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

The 10,175th meeting of the Security Council is resumed.
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.
The flashing light on the microphone will prompt speakers to bring their remarks to a close after three minutes.
With that, I now give the floor to the delegation of Haiti.
Merci, monsieur.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
With your permission sir.
I'm mandated by Caricom to to read out the Caricom statement.
And I'll start with that in English, and then I'll move on to the Haiti statement.
Thank you.
Mr.
President.
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caricom community.
We thank you for convening this important debate and for the opportunity to address this Council on the vital and enduring importance of the women, peace and security agenda.
Mr.
president, excellencies, 26 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the WPS agenda remains a landmark commitment.
It affirms a simple but powerful truth that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of conflict prevention, resolution and recovery.
For small island developing states such as ours, peace and security are deeply intertwined with sustainable development, resilience and inclusive governance.
Women play a crucial role across all these pillars.
The Secretary General 2025 Report on Women, Peace and Security indicates the progress That progress remains deeply uneven, and in many contexts it's stagnating or reversing.
Amidst the persistent institutional barriers to women participation in political and peace processes, continued high level of conflict related sexual violence and the underfunding of women led organizations.
The council has repeatedly affirmed that women participation is not only a fundamental right as espoused within the United Nations, but it's also carried critical.
It's also critical to effectiveness.
Evidence has consistently demonstrated that peace processes that include.
Women are more likely to result in durable agreements.
Women bring critical perspectives on community resilience, reconciliation, and inclusive governance, which serve to strengthen the legitimacy and sustainability of peace efforts The responsibility for advancing the WP s agenda rests in all Member States and the United Nations system.
To close the gap between commitment and implementation, Caricom urges concrete, measurable action in four priority areas.
First, we must ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women at all stages.
Second, we want we must strengthen protection efforts, including accountability for conflict related sexual violence.
Impunity remains widespread.
Survivor must have access to justice, health care and psychological support, and perpetrators must be held accountable.
Third, we must increase financing for the WP s agenda, including grassroots women organizations which have who have an essential role in prevention, response and peace building.
Fourth, we must address emerging and interconnected challenges, including climate related insecurity, displacement and the misuse of digital technologies.
Caricom remains steadfast in its belief that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without gender equality.
The women peace and security agenda must move beyond commitments to conclude actions to concrete actions that deliver measurable change in the ground.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Now, with your permission, I'm going to read out the Haiti national statement.
Mr.
president, I thank you for having convened this open debate on women, peace and security.
Under the theme, peace is decided with women emerging from conflict by enhancing their participation.
25 years after adopting resolution 2025, the progress we are seeing cannot be denied.
However, women remain underrepresented in peace processes, political negotiations and decision making mechanisms, and this is a worrying reality.
This deprives society from expertise and experience and the leadership which is indispensable if we want to prevent conflict and build peace for Haiti.
The participation of women is not just a representation issue.
This is an essential tool to strengthen social cohesion, promote community resilience, and promote lasting peace.
This participation is key.
It is essential to emerge from a cycle of violence which is characterised by criminal gangs their criminal activity who hit women and children particularly hard.
Rape and sexual violence.
Gender based sexual violence continues being used by armed groups as an instrument of terror, of territorial control and intimidation, and the consequences of these acts are devastating for its victims, their families and the whole of society.
We also wanted to draw the attention of the council to the particularly worrying situation of the young girls in Haiti.
They are doubly victimized by insecurity.
They are exposed to sexual violence, forced displacement, school drop outs and economic precarity.
At the same time, the gangs are trying to recruit them, exploit them, or use them in their criminal activities.
And this reality undermines their future and worsens the prospects for the country's peace and development.
If.
Haiti society, there are people who are very well regarded in society, but they can.
Venue exploiting Haitian women.
So it's not just the gangs who are guilty of violence against women.
It's not just them, not just the gangs who are involved in that.
It's also at other levels of society.
And despite this difficult context, the women in Haiti continue playing decisive roles within their communities.
They're at the forefront of mediation, family protection initiatives, providing assistance to victims etc.
it's essential to strengthen the mechanisms of protecting women and girls, ensuring their access to education, basic services and promote their economic empowerment.
My country remains convinced that the participation of women in governance is an essential pillar of peace, security, sustainable development, inclusive or representative institutions strengthen the legitimacy of public action, promote better taking into account the needs of our people and contribute to conflict prevention.
Haiti is of the view that it is also indispensable to provide greater support to civil society organisations when they're led by women.
These organisations play a crucial role in conflict prevention, providing assistance to victims promoting dialogue and peace building.
Very frequently, they're the first one to take action with the affected communities and best placed to identify the needs of communities.
We cannot invoke the Women Peace and Security Programme without recognizing the remarkable contribution made by women to United Nations peace operations, whether they are blue helmets, police personnel, military observers, mediators or civilian response officials, they contribute to the effectiveness of missions on the ground.
We encourage member states and the United Nations to continue their efforts so as to ensure full.
And equal participation of women at all steps, stages of peace processes and political transition.
I thank you, Mr.
President, and I apologise for the long time it has taken for me.
I thank the delegation of Haiti for that statement.
Those statements on behalf of Caricom and Haiti.
Lebanon now has the floor.
The delegation of the.
Delegation of Lebanon thanks Colombia for convening this important debate on women, peace and security.
This is an issue which directly addresses the tough realities faced by women on the ground.
In Lebanon This is not theoretical.
Women have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for wars.
They did not start.
In recent weeks, at least 363 women have been killed and more than 1400 injured.
Behind each number is a name, a family, a room that has gone silent.
A home that was shattered.
A child who still looks for his mother.
Women in Lebanon are not only victims of wars.
They are also the ones who keep life from collapsing under the weight of it.
They are the mothers who lift their children from their beds in the middle of the night when the sound of bombardment becomes too close.
They are the nurses, doctors and first responders who run towards danger while others run from it They are the journalists who stand in the rubble and insist that the world must still see.
They are the women who choose to remain in their land, holding their family together when everything around them is being torn apart.
And yet, too often, when solutions are discussed, these women disappear behind abstractions.
Mr.
president, Lebanon refuses this invisibility.
On April 14th, during the first round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, D.C., alongside five men, the only women present at the table was the representative of Lebanon Ambassador Nada Hamad Moawad.
Her presence at the negotiating table was not incidental.
It reflected a deliberate decision by President Aoun that underscores his political commitment to advancing the role of women in diplomacy and decision making.
Mr.
president, in the same vein, and as a further demonstration of Lebanon commitment to the WPS agenda the Lebanese government has approved in April of this year our second National Action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325, developed through a broad consultative process led by the National Commission for Lebanese Women.
The plan reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to ensuring the full equal and meaningful participation of women in decision making, conflict prevention and peace building.
Mr.
president, Lebanon also recognizes the important role of women serving under the UN flag, especially within Unifil.
We salute them and express our deepest gratitude for their contribution, dedication and sacrifice.
In this regard, we warmly congratulate Major Abhilasha Barak of India, serving in Unifil on being named the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the year.
Finally, Mr.
President, we as Lebanese women are exhausted of having to be resilient.
We have endured wars, displacement, economic collapse, loss, pain, uncertainty, and fear.
We do not need another praise for our resilience or another reminder of our endurance.
Rather, we need to have a true role in devising solutions and helping build peace solutions shaped by us.
Peace decided with us, not around us.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of Lebanon for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Ireland.
Ireland aligns itself with the statements made by the European Union and by the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security Ireland.
Thanks, Columbia, for convening this debate and for its leadership on the WPS agenda.
I'd also like to thank our Briefers on Wednesday morning.
As armed conflict proliferates globally, we see the devastating impact of violence, displacement and insecurity on civilians.
And we know that women and girls experience these crises and conflicts in distinct and disproportionate ways.
In Gaza, thousands of women and girls have been killed or disabled for life, by conflict, by displacement, and by the destruction to the health system, including major maternity wards, which have had a profound impact on reproductive health.
And as we have just heard, we are seeing the same grim story unfold in Lebanon.
In Sudan, women and girls face displacement, followed by heightened risks of sexual violence and exploitation.
Afghan women and girls continue to be systematically excluded from public life, while women and girls in Ukraine continue to endure the devastating toll of violence each and every day.
More broadly, we saw in the recent report of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the sharp rise of cases of sexual violence across 2021.
Situations of conflict.
President, we are currently witnessing an escalating global backlash against gender equality, with hard fought gains for women and girls now under real threat.
Women led organisations engage in the crucial work of peace building, conflict resolution and prevention of conflict related sexual violence are having to do far more with far less as their funding dwindles.
Despite these challenges, women continue to step forward in every crisis, mediating in their communities, sustaining life, giving humanitarian responses and documenting abuses.
Women should not be forced to break through barriers to fulfil these roles, nor should they ever face intimidation or reprisals for working towards peace.
The universal rights and norms we have collectively developed, including the WPS agenda, are foundational, and we must continue to uphold and implement them.
President for Ireland, the WPS agenda is not just theory, but something we have lived and seen the real value of on our own island.
Women's leadership in the peace process in Northern Ireland helped to sustain dialogue, build bridges and ensure that day to day community realities were reflected in the foundations of enduring peace.
To this day, women continue to play a central role in peace building.
Our fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, launched last year, recognises and supports the leadership of women in peace building and stabilisation processes, both on our own island and globally.
Ireland is also committed to maintaining our funding for women's organisations involved in peace making crisis response, including through continued funding for the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund.
We will continue to champion the WPS agenda and promote the indispensable role of women and girls into prevention and resolution of conflict, for we know that peace processes and negotiations, whether UN led or not, must ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women as a fundamental requirement if they are to achieve lasting peace.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Ireland for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Azerbaijan Thank you, Mr.
President.
At the outset, I would like to thank Colombia for convening this important meeting on women peace and security and the distinguished Briefers for their insightful presentations.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognised the particular vulnerabilities faced by women and girls in armed conflict and underscored the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security.
As armed conflicts continue to disproportionately affect women and children, resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions of the Security Council remains as relevant as ever.
Despite the efforts of the international community, the Secretary General's reports continue to highlight the widespread human rights violations suffered by women and girls in conflict situations.
Failure to comply with international obligations.
Compelled with persistent lack of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law remains a serious challenge.
Madam president, on numerous occasions, including through the pact for future.
Member States have committed themselves to accelerating the implementation of the women Peace and Security agenda, including in post-conflict settings.
The humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts require timely and adequate international support to address the challenges faced by affected populations, including women and girls, as recognised in Security Council Resolution 2474.
Despite the end of the decades long conflict and the progress achieved in advancing the peace agenda in our region, Azerbaijan continues to face the persistent issue of missing persons.
The fate and whereabouts of over 4000 Azerbaijani nationals, including 287 women, remain unknown.
Clarifying the fate of missing persons and advancing related international efforts on matters of particular importance for Azerbaijan.
In this regard, my country hosts an annual international conference, including the dedicated Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.
Azerbaijan is also the author and initiator of the General Assembly Resolution on Missing Persons and the Commission on the Status of Women Resolution, entitled Release of Women and Children taken Hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned in Armed Conflicts.
Madam president, Azerbaijan is undertaking large scale rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the past conflict period to enable internally displaced persons to exercise their right to safe, voluntary and dignified return to their places of origin.
Through the Great Return Programme, specific measures have been introduced to support the empowerment of women and girls, and to facilitate their meaningful participation in the recovery process.
These efforts however, continue to be severely hampered by the serious threat posed by landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
Since the end of the conflict in 2020, 427 people have fallen victim to mine incidents, and these challenges underscores the need for adequate international assistance to strengthen national humanitarian demining capacities and efforts.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, approximately 85000 people have already returned and are now living and working in newly rebuilt cities towns and villages.
As a result of the measures undertaken by the government.
In conclusion, Azerbaijan reaffirms its commitment to the women, peace and security agenda and to the empowerment of women and girls in post-conflict settings in accordance with the relevant international normative framework.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Azerbaijan for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Cyprus.
Madam president Cyprus aligns itself with the statement made by the European Union.
But I would also like to make some remarks in our national capacity.
At the outset, allow me to express our sincere appreciation to Colombia for organising this important debate.
Cyprus also welcomes the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Mrs.
Rosa Yolanda Villanueva Asensio.
We thank UN Women Executive Director Sema for her remarks, and we reiterate our full support to the work of UN women.
We also express our appreciation to the Briefers for their remarks.
More than 25 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the women, Peace and Security agenda remains one of the most important frameworks for achieving sustainable peace, security and development.
Yet women continue to be underrepresented in peace negotiations and political transitions.
The UN figures are stark.
In 2024, women accounted for only 7% of negotiators and 14% of mediators in peace processes.
At the same time, gender based violence remains pervasive in situations of conflict and crisis.
The findings of the Secretary-General's latest report on conflict related sexual violence are also alarming.
Women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation is not only a matter of rights and representation.
It's a prerequisite for durable peace.
To achieve this, women must be represented at all decision making levels, including as mediators, negotiators, peacebuilders and signatories to peace agreements.
Gender responsive legal and institutional frameworks must remove barriers to participation.
We must also strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to all forms of gender based violence.
Women led civil society organisations are indispensable actors in conflict prevention, peace building, humanitarian response and post-conflict recovery.
They are often the first responders to the needs of affected communities, and play a critical role in promoting accountability and protecting human rights.
Their work must be supported through sustainable, predictable and flexible funding.
While human women, human rights defenders and women peace builders must be protected from threats, reprisals and violence, Cyprus remains firmly committed to advancing the women peace and security agenda.
Earlier this year, Cyprus adopted its second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for 2026 2028.
Structured around the pillars of participation, protection, prevention and relief and recovery.
The plan places particular emphasis on strengthening women's leadership in peace, security and diplomatic decision making while promoting gender mainstreaming across national security and foreign policy frameworks.
The development of the National Action Plan was guided by an inclusive consultation process involving the National Machinery for women's rights, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, reflecting our strong commitment commitment to gender equality.
52% of our total voluntary contributions to international organisations and institutions in 2024 were directed to entities dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls.
Madam president, evidence consistently demonstrates that women's meaningful participation contributes to more inclusive, effective and sustainable peace processes.
Inclusive peace processes contribute to stronger institutions, greater social cohesion, and increased public trust.
Let us ensure that our commitments are translated into concrete action and measurable results, so that women are not only present at the peace table, but are empowered to shape and sustain peace for generations to come.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Cyprus for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Albania.
Madam president, allow me to thank Colombia for convening this important debate and also to thank the Briefers for their valuable contributions.
As we approach the 26th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, we are reminded that women's participation is not simply a matter of rights and representation.
It is a strategic necessity for building sustainable peace, strengthening institutions, and preventing the recurrence of conflicts.
While the women Peace and security agenda has gained significant recognition and many member states have adopted national action plans, implementation gaps persist.
Women remain underrepresented in peace negotiations, political transitions, and post-conflict decision making processes.
At the same time, women peacebuilders journalists human rights defenders and civil society leaders continue to face intimidation, violence and shrinking civil space.
Madam President Albania firmly believes that women are not merely beneficiaries of peace, they are architect of peace.
Their participation increases legitimacy of peace agreements, strengthens social cohesion, and helps address the root causes of conflicts.
In this regard, allow me to highlight three priorities.
First, we must significantly increase investment in human health builders and women led civil society organisations, particularly those operating in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Local women leaders are often the first to respond to crisis and the last to abandon their communities.
Yet they remain among the most underfunded actors in peace building efforts.
Second, women must participate fully, equally meaningfully and safely in peace negotiations and political transitions.
Albania supports the secretary general recommendation of a minimum target of one third women's participation, mediation and peace processes while counting to strive towards parity.
Third we should leverage digital technologies to amplify women's voice and expand their participation in peace and political processes.
At the same time, we must strengthen measures against online harassment, hate speech and disinformation that disproportionately target women leaders, peace builders and human rights defenders.
Madam president, we firmly believe that women's political empowerment strengthen democratic governance and promotes more inclusive decision making, including on peace and security matters at the United Nations, including through our previous service in the Security Council and our membership at the Human Rights Council.
Albania remains committed to advancing the human peace and security agenda at the national level.
We have already adopted our second action plan on women, peace and security.
We will continue to support women peace builders, advocate for the protection of women human rights defenders and promote the meaningful participation of women led civil society organisations in conflict prevention, peace building and post-conflict recovery.
This open debate is important today in sending a clear message peace is stronger more representative and more sustainable when women help shape it.
There can be no lasting peace without the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Albania for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Fiji.
Madam president, Fiji thanks, Columbia, for convening this debate and welcomes your leadership in chairing it.
Let me begin with a truth that precedes every resolution this council has ever passed.
Every person seated at this table and every person beyond it was first carried, nurtured and protected by a woman before any of us governed anything, a woman governed our beginning.
Women shape the mind and the direction of humanity from its very inception.
In my own faith and revered to by billions beyond it, the greatest human being who ever lived was a woman.
She who became the mother of God.
So when we ask whether women belong in the making of peace, we have the question backwards.
Humanity itself was first formed through them.
Everything else flows from this.
Fiji has served the United Nations flag since 1978.
We have learned that peace is not signed at a table and left there.
It is carried home and held in communities and.
It is most often women who do the holding.
Yet a decade ago, the United Nations led more than a dozen peace processes in a year In 2025, it led only three.
As that space narrowed, so did the space for women within it.
So let me offer three points.
First, participation must be protected.
Women, peace builders and women led civil society are too often threatened for the very work that makes peace durable.
Protection, physical, legal and digital must be funded.
Second, participation must be built before the crisis.
Fiji is proud to be the first country in the Pacific to adopt a national action plan to prevent violence against all women and girls with specific obligations for our disciplined forces.
Institutions that respect women and peace time are the ones that include them in peacemaking.
Third, participation must be rooted in our deepest traditions.
The woman who forms the young, who shapes the values a community keeps or loses, is the same woman.
A wise society sits at the table where its peace is made.
To divide the two is to divide what cannot be divided.
In our Pacific tradition, peace is made through talanoa, a dialogue that restores relationships.
And in it women are not guests, but custodians.
Madam president, for Fiji, climate change is the defining threat to our security, and women are the first responders to its disruptions and the first casualties of its instability.
For small islands, there is no peace and security agenda.
That is not also a women's agenda.
Peace is indeed decided with women because humanity itself began with them Fiji stands ready to help decide it.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Fiji for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Algeria.
Thank you, Madam President.
At the outset, I would like to thank Colombia for convening this important debate and the Briefers for their valuable insights.
25 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the international community has established a solid normative framework, recognising the central role of women in conflict prevention, peace building and post-conflict recovery.
Yet, implementation continues to fall short of our collective commitments.
Today's discussion reminds us that sustainable peace cannot emerge from processes in which women remain absent from negotiations or are engaged only after decisions have already been taken.
Women continue to face structural barriers, limiting their access to political participation and decision making.
In this context, Algeria wishes to highlight three elements.
First, women's participation should be recognised not as a complementary measure, but as a condition for legitimate, inclusive and sustainable peace processes.
Second, national ownership remains essential.
National action plans under resolution 1325 should serve as practical implementation tools capable of strengthening institutions, improving accountability and responding to national priorities.
Third, women, peace builders and women led organisations should be supported in a manner that enables their meaningful engagement, while respecting national context and strengthening institutional capacities.
Madam president, Algeria remains committed to advancing the women peace and security agenda.
In this regard Algeria adopted in 2023 its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to strengthen women's participation in decision making and peace consolidation efforts.
Finally, no discussion on women, peace and security can ignore the situation of Palestinian women and girls, especially in Gaza, who continue to endure devastating humanitarian conditions.
Algeria reiterates its call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, protection of civilians and a just and lasting political solution.
I thank you, Madam President.
I thank the delegation of Algeria for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Tajikistan.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam president, I thank Colombia for convening this important open debate and for its leadership in advancing the women peace and security agenda This discussion takes place at a critical moment around the world.
Women continue to face barriers to participation in peace processes and recovery efforts, and are disproportionately affected by conflict related violence.
Yet the experience has shown time and again that they're full, equal, meaningful, and safe.
Participation is essential for sustainable peace.
Tajikistan's own history has confirmed that women are indispensable to reconciliation, community resilience, and long term development.
Our National Action Plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 integrates women's participation and protection across the security, justice and social sectors, including measures to increase women's role in conflict prevention and decision making at all levels.
We have strengthened institutional frameworks, including the Committee of Women and Family Affairs, which leads national efforts to promote women's rights and participation in public life.
Tajik women serve in parliament government and local authorities, contributing directly to mediation, community dialogue and social cohesion.
In 2025, Tajikistan had the privilege of chairing the Central Asian Women Leaders Caucus, a regional platform dedicated to enhancing cooperation and promoting women's participation and contribution to peace and stability.
Under our chairmanship, the dialogue deepened its engagement on broader community development and youth empowerment and adopted an action plan prioritising support for women mediators in cross-border communities.
The Women Peace and Security Forum in Dushanbe brought together women leaders from across Central Asia who committed to intensifying support for women's participation in decision making and to promoting joint initiatives to foster stability in our wider region.
We will continue to nurture this platform as a space for dialogue, partnership and practical solutions.
Tajikistan is also honoured to have been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women for the term 2027 2031.
We regard this as regard this as an opportunity to contribute constructively to global efforts to advance gender equality, and to support the full implementation of the Women Peace and Security agenda at at all levels.
Madam President Tajikistan believes that meaningful progress requires first, that the National Action Plans on resolution 1325 be inclusive, adequately resourced and subject to clear monitoring and reporting with measurable targets for women's participation in peace and security, decision making and regular public reporting on results.
Second, protection and accountability must be strengthened, including through zero tolerance for all forms of conflict related sexual and gender based violence, survivor centred justice and accessible health systems.
Psychosocial and livelihood support services for affected women and girls so that no survivor survivor is left without remedies and support.
Madam president Tajikistan reaffirms its commitment to work with all Member states, United Nations system and civil society, including women and youth leaders, to advance this agenda We remain convinced that empowering women is essential to building peace, peaceful, resilient and and inclusive societies.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Tajikistan for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Armenia.
President, at the outset, I would like to address words of gratitude to the presidency of Colombia or the United Nations Security Council for holding this open debate.
And thank Your Excellency Rosa Yolanda Villa, thank you.
Maybe Foreign Minister of Colombia and for the previous interlocutors for their insightful contributions.
Over 80 years ago.
The United Nations Charter reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and the equal rights of men and women.
Decades after the adoption of this landmark document, we regretfully see that women and girls are being disproportionately affected by conflict related settings and underrepresented in peace negotiations, decision making, and shaping.
Regardless, the fact that for a quarter of a century, the WPS agenda has been at the heart of the multilateral system.
Since 2018 Armenia has intensified its focus on democratic reforms, creating new opportunities to advance women's rights.
The government has taken significant steps to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for gender equality.
Against the backdrop of growing distrust in international relations, increasing geopolitical uncertainty and proliferation of conflicts.
The Republic of Armenia has taken significant steps to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for gender equality.
Armenia is firmly committed to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in peace and security processes at both national and international levels.
Guided by the Security Council Resolution 1325 and the broader WPS agenda, Armenia has worked to strengthen the meaningful participation of women across governance, diplomacy, defence, security and justice sectors.
We view women's leadership and participation not only as a matter of equality, but also as an essential element for sustainable peace, conflict prevention and resilience building.
A significant milestone was the adoption of Armenia's third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for the period of 2025 2027, entitled Investing in Global Peace.
Building on the achievements and lessons learned from the previous action plans.
The new framework reaffirms the government's strong political commitment to advancing the WPS agenda and strengthening women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace building conflict prevention, decision making, and recovery processes.
Armenia represents a notable example of the effective localization of prevention agenda through the implementation of concrete measures embedded within its National Action Plan on WPS.
By explicitly emphasizing the role of women in conflict prevention and early warning mechanisms.
The plan operationalizes international commitments at the national level and integrates them into national policy frameworks.
This demonstrates the how global WPS objectives can be translated into context.
Specific strategies that strengthen women's participation and leadership in security governance, enhance community resilience, and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable peace and security outcomes.
Madam president, in sum, I would like to emphasize that ensuring adequate and predictable resources remains essential to sustaining the international community's efforts to this end, and for translating commitments into tangible improvements in the lives of women and communities affected by conflicts.
I thank you, Madam President.
Muchas gracias.
I thank the delegation of Armenia for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Thailand.
Madam president, Thailand congratulates Colombia on assuming the presidency and commends your leadership in convening this important debate Conflict, as we all know, is never gender neutral.
Globally, women continue to bear disproportionate impacts from armed conflicts and violence and remain significantly underrepresented in the very processes that determine how conflicts end and how communities rebuild and prosper Thailand believes that women must not be viewed merely as victims or survivors, for they are agents of change.
Their full, meaningful, equal and safe participation is therefore essential to achieving sustainable peace.
And in this connection, we wish to highlight three key points.
First, the women peace and security agenda must be institutionalized at the national level.
Commitments must be translated into clear policies, defined responsibilities, and concrete pathways for implementation.
In this spirit, Thailand marked an important milestone with our first comprehensive national action plan on PS for 2025 to 2027.
By establishing the PS agenda as a cross-sectoral national priority.
This plan enhances women's leadership and meaningful participation in conflict prevention, peace processes, and decision making at all levels.
It embodies a whole of society approach by fostering sustained cooperation among government institutions, civil society and local communities.
Second, the PS agenda must be translated into meaningful action at the local level.
Conflict prevention and peace building require empowering women as active contributors within their own communities, ensuring that those in remote and vulnerable areas are not left behind.
With UN women, Thailand has established 11 women's empowerment and Learning centres, or wee w e centres across four frontier regions, including the southern border provinces.
These centres provide safe and inclusive community spaces where women can acquire knowledge, skills and networks for peace building and community resilience.
They help to strengthen women's participation in local decision making, raise awareness and enhance community cohesion.
Third, the WPS agenda must be driven by multi-stakeholder partnerships.
All sectors must cooperate to expand women's access to capacity building, digital technologies, networks and decision making platforms.
Together, we must strengthen public awareness and address the social and institutional barriers that continue to impede women from participating fully in peace and security.
Madam president, let us ensure that women are not merely consulted on matters of peace, but are fully empowered to shape them.
Thailand stands ready to work with all stakeholders to bridge the gap.
Women's meaningful participation must be more than a promise.
It must be enabled, resourced and reflected in our collective decisions.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Thailand for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Kyrgyzstan.
Madam president.
Kyrgyzstan, thanks to Colombia for convening this important open debate.
We also thank the all the Briefers for their valuable contributions.
More than 25 years ago, after the adoption of the Security Council resolution 1325 women remain underrepresented in the peace negotiations, political transitions, and post-conflict recovery.
At the same time, women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, displacement, and conflict related violence.
This gap between commitments and implementation must be addressed.
Women are not only the victims of conflict, they are mediators, negotiators, community builders and peacebuilders.
Their participation helps strengthen trust, address the root causes of conflict, and make peace agreements more inclusive and sustainable.
Women's participation must therefore be full, equal, meaningful and safe.
It must begin at the earliest stage of the conflict prevention and continue through the mediation and peacebuilding Madam president, under the leadership of the president, Sadyr Japarov, Kyrgyzstan has taken important steps to strengthen the women's participation in the political decision making following the 2025 parliamentary elections, Kyrgyzstan's recorded the largest increase in women's participation in Parliament among the older countries that held the parliamentary election last year.
Women hold one third of the seats in the parliament of Kyrgyzstan.
This progress demonstrates our national commitment to advancing women's leadership in ensuring their meaningful participation in public life.
Building on this experience, the women, Peace and security agenda will be among the priorities of Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan's membership in the Security Council.
Starting next year, we will promote Kyrgyzstan's women's participation in conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery.
As a country committed to dialogue and a peaceful settlement of disputes Kyrgyzstan focusing particularly important to preventive diplomacy, women often recognise emerging risks at the community level before they develop into broader crisis.
Their participation in early warning system, local mediation and community dialogue can help prevent violence.
Regional organisations can also play a stronger role by supporting networks of women mediators and facilitating the exchange of experience among the member states.
Central Asia has valuable experience of women contributing to community resilience, social cohesion and peaceful cooperation.
Kyrgyzstan will strongly support the greater recognition of this contribution within the UN.
We also emphasize the participation cannot be meaningful without safety.
Women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and civil society representatives must be able to carry out their work without threats and intimidation.
Madam president, the success of the WPS agenda should be measured not only by the number of numbers of the resolution.
It should be measured by whether women are present at the negotiating table, whether their proposals influence decisions, and whether they receive the protection and the resources necessary to contribute effectively.
Peace cannot be sustainable when the health of the society is excluded from the shaping it.
Peace should not be only made for women, it should be made with women.
Kyrgyzstan stands ready to work with all member states, the UN and the civil society to translate these principles into concrete action.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Kyrgyzstan for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Zimbabwe.
Thank you, Madam President, for convening this timely debate.
The women Peace and Security agenda reminds us that peace is more inclusive, sustainable and resilient.
When women participate fully in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peace building efforts.
In this regard, women are not merely beneficiaries of peace.
They are community leaders, mediators, negotiators, and peace builders whose contributions are essential to lasting peace and security.
Madam president, the year 2025 was significant as we reflected on the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325.
This milestone reminds us that despite progress, women and girls continue to face exclusion, violence, and unequal access to decision making, particularly in conflict and post-conflict situations.
In Zimbabwe, the Constitution promotes the participation of women in all spheres of society, while the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for the period 2023 to 2027 provides a framework to strengthen women's participation and leadership in peace and security processes, increase their representation in decision making institutions prevent violence against women and girls, and deepen partnerships with women civil society organisations.
In line with this commitment, women now constitute nearly 50% of Zimbabwe's military and police personnel deployed in United Nations missions.
Madam president, despite years of advocacy and commitments, women continue to be excluded from formal peace processes, political leadership and security institutions.
The United Nations Secretary-General's 2025 Report on Women, Peace and Security highlighted some sobering statistics.
In 2024, women represented only 7% of negotiators in peace processes, 14% of mediators, and accounted for 20% signatories to peace agreements, while nine out of ten peace negotiation tracks had no women at all.
Ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes therefore requires deliberate action.
Supportive legal frameworks, leadership development, adequate financing and accountability mechanisms are essential to removing barriers that continue to limit women's participation.
Indeed, women must be represented not only as participants but as leaders in mediation, conflict prevention, peace negotiations and post-conflict recovery.
Furthermore, progress in the implementation of the women peace and security agenda must be measured by, among other indicators, the number of women shaping peace agreements, influencing political transitions and building resilient societies.
As I conclude, Madam President Zimbabwe is an elected member of the Security Council for the 2027 2028 term.
Reaffirms its commitment to advancing the women, peace and security agenda.
We will continue to strengthen women's participation in peace processes and enhance accountability for the implementation of existing commitments.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Zimbabwe for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Uzbekistan.
President, we congratulate Colombia on its presidency of the Security Council.
Uzbekistan believes that sustainable peace cannot be achieved if half of society is excluded from shaping it.
Women are not only victims of conflict or beneficiaries of resistance, they are mediators, negotiators, community leaders and agents of reconciliation.
The women Peace and Security Agenda is a practical foundation for resilient institutions, inclusive recovery and lasting stability.
When women participate meaningfully in decision making peace processes become more legitimate and societies are better able to prevent renewed conflicts.
Yet women still face barriers in peace negotiations, political transitions and post-conflict recovery, including limited access to decision making, financing, security and institutional support.
Removing these barriers must remain a shared priority.
In Uzbekistan, the advancement of women's leadership is an important part of national reforms.
We are expanding women's participation in public life and strengthening social protection education, economic opportunities and legal guarantees.
Last month, Uzbekistan hosted the second Asian Women's Forum in the historic city of Bukhara.
The Bukhara Declaration adopted at the forum reaffirmed a clear message investing in women means investing in sustainable development, strong institutions, and a peaceful future.
It also emphasized the need to remove structural barriers, combat stereotypes, expand women's access to digital skills and innovation, and respond to new threats, including technology facilitated gender based violence.
Madam president, the rights, dignity and potential of women and girls must remain a priority to all parts of the world, especially in societies affected by conflict, instability and humanitarian challenges.
Equal access to education, healthcare, employment and public life is not only a matter of justice.
It is also a foundation for peace and recovery.
In this regard, we would like to underline three priorities.
First, women's participation must be fully equal, meaningful and safe at all stages of peace building.
Second, national and regional strategies, including national action plans on women, peace and security, should be supported by financing gender sensitive data and measurable results.
Third, women led civil society organisations should be recognised and supported as essential partners in conflict prevention, recovery and sustaining peace.
In conclusion Uzbekistan reaffirms its strong commitment to the women, peace and security agenda.
We stand ready to work with all partners to ensure that women are not invited to peace only after decisions are made, but are present.
Peace itself is decided, I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Uzbekistan for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Uruguay.
Thank you very much, Madam President.
At the outset, allow me to thank you for convening this open debate.
We align ourselves with the statement made by Canada on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.
We particularly value the fact that this debate places the spotlight on a crucial issue.
That is the fact that peace cannot be decided without women The full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women is not an optional concession, neither.
It is an.
Is it an ancillary consideration? It is a prerequisite for the legitimacy, effectiveness, and sustainability of any peace process and for peace building after a conflict.
However, in all too many contexts, women remain absent from negotiating tables.
They are brought on board too late, or they participate without any real capacity to influence decisions This exclusion is neither accidental nor neutral.
It reflects decisions about who holds power, who establishes priorities, and who imagines the future of entire societies.
A peace negotiated without women is by definition an incomplete peace less representative, Of less legitimate and less able to endure.
26 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, we have a robust normative framework.
However, reality demonstrates that a gap remains between commitments made and their effective implementation.
In 2024, 676 million women and girls in the immediate environs of armed and violent armed conflicts.
That is the highest figure seen since the 1990s.
Moreover, we are seeing the the worrying unraveling of progress in women's rights, the erosion of civic space, attacks against women, human rights defenders, and an increase in conflict related sexual violence.
The.
This data must be transformed into action.
Uruguay is of the view that the Security Council, member states, regional organizations and all actors with influence they can bring to bear on peace processes must guarantee that the participation of women is integrated into the very design of negotiations and not.
Something changed subsequently by way of a afterthought.
This involves ensuring the effective presence of women at all stages prevention, mediation, negotiation, agreement implementation, transitional justice, reconstruction and guarantees of non-repetition.
Consequently, concrete barriers stymying this participation must be eradicated.
It is not sufficient to invite women to participate.
Rather, their safety must be guaranteed, as must their protection against reprisals.
Predictable and flexible financing, access to information and support for women's organizations, as well as mechanisms that guarantee that women's recommendations are considered in decision making processes.
Women organizations and women's peacebuilding organizations are not peripheral actors.
Often, they are the first to respond, the last to withdraw, and those that ensure that societies trust remains.
When institutions grow weaker, their work must be recognized, financed and protected, particularly in the face of threats, intimidation, political violence and reprisals.
We underscore the need to protect the participation of women, human rights defenders, journalists, mediators and political leaders against new forms of violence.
Violence facilitated by technology, disinformation campaigns, cyber bullying and deepfakes seek to silence voices that are crucial for peace.
The safe participation of women today also involves protecting digital civic space and guaranteeing that emerging technologies, including AI, are developed using a human rights and gender equality approach.
In the sphere of peace operations, Uruguay reaffirms that the meaningful participation of women uniformed personnel strengthens the protection of civilians.
It also improves interactions with communities, extends early warning capacities, and increases both legitimacy and effectiveness of peace missions As a TCC, we've learned that making progress involves identifying institutional barriers, improving access to information, promoting inclusive leadership, and creating conditions which allow real and sustained participation.
Gender equality and peace operations is not simply a matter of representation, it is also a matter of operational effectiveness, of building trust with communities, and it's crucial in terms of ensuring more effective compliance with protection mandates.
Uruguay points to the role of preventive diplomacy and regional organizations in our region.
The peaceful resolution of disputes, confidence building and mediation form part of a tradition that must be strengthened.
As president pro tempore of Celac, Uruguay will seek to promote spaces for dialogue, regional cooperation and confidence building to ultimately bring about peace.
This effort will only be genuinely sustainable if we fully incorporate the capacities and leadership skills of women mediators, young women Peacebuilders, civil society organizations and women community leaders.
National action plans on women, peace and security can be important tools to move in this direction, provided that they have the resources, indicators, follow up and institutional coordination necessary.
They cannot be declarative documents Rather, they must be living instruments to transform public policy and institutional practices.
To this end, our country will launch its second National Action Plan this year, incorporating lessons learned.
Madam president, the women, peace and security agenda cannot be reduced to commemorative declarations.
It must be placed at the heart of our peace and security architecture with tangible results.
Adequate resources and a sense of political responsibility.
The participation of women cannot continue to be a promise merely reiterated in council debates.
It must be a verifiable practice in every peace process political transition and effort to rebuild.
It is the real measure of our commitment to resolution 1325 and to a genuinely sustainable peace.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Uruguay for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Myanmar.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam president, I congratulate Colombia on its presidency of the Security Council.
And thank you for convening this vital open debate.
We thank the rifles for their insightful statements.
Trapped in a brutal conflict for over five years, Myanmar intimately understands the cause of shattered peace and security.
The unlawful military coup of February 2021 and the ensuing military terror against civilians are the sole culprits of today's multidimensional catastrophe in Myanmar.
The perpetrating military junta continues to systematically commit war crimes and crimes against humanity by blatantly violating international law, international human rights, and humanitarian law.
As a result of their indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, the scale of devastation remains staggering.
Many credible reports have documented the displacement of over 3.7 million people.
Almost 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 10.4 million are women and girls, and over 6.3 million are children.
The military systematically deploys conflict related sexual violence as a calculated weapon of war, with over 900 cases of rape, gang rape and sexual torture documented since the coup.
The sheer indiscriminate nature of this violence is terrifying.
In February 2026 alone, 63 women were killed, primarily through relentless aerial bombardment and artillery shelling, and 66 were injured, including young girls and pregnant women.
Furthermore, the junta's deliberate blockade of humanitarian aid and the targeted destruction of medical facilities have induced a catastrophic collapse in maternal health care, disproportionately punishing women and girls in conflict affected areas.
Myanmar.
Yet Myanmar women and girls advocating for and defending human rights and women's rights remain unbound and fearless, standing as the undeniable vanguard of our revolution.
They are driving the civil disobedience movement, sustaining local administrative and healthcare networks under the junta's bombardment and leading on the front line.
As political strategists, community mediators and defence commanders from mobilisation in border areas to frontline resistance inside the country.
Women are exposing atrocities, defending their communities and shattering a culture of impunity.
The recently established Steering Council for the emergence of a Federal Democratic Union is actively embedding gender equality into our emerging federal institutions and preparing transitional justice mechanisms to prosecute perpetrators for gender based atrocities.
Therefore, Madam President, it is in our view that the international community needs to step up and keep pace with the tangible progress forged by Myanmar's democratic forces.
For all these years, efforts of the international community have yet to yield the decisive breakthroughs our people desperately need.
First, the implementation of Asean five point consensus has regrettably not achieved its intended goals A recalibrated regional approach that genuinely centers the indispensable voices of women and legitimate Democratic representatives is urgently required.
Second, this council is facing challenges in reaching a unified stance.
Under this pressure, we must look to the complementary strengths of the UN General Assembly to uphold democratic credentials and drive comprehensive, coordinated global action.
Finally, to achieve sustainable peace and stability in Myanmar, we ask the United Nations and its member states to take the following concrete actions enforce strict nonrecognition.
Categorically, categorically reject the junta's fraudulent elections and their manufactured results.
The military junta's atrocities have deepened.
The people suffering have aggravated aggravated.
Further, the unwarranted diplomatic engagement were emboldened.
The military juntas to commit further international crimes and empower Democratic Alliance's further strengthened and formalized multi multilateral engagement with the NUG and the Steering Council.
Deliver direct humanitarian support and combat the junta's blockade by providing flexible, direct financial and technical support to women led civil society organizations operating on the ground.
Ensure legal accountability, support international judicial mechanisms to hold the military perpetrators fully accountable for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and sexual violence.
Madam president, the future of Myanmar rests on the elimination of military dictatorship and the establishment of a federal Democratic Union.
The courage of Myanmar's women on the ground demonstrates that they are not merely survivors of this conflict, but the very architects of our future peace.
There is no time to lose.
