Mr. President,
Sweden welcomes the progress made in the implementation of resolution 1325 since its adoption eight years ago. But much more remains to be done. All of us — both UN and Member States — must intensify our efforts to address the situation, rights and roles of women in armed conflicts.
We also welcome the Secretary-General's campaign "Unite to end violence against women" which seeks to increase global advocacy on all forms of violence against women and girls.
Women must be involved in resolving the armed conflicts that are affecting them, their families, and their communities. They should take part both in the negotiation and the implementation of peace agreements. They should also be able to participate equally in the political decision-making process. We must actively work to increase opportunities for women to be involved in peace negotiations and processes, in recovery operations and reconciliation efforts, and in security sector reform. When women are part of informal as well as formal negotiation processes, the chance increases for a sustainable solution with full respect for human rights.
We should also work to raise awareness at local and national levels of the role of women in conflict management and peace building. This can be done through systematic inclusion of gender advisers in contingents, and through training of legal and military advisers and other security personnel in how to mainstream gender equality perspectives in then:activities.
We must not forget that often women are active participants in armed groups. This means that a gender-sensitive approach to designing, planning, and implementing UN- supervised disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs is required. The situation and role of women and girls in armed groups, their training needs, including non-traditional vocational training, and their special reintegration needs should all be addressed. The -needs of women associated with armed groups in various capacities, including as forced wives and child bearers must also be considered.
The need for protection of women and girls during conflict and crisis are essential elements of peace and security. This aspect has been particularly strengthened and elaborated in resolution 1820.
We have seen ample evidence of the horrendous sexual violence against women committed by armed groups, sometimes even by government forces. To combat this is part of the mandate to protect civilians. Since the violence rarely stops once the conflict is over, these efforts should continue even after a peace-agreement is reached, including ensuring women's access to justice as part of the Rule of Law efforts.
While the UN has made many efforts in this area, it is most deplorable that even today peacekeepers are implicated in sexual exploitation and abuse in conflict areas. This is just not acceptable.
Mr. President
There is still a lack of gender balance at all levels both in missions and in the secretariat. More women should be appointed Special Representatives of the Secretary General and special envoys, and more women should be appointed to senior positions in the Secretariat and in missions.
SRSG's and other UN envoys should have a clearer gender equality perspective. This is especially important in environments where women have suffered from gender based violence. A lack of understanding of gender issues or an unwillingness to consider their importance can no longer be tolerated in such positions of responsibility. Therefore we strongly believe that all pre-deployment training should include gender content.
Resolution 1325 and issues concerning women, peace and security should be properly addressed in the efforts to reform United Nations gender architecture.
One impediment for the implementation of resolution 1325 is the lack of budget lines for gender activities. We therefore suggest that proposals for specific mechanisms, including financing, should be included in the next "Report of the Secretary General on Women, Peace, and Security", to ensure full implementation of the recommendations of resolutions 1325 and 1820.
In last year's open debate on resolution 1325, Sweden underlined that we all have a responsibility to provide ideas, initiatives and good practices. Let me share some of our experiences with you.
In 2006, Sweden launched a National Action Plan for the implementation of resolution 1325. It stipulates that the Swedish personnel contributions to peacekeeping missions should have the same proportion of female officers as the national base.
In this spirit the Swedish police recently approached all female police officers with more than eight years of experience in the force and informed them how to apply for a position in a peacekeeping mission. At the moment Sweden has an all-female police contingent in East Timor. Sweden has nominated the first female deputy police adviser ever in DPