include women meaningfully are more likely to produce durable and sustainable outcomes.
Second, reverse the decline in financing for women's organisations and gender responsive programming.
These organisations are often first responders, mediators and peace builders in conflict affected communities.
Third, strengthening gender responsive conflict analysis across mandate renewals and mission planning to improve prevention and early warning.
Fourth, protect women, human rights defenders and peace builders who increasingly face intimidation, reprisals and digital threats.
Fifth, advance accountability for sexual and gender based violence.
Ending impunity remains essential for reconciliation and long term stability.
Mr.
president, the women peace and security agenda is not an optional add on.
It is a strategic necessity for sustainable peace.
Women's participation must not end with the signing of a peace agreement.
Their leadership remains equally essential in governance, justice institutions and long term recovery.
Peace is decided with women and peace endures because of them.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Timor-Leste.
I now give the floor to the delegation of South Africa.
Okay, okay.
Thank you very much Mr.
President.
We thank the Colombian presidency of the Security Council for bringing back to the chamber the open debate on women, peace and security.
South Africa reaffirms that the WPS agenda is an integral part of the mandate of this council.
More than two decades after the adoption of resolution 1325, the evidence is unequivocal.
Across various localised conflicts, women have consistently demonstrated leadership as mediators, negotiators, peacebuilders and drivers of post-conflict recovery.
Their contribution strengthens ceasefire arrangements, broadens peace agreements and ensures that political transitions reflect the needs of entire societies.
Yet women remain underrepresented in formal peace processes and continue to face structural, political, and security related barriers that limit their participation.
Women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation is essential to conflict prevention, resolution, and sustainable peace.
This is not aspirational.
It is a strategic requirement for effective peace processes and political transitions.
Mr.
president, to address persistent gaps, South Africa underscores the need for concrete, actionable measures by members and the United Nations system to guarantee women's participation at every stage of peace negotiations and political transitions.
These measures include one inclusion of women's representation in mediation teams, negotiating delegations and transitional governance structures, two gender responsive mediation processes that integrate women's expertise from the outset, including through dedicated gender advisers and inclusive consultation mechanisms.
Three robust protection mechanisms to address intimidation, reprisals and gender based violence targeting women peace builders four.
Predictable long term financing for women's organisations and networks to enable sustained engagement in peace and political processes.
Five strengthened partnership with women led civil society organisations as essential actors in early warning, community resilience, resilience, mediation support and post-conflict recovery, and lastly, enhanced monitoring and accountability frameworks to track progress, identify gaps and ensure that commitments translate into implementation.
In conclusion, Mr.
President, sustainable peace cannot be achieved when half of the population is excluded from shaping it.
South Africa remains committed to advancing the WPS agenda in ensuring that women everywhere can participate fully, equally, meaningfully and safely in building peace, justice and resilient societies.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of South Africa.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Namibia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Namibia welcomes the convening of this important meeting.
The theme before us captures a fundamental and undeniable truth.
Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without full, equal and meaningful participation of women.
Guided by this conviction, the international community unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security in October 2000 under the Presidency of Namibia A landmark document that recognised women's essential role in peace building and called for protection of their rights in conflict, including an end to impunity for violations.
From my own experience, we know that women are not passive victims of conflict, but pivotal agents of change.
During Namibia's struggle for independence, a nation building, women stood at the front, at the forefront of resistance and resilience in the post-independence period.
They have continued to play a vital role in reconciliation, institution building and development.
This legacy informs our firm belief that inclusive peace is enduring peace.
President.
Over the years, the world has made important strides in advancing the empowerment of women in peace processes, and these achievements are a result of decades of advocacy, courage and determination by women and men who believed in equal equality and justice.
Yet while we acknowledge this progress, we must recognise that the journey towards comprehensive participation of women is far from complete.
We honour those women working for peace in the world's most difficult contexts While urgently noting that many conflicts and post-conflict settings around the world still exclude women's participation in peace processes, their exclusion from negotiations, negotiation tables, decision making structures and recovery frameworks continues to undermine the durability of peace efforts.
At the same time from Western Sahara, Gaza, Haiti to Sudan, DRC to Lebanon, women and girls continue to bear heavy and disproportionate burdens of war and instability, including displacement, poverty and violation and violence.
Addressing these disparities is a strategic necessity for effective conflict prevention and sustainable recovery.
Namibia reaffirms that the peace processes must be inclusive by design, not by exception.
Women's participation must be ensured across all phases of peace continuum, including prevention mediation, peacekeeping, peace building and post-conflict reconstruction.
Their contributions are not symbolic.
They are transformative.
The implementation of resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions must therefore be accelerated, adequately resourced and rigorously monitored.
Commitments alone are insufficient.
Deliberate and sustained action is required to dismantle structural barriers and create enabling environments for women's leadership.
We therefore urge all governments to fulfil their obligations under resolution 1325.
The Geneva Conventions, Cedaw, the Beijing Plus 30 Action Agenda in all relevant international human rights instruments not in words but in actions.
Greater investment is required to support under and underfunded women focused initiatives, particularly at the local level, aimed to protect the rights and dignity of women affected by conflict.
President.
In October last year under the patronage of Her Excellency Doctor Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah, president of the Republic of Namibia, the global attention on women's role and peace and security returned to Windhoek, a symbolic birthplace of the landmark Security Council.
Resolution 1325.
This commemoration of the resolution silver anniversary culminated in the adoption of the 2025 declaration, a bold call to action that outlines a comprehensive roadmap for the next 25 years.
Notably, it urges member states and partners to renew the spirit of the peace agenda and transform it its legacy into practical action, empowering young women and men to ensure intergenerational collaboration strengthen women's leadership across all sectors.
Expand the agenda to address emerging challenges including climate change, technology and displacement, and ensure predictable financing and accountability for the commitments.
The 25 plus declaration was submitted as a formal document of this UN.
At the national level, Namibia has taken concrete steps to advance women's empowerment and the promotion of women's active participation in peace and and security processes.
Our legislative and institutional frameworks support coordination across governments, institutions to enhance and ensure upholding of the rights of women.
We have made sustained investment in women, women's political and economic empowerment, resulting in significant representation of women in public office and decision making processes.
Namibia has continued to adapt its policies and programmes that strengthen the role of women in conflict prevention, community mediation and social cohesion recognised.
Recognising the need to localize the WPS agenda, grounding it in community realities.
On 31st October 2020 2020, our government officially launched the International Women Peace Centre in Wintuk.
The launch coincided with the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, and the centre continues to be one of our clear demonstrations of our commitment to the implementation of the WPS agenda.
In closing, Mr.
President Namibia emphasises that the responsibility lies with all of us to translate global commitments into tangible results, political will and this council has a critical role to play in advancing this agenda.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Namibia.
I wish to take this opportunity to remind speakers to limit their statements to no more than three minutes, so that the council can make expeditious progress.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Montenegro.
President, we thank thank Colombia for convening this important debate and for keeping the peace high on the Security Council agenda.
Montenegro aligns itself with the statements delivered by the EU and by Canada on behalf of a group of Friends of Peace.
More than 25 years after the adoption of the resolution 1325 The evidence is clear.
Peace is more sustainable and societies are more resilient.
When women participate fully, equally and meaningfully in decision making processes.
Yet women continue to be underrepresented in peace negotiations, mediations, and political transitions.
This is not only a matter of equality and human rights, it is a challenge to the effectiveness, legitimacy and sustainability of peace building itself.
Montenegro firmly believes that women must be involved in shaping solutions to conflict and building peace.
Their participation should not be treated as an option, but as a as a prerequisite for effective and lasting outcomes.
As many have rightly noted, when participation is incomplete, peace is incomplete.
At the national level.