The root cause of this issue must be fully addressed.
We look to this Council and the entire UN system to match the resilience of our people with decisive actions, ensuring that impunity is ended, accountability is upheld and that the legitimate, inclusive voice of the people of Myanmar finally prevail.
I thank you, Madam President.
I thank the delegation of Myanmar.
And I give the floor to Mauritania.
Thank you, Madam President.
At the outset, I wish to thank Colombia, president of the Security Council for having convened this debate on a particularly important issue.
We also wish to thank Briefers, the Briefers, for their timely, detailed briefings.
Madam president, we reaffirm the vital role that women play as strategic partners in the maintenance of international peace and security.
My country supports UN efforts in the field of the maintenance of peace and security.
We contribute to several peacekeeping missions through battalions deployed across several conflict zones.
Our units play a fundamental role in protecting civilians, namely women and girls.
They demonstrate professionalism and devotion in combating violence against women.
Madam president, conflicts, war and crises are spreading throughout the world today, and innocent civilians are becoming cannon fodder for these conflicts.
They pay the highest price for them.
Women are disproportionately targeted by parties to conflicts.
Indeed violations and abuses committed against women and girls have reached unprecedented levels.
Madam president, the UN, since its inception, has made Herculean efforts to strengthen the role played by women in terms of peace and security.
The historic resolution 1325, adopted on the 31st of October 2000, is the first to have recognised the role played by women in peace and security.
It affirms the importance of their full and equal participation in the prevention of conflict and in conflict resolution, as well as in peace building.
The resolution enshrines the fundamental role played by women in decision making, namely in peace processes.
But it but also in terms of prevention and combating gender based violence.
Women also contribute to the protection of civilians, the promotion of women's rights, and to rescue efforts, emergency contexts and post-conflict recovery.
In addition to the aforementioned resolution, around ten other resolutions reinforce the role women play in peace processes and in rebuilding.
These include resolution 1889 of 2009 that strengthens the participation of women in peace in reconstruction efforts.
There's also the resolution 2122 that dates back to 2013 and resolution 2242, dated 2015.
There is resolution 2493 from 2009.
These are just some examples.
All of these resolutions attach particular importance to fighting crimes of gender based violence, the fight against violence against women and the protection of civilians, as well as to putting an end to the culture of impunity.
President, in spite of all these efforts, we need to bolster awareness raising campaigns in order to guarantee the protection of women and in order to allow women to make a more effective contribution to the maintenance of peace and security.
Consequently, the international community must speak with one voice.
We must compel all parties to all conflicts to uphold the provisions of international resolutions pertaining to the protection of women, by guaranteeing that women have a more significant role to play in decision making Women must be a partner on an equal footing in all national peace and security efforts.
That involves doing the following strengthening the participation of women in decision making processes internationally, combating the root causes of conflicts and strengthening prevention.
Aligning national legislation with international resolutions and commitments.
Strengthening the role of civil society organisations and local efforts in this field.
Fighting hate speech and strengthening the culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, including women in mediation efforts, drawing on local networks and on early warning systems, reintegrating victims and survivors, and fighting against impunity and gender based violence.
Madam president, to conclude, women are not simple victims that require protection They are effective partners and agents of change.
Peace, to which women contribute is a peace that is genuine, one that takes account of realities on the ground, one that guarantees human security in all its aspects social, educational, health, and social protection.
These are all components necessary to ensure peace can last and allow societies to live in harmony.
Thank you.
I wish to thank the delegation of Mauritania for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Belgium.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam president, I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Benelux countries The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and my own country, Belgium.
We thank Colombia for organising this timely debate on the women, peace and security agenda.
Over 25 years ago, the UN Security Council recognised the importance of putting gender equality at the centre of peace and security efforts by adopting its landmark resolution 1325.
Since then, 117 national action plans have been adopted, including in our own countries.
These national action plans help ensure continuity in advancing the peace agenda, strengthen collaboration between governments, civil society and other stakeholders, and ensure accountability for the actions that we take.
We encourage member States that have not yet adopted a national action Plan on peace to do so, and we stand ready to share our experiences and exchange best practices in that regard.
While crisis continue to unfold in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, the DRC, South Sudan, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Syria and other conflict affected areas, we are witnessing stagnation, if not regression, in women's full and equal participation in peace and security.
At the same time, we are witnessing an increased erosion of international law and the international rules based order with the UN at its centre.
But let us not forget the UN has a crucial role in maintaining international peace and security.
When the UN is involved, peace processes tend to be more inclusive and more just.
When women are involved, peace agreements are more sustainable and foster greater trust and legitimacy.
This has direct implications for the agenda for peace processes to be inclusive and effective.
Women in all their diversity must participate fully, equally and meaningfully at every stage of peace and political processes.
This is not only a matter of inclusion, but also a matter of necessity.
That work should start here in this chamber in 2025.
The total number of women civil society representatives that were invited to brief the UN Security Council was the lowest lowest it has been since 2020.
This is a worrying trend, which goes in parallel with the global backlash against gender equality.
We therefore call upon members of the Security Council to double their efforts in ensuring women's voices are heard by this body.
This includes recognising that women are not a homogenous group and ensuring the meaningful participation of women of different ages and regions.
Refugee women, women with disabilities and many others.
It also means continuing to support civil society in their vital work to advance the agenda.
Excellencies.
We owe it to all women and girls to show them that we hear them, we see them, and most of all, we listen to them and act on it.
Let us redouble our efforts to live up to the commitments we made more than 25 years ago, and work together to build a more peaceful, sustainable, and just world for everyone, including all women and girls.
I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Belgium for that statement.
I now give the floor to the delegation of Kuwait.
Mr.
president, the state of Kuwait extends its thanks to the friendly Republic of Colombia for convening this important meeting at a time when the world is witnessing a worrying escalation in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, and increasing challenges that threaten international peace and security, and the serious consequences they have on civilians, particularly women and girls.
This debate comes at a time when the women, peace and security agenda faces growing challenges that require renewing our commitment to the principles established by resolution 1325 and its subsequent resolutions.
This is especially necessary in light of the concerning indicators of the continued under-representation of women, despite clear evidence that women's participation directly contributes to enhancing the success and sustainability of peace efforts.
The State of Kuwait affirms that sustainable peace cannot be achieved or maintained without the full, equal, meaningful participation of women at all stages of conflict prevention, resolution peace building, recovery and reconstruction.
Women are essential partners in shaping solutions, building peace and strengthening social stability.
Mr.
president, women in many conflict areas continue to face high levels of violence, displacement, and marginalization.
There remains a persistent gap between international commitments and realities on the ground.
In this context, we emphasize that the protection of women and girls from all forms of violence, including conflict related sexual violence, ensuring accountability, ending impunity and respecting international law and international humanitarian law are fundamental elements for achieving security, stability and a just and lasting peace.
Women and girls pay a heavy price in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises worldwide.