Montenegro remains committed to implementing WPS agenda through our National Action Plan for resolution 1325, while continuing efforts to strengthen women's leadership and participation in public and security institutions.
As a concrete example of our commitment to implementing WPS agenda, women currently represent the majority of our personnel deployed in UN peace operations, contributing with their expertise and leadership to international peace and security.
We also recognise the essential contribution of civil society, particularly women led organisations whose knowledge, experience and engagement at a local level are critical for sustainable peace building.
Their work must be supported through adequate financing, but also safe environment where they can be able to carry out their activities.
At a time when conflicts are becoming more complex and multilateralism is under strain it is essential that women are not sidelined from diplomatic and mediation efforts.
As we approach the 26th anniversary anniversary of the resolution 1325, our focus must be on implementation, accountability and measurable results.
Commitments alone are not enough.
Women's participation should be systematically supported, monitored and translated into concrete actions.
The WPS agenda remains one of the most effective tools available to prevent conflict, sustain peace, and build more inclusive societies.
Montenegro remains fully committed to advancing these objectives together with all partners.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Montenegro.
I give the floor to the delegation of Finland.
Muchas gracias, Senor Presidente.
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Finland.
The Nordic countries.
Thank Colombia for convening this debate and for your leadership in addressing this critical issue.
We reaffirm our support to the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security as key instruments for advancing inclusive peace firmly anchored in international law.
Unfortunately, the commitments of the WPS agenda are not fulfilled.
We are witnessing a troubling regression marked by a broader pushback against women's and girls rights.
Peace processes are increasingly characterised by transactional approaches that do not benefit from multilateral expertise and support, and too often, sideline women.
They may result in agreements that lack sustainability, legitimacy and local ownership.
At the same time, over 676 million women and girls live in the proximity to armed conflict, witnessing their traumatic consequences and working, for example, as early responders.
Yet they remain excluded from the decision making processes that shape their realities.
Women act as mediators, community leaders and agents of change, often under extremely challenging conditions.
Their efforts are essential for building trust, addressing root causes of conflict and sustaining peace over time.
Their role must be recognised.
Global Alliance of Women Mediators Network, including that of Nordic Women Mediators, is an important platform to bring together women mediators and to ensure that their expertise can be included in peace efforts at all stages.
Structures such as Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund are useful tools for showing concrete support to local level peace builders.
President.
Advancing security requires women's leadership also at national level.
The role of women in peace efforts reflects their overall status in their societies, including in political decision making.
Therefore, political empowerment of women is also a step forward for women, peace and security.
The Security Council has a special responsibility over the implementation of this agenda.
We urge the Council and all UN Member States to ensure women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in peace negotiations and political transitions.
This includes inviting women as briefers to country specific sessions, securing gender advisor positions and supporting locally led women's organisations that work to build inclusive peace.
To conclude, the women peace and security agenda must remain firmly embedded in all discussions on peace and security within the United Nations.
Without women's full, equal and meaningful participation, we cannot achieve inclusive and sustainable peace.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Finland.
I now give the floor to the Philippines.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Philippines thanks Colombia for convening this important debate.
More than 25 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the evidence is clear.
Peace processes are more inclusive, legitimate and sustainable.
When women participate fully, equally, meaningfully, and safely.
Yet women remain underrepresented and even unrepresented in peace negotiations and political transitions in many of today's major conflicts.
This is not merely a question of representation, it is a challenge to the effectiveness, legitimacy, and durability of peace itself.
Excluding women from peace processes does not simply leave voices unheard.
It weakens prospects for sustainable peace.
The Philippines has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of women's leadership in peace building.
The Bangsamoro Peace Process in the southern Philippines demonstrates how women's inclusion contributes not only to the negotiation of peace agreements, but also to successful post-conflict transition, governance and recovery.
Women have served as negotiators, mediators, technical experts, community leaders, and members of formal peace mechanisms.
They continue playing leadership roles during implementation, and the transition towards autonomous self-governance helps strengthen institutions, foster social cohesion, and build trust between communities and authorities.
The Bangsamoro experience underscores that sustainable peace dividends not only on depends not only on who sits at the negotiating table, but also on who helps build the institutions that follow.
At a time when many mediation efforts continue to proceed with limited involvement of women, it demonstrates that inclusion is not an obstacle to peace negotiations.
It is one of the foundations of lasting peace.
Drawing from this experience, we offer three lessons.
First, women must be included from the outset of peace processes and remain engaged throughout implementation.
Inclusion must be institutionalized and not on an ad hoc basis.
Secondly, commitments must be matched by accountability.
Strong institutions and adequate financing.
Without resources, participation risks becoming symbolic rather than meaningful Thirdly, local women's organizations must be recognized as indispensable partners and provide the support and protection necessary to sustain dialogue and prevent relapse into conflict.
These lessons are especially relevant as many peace initiatives now take place outside formal UN led processes.
Regardless of format women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation should remain a standard for any credible peace effort.
The same principles are reflected in the Declaration on Women, Peace and Security, which reaffirmed the importance of women's participation in peace processes, the protection of women affected by conflict, and the strengthening of institutions and resources needed to advance the WPS agenda.
Mr.
president, as the Security Council continues addressing situations.
Women's participation must be treated as an essential component of any credible political process.
Women's voices must help shape peace from the outset and sustain it long after agreements are signed.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of the Philippines.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Malaysia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Malaysia congratulates Colombia on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of June, and appreciates the convening of this important open debate.
We also thank the Briefers for their valuable insights.
Mr.
president, 26 years after the adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1325, the importance of women's participation in peace processes is more evident than ever.
Experience has consistently shown that peace processes are more durable and responsive when women are meaningfully involved.
Yet significant gaps remain in ensuring women's full, equal and meaningful participation across negotiations, mediation efforts, and post-conflict transitions.
Malaysia remains convinced that the inclusion of women at all stages of peace processes is essential to building sustainable peace.
Their leadership and contributions help shape more inclusive institutions, strengthen trust within communities, and lay the foundation for lasting stability and development.
Mr.
president, at the regional level, Malaysia continues to work closely with Asean member states in advancing their Asean Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security.
Domestically, Malaysia is implementing its National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security, which seeks to strengthen women's participation and leadership in conflict prevention, peace building and national security efforts.
We also recognise the important role played by women led organisations, community leaders and grassroots peacebuilders.
Their contributions are often instrumental in bridging divides, supporting recovery efforts and strengthening community resilience.
Advancing the WPS agenda, therefore, requires sustained efforts to empower women as agents to peace and to create conditions that enable them to contribute effectively to conflict prevention, peace building and post-conflict recovery.
Mr.
president, as conflicts become increasingly complex and protracted, the international community must move beyond recognising the value of women's participation and focus on ensuring it in practice.
This requires sustained political commitment, adequate resources and stronger implementation of existing commitments.
In conclusion, Malaysia remains convinced that lasting peace is built through inclusion, participation and shared responsibility.
Let us ensure that women are not merely consulted in peace processes, but are recognised as equal partners in shaping and sustaining peace.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Malaysia for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Mongolia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Excellencies and distinguished delegates.
I thank the Republic of Colombia for convening this important debate.
Across many conflict situations, women continue to be excluded from the decision making processes that directly affect their lives and communities.
At the same time, there is a disproportionate share of the consequences of conflict, including displacement, violence and economic security.
This is a reminder that the women Peace security agenda remains as urgent today as ever For Mongolia, advancing the women peace and security agenda is a matter of building more inclusive, effective and sustainable peace.
At the national level, we continue to promote women's participation in decision making processes.
Since 2024, women have held 25% of the seats in the state.
Great Khural placing Mongolia among the leading countries in Asia in terms of women's parliamentary representation.
We have also launched the development of our first National Action Plan on women, Peace and Security, aimed at strengthening national implementation of our commitments.