They are subjected to killing, displacement, poverty and violence.
Their access to education, health care and livelihoods is disproportionately affected.
In the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip, women and girls face catastrophic humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing military operations which have which have resulted in massive loss of life.
Large scale displacement and the collapse of basic services.
The state of Kuwait stresses the need for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access and protecting civilians in accordance with IHL.
My country also expresses deep concern over the continued suffering of women and girls in Sudan amid the ongoing conflict, which led to mass displacement and increased risks of gender based violence.
This calls for intensified efforts to end the conflict and ensure women's effective participation in peace and mediation processes.
Mr.
president, the greatest challenge facing the WPS agenda today is not the lack of legal frameworks or international resolutions, but rather ensuring their effective implementation.
The continued exclusion of women from negotiations and mediation processes in many crises deprives societies of essential expertise and contributions needed to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable peace In this context, the State of Kuwait is pursuing its efforts to implement the agenda through the National Committee for the Implementation of Resolution 1325, chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by a woman.
The committee includes representatives from various government entities and civil society to strengthen women's participation in conflict prevention, peace building, decision making and reinforcing their role as essential partners in achieving security, stability and sustainable development.
These efforts have been reflected in strengthening the presence of Kuwaiti women across various fields, including diplomatic, corps, judiciary, armed forces and security institutions, as well as an increasing participation of women in leadership and decision making position.
This demonstrates Kuwait's firm commitment to principles of equality, equal opportunities, and women's empowerment.
I take the opportunity to express our pride in Kuwaiti women who have contributed for decades to national development.
They have proved their competence in various fields, including diplomacy, judiciary, security and humanitarian work, serving as a model of dedication and national responsibility.
Mr.
president, women in conflict zones worldwide do not need more promises.
They need an end to wars.
Respect for international law.
Accountability for perpetrators of violations and inclusion in decision making processes that determine the future of their societies.
Every woman displaced from her home, every mother who loses her children due to conflict, and every girl deprived of education, care or safety is a painful reminder of our collective responsibility to act.
25 years after the adoption of resolution 1325, the challenge is no longer to develop international normative frameworks but ensuring their effective implementation to enable women's full and meaningful participation in conflict prevention, resolution and peace building.
In conclusion, we believe that the most sustainable peace is one in which rights are protected, international law is respected, and women are given full opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of their societies as essential partners in achieving security, stability and sustainable development.
Thank you.
I thank the delegation of Kuwait for that statement.
I give the floor to the delegation of Georgia.
Mr.
president, I thank the presidency of Colombia for convening this important debate I welcome the briefings.
Georgia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and its member states in my national capacity.
I would like to highlight that protecting the rights of women and girls affected by conflict is a key priority for the government of Georgia.
This commitment is particularly significant amidst the ongoing occupation of Georgia's territories, which deeply impact internally displaced women and those living in the Russian occupied regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and the region, as well as in the areas adjacent to the occupation line We firmly believe that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women at every stage of conflict prevention, conflict resolution, recovery and peace building.
Women's participation is not only a matter of rights and representation, it is a prerequisite for lasting peace.
Since 2012, Georgia has been developing national action plans to implement the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, aimed at strengthening women's participation in peace and security processes, preventing violence against women and supporting conflict affected women and girls.
Our experience demonstrates that meaningful participation requires targeted peace, capacity building, effective consultation mechanisms, and the removal of barriers to women's engagement in decision making.
Georgia has therefore invested in promoting women's leadership and expanding access to health care legal aid, education and economic opportunities for conflict affected women.
Mr.
president, the protection, security, and socio economic needs of internally displaced and conflict affected women are consistently raised by Georgia within the Geneva international discussions and the incident prevention and response mechanisms.
The Georgian delegation's delegation maintains regular dialogue with conflict affected women and women led civil society organisations.
Their perspective must be reflected in peace processes and their work, supported through sustained engagement.
Adequate resources and a safe operating environment.
In this regard, Georgia proposed the establishment of a dedicated Subworking group on women, peace and security within the GID.
Regrettably, this proposal has not received reciprocity from the Russian delegation.
Mr.
president, the human rights situation in Georgia's occupied regions remain alarming.
Nearly 18 years after the occupation, Russia continues to violate international law and fundamental human rights, including freedom of movement, education, residence and property rights.
Particularly concerning is the emerging pattern of targeted young Georgian women in the occupied region of Abkhazia, Georgia.
Several women have been detained on fabricated charges.
These incidents reflect a dangerous trend with a clear gender dimension.
Excellencies meaningful participation and protection are mutually reinforcing and essential for sustainable peace.
Georgia remains committed to advancing the women peace and security agenda and ensuring that women affected by conflict are not only protected, but are also able to contribute meaningfully to peace building and conflict resolution.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the delegation of Georgia.
I now give the floor to Burundi.
Merci, monsieur le président.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Mr.
president, my delegation thanks the Republic of Colombia for organising this open debate on the topic of peace decided with women emerging from conflict by enhancing their participation.
This topic is of capital importance for lasting and inclusive peace.
26 years after resolution 1325 passed by the Security Council, significant progress is seen in recognising the role of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peace building.
However, women remain underrepresented in peace negotiations and political processes and in decision making mechanisms, whereas they are very frequently first victims victims of armed conflict.
However, the experience shows us that women participate in a way that's full, equal, meaningful and safe in peace processes than the agreements are more lasting.
Women bring in essential perspectives for reconciliation, social cohesion rebuilding communities, and taking into account the needs of the entire population.
Peace cannot really be lasting when half of the population is excluded from decisions about their future.
Women's participation therefore, not just an issue of equity of representation, it is a strategic necessity to prevent conflicts and build more resilient societies.
My delegation thinks that it is an indispensable thing to lift the obstacles which still limit women when it comes to decision making.
This means strengthening their security, facilitating their access to finances, promoting their leadership and greater support to civil society organisations led by women.
We also underscore the importance of national action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325.
They are effective tools to translate international commitments into national action.
Sharing good practices and experiences also needs to be encouraged so as to strengthen the impact of women, peace and security agenda.
And in this regard, Burundi welcomes the remarkable contribution made by women mediators to peace building through the network of women Mediators in Burundi and other community initiatives.
Women play a decisive role in conflict prevention, in local mediation, reconciliation and strengthening peaceful coexistence.
Their proximity with the communities enables them to quickly identify emerging sources of tension and think up solutions.
And this confirms the involvement of women is an essential factor of stability and lasting peace.
We reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of equality between men and women, and strengthening the role played by women in peace, security and development efforts.
We are convinced that no peace process can claim to be fully representative, legitimate and effective without the active participation of women.
In conclusion, Member States, the United Nations and all of the partners should redouble their efforts to ensure women have a central place in peace and political transition processes.
Investing in women's participation is investing in more sustainable, more inclusive and more robust peace I thank you.
I thank the delegation of Burundi for that statement.
There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.
The meeting is adjourned.