Mr.
president, Mongolia's commitment to this agenda is also reflected our contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping operation.
For more than two decades, Mongolia has participated in UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
Most recently, we have begun contributing troops, including a force commander, to the Haiti gang suppression force.
Further reflecting our commitment to international peace and security.
Today, women account for around 15% of Mongolia's deployed military personnel in UN peacekeeping operations, exceeding the UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy target for military contingents.
Women peacekeepers make a tangible difference.
They help build trust with local communities, strengthen the protection of civilians, and bring valuable perspectives to the mission planning and implementation.
At the same time, they serve under the same demanding and often dangerous conditions as their male counterparts, undertaking the same responsibilities in some of the world's most challenging environments.
As we work to continue to increase the participation, we must ensure these efforts are accompanied by adequate training, appropriate equipment, safe working conditions, and equal opportunities for leadership and career development.
More than 4400 United Nations peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the service of peace remind us of the sacrifices made by uniformed personnel.
Our efforts to advance gender parity must go hand in hand with ensuring the safety, safety and effectiveness of all peacekeepers.
Mr.
president, climate change disproportionately affects women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities, requiring gender responsive approaches to address its security implications.
We therefore look forward to welcoming all partners to the UN Cop 17 in Ulaanbaatar in this coming August.
Finally, in conclusion, Mongolia will remain committed to advancing women peace and security agenda at home and internationally.
We will continue to support the meaningful participation of women at all levels of peace and security, and to work with partners to ensure that our commitments are matched by concrete actions.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Mongolia, and I now give the floor to Angola.
Mr.
president, Mongolia reaffirmed its commitment to the women peace and security agenda established by the Security Council resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions.
25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, its message remains clear sustainable peace, security and development depend on full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation, peace building and post-conflict recovery.
Mr.
president, guided by its experience of conflict, reconciliation and reconstruction, Angolan remains committed to promoting peace, security and stability, particularly in Africa and the Great Lakes region through dialogue, preventive diplomacy and confidence building measures.
Our experience demonstrates that peace is more durable when it is inclusive.
Women play a vital role in Angola's peace building and reconciliation efforts, supporting community recovery and social reintegration after conflict.
Recognising both the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls, and their essential contribution as agents of peace Angola adopted its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security in 2017.
Its implementation strengthened women's participation in decision making, advanced gender responsive policies and enhanced protection against gender based violence.
Angola is now completed, is now completed his first plan and is developing a second to consolidate progress and address remaining challenges.
Mr.
president, at a time of growing geopolitical tensions and interconnected crisis, the international community must translate commitments into concrete results.
Evidence consistently shows that peace processes are more effective and sustainable when women participate fully and meaningfully.
Yet women remain underrepresented in peace negotiation and mediation efforts.
Angola, therefore, welcomes the Secretary General's common pledge on women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes and underscored the indispensable role of women led organisations, women mediators and grassroots grassroots networks, and conflict prevention, dialogue, reconciliation and recovery to advance implementation.
Greater efforts are required to protect women, peace builders, human rights defenders and civil society leaders from violence and reprisals ensure sustainable financing for women led organisations.
Strengthen women's leadership and mediation, peace operations and peace building, and promote inclusive governance at all levels.
As we mark the 25th anniversary of resolution 1325, Angola calls for renewed action in four priority areas.
Institutionalising inclusive mediation practices in all peace processes, strengthening national action plans through adequate resources, accountability and monitoring.
Expanding direct support for women led civil society organisations and reinforce accountability for the systematic integration of gender perspective across peace and security policies and recovery frameworks.
Mr.
president, the women peace and security agenda is both a matter of rights and a strategic imperative.
Advancing women's leadership, strengthened institutions, promotes social cohesion and contributes to more resilient and peaceful societies.
Angolan reaffirms its commitment to advancing women's inclusion and leadership at national, regional and global levels.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Angola.
I give the floor to the delegation of New Zealand.
President, I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada.
Australia in my own country, New Zealand.
We thank Colombia for convening this debate and for placing a clear focus on strengthening women's participation and leadership as a pathway out of conflict.
Across today's conflicts, women continue to be excluded from negotiations, sidelined in political transitions or brought in too late to shape outcomes.
This is the result of deliberate choices about who holds power, whose knowledge counts, and whose security is prioritised.
The problem we face today is not a lack of norms, but a persistent failure of implementation.
Hard won progress on gender equality is also being undermined, putting at risk the safety, stability and security of us all.
We know what works when women are meaningfully included.
Peace arrangements and peace agreements are more durable, institutions are more trusted, and recovery is more inclusive.
Yet too many peace processes move ahead without women at the table.
I'd like to make three specific points.
First of all, participation must be a non-negotiable.
Women must be present from the outset across all tracks, not as an afterthought, but as a core requirement of credibility and legitimacy.
Second, we must back participation with real support.
This means predictable flexible, and long term financing for women led civil society and women peace mediators, often first responders and trusted interlocutors.
It also means concrete protection measures.
Women peace builders continue to face threats, intimidation and reprisals for their leadership.
Third, gender responsive leadership at the national level needs to be strengthened.
National action Plans on women, peace and security, now adopted by 117 countries, including by all Cairn's members, remain among the most effective tools for sustaining progress when they are properly resourced and applied, including to support and in support of a ceasefire and peace negotiations.
President, at a time of deepening polarisation, we cannot afford the dilution of established norms.
Instead, we must strengthen commitments to gender equality across the multilateral system and within this council.
Processes that exclude women are less likely to deliver agreements, let alone peace.
If we are serious about conflict prevention and building inclusive peace, women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation must move from principle to practice without exception.
Anything less risks undermining the credibility of this council and eroding the prospects for lasting peace.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of New Zealand.
I give the floor to the delegation of Czechia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The Czech Republic aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and also by the statement of Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.
We would like to thank Colombia for convening today's debate and for emphasizing women's participation in peace processes as a key condition for sustainable.
Recent developments are deeply concerning.
We are witnessing a stagnation in the implementation of the peace agenda, alongside a broader pushback against gender equality and women's rights.
At the same time, women remain significantly under-represented in peace processes, despite clear evidence that their participation leads to more inclusive and durable peace agreements.
Against this backdrop, the need to fully implement the peace commitments is more urgent than ever.
Ensuring the protection of women's and girls human rights and promoting their empowerment are essential for international peace and security.
We must strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to all forms of sexual and gender based violence, and ensure accountability for perpetrators and justice and support for survivors.
At the same time, it is crucial to support civil society, including women, peace builders and human rights defenders, and to ensure that they can operate in safe and enabling environments.
We are concerned by the shrinking space of their engagement, including in the work of the Security Council itself.
Mr.
president, the Czech Republic views the peace agenda as a practical security tool that underlines the need to integrate gender perspectives across all policies and Security Council outcomes.
We reflect these policies in our newly adopted Third National Plan National Action Plan on women, Peace and Security.
The plan strengthens women's participation and leadership, integrates a gender perspective across policies, and addresses emerging threats, including online and technology.
Facilitated gender based violence and climate related security challenges.
It also places increased emphasis on resilience and on linking internal and external dimensions of security, including in response to the impacts of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Our experience in responding to the Ukrainian refugee crisis has underlined the importance of gender sensitive approaches, particularly in ensuring access to protection, health care, education and shelter for women and children.
Mr.
president, we must move from commitments to implementation.
This requires adequate and predictable financing, stronger political ownership, and full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all stages of peace processes, including in mediation and negotiation efforts.
The Czech Republic remains committed to advancing the peace agenda together with the United Nations and other partners.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Czechia for that statement.
There are still a number of speakers remaining on my list for this meeting.
I intend, with the concurrence of members of the Council, to suspend the meeting until Friday at 10 a.m.
the meeting is suspended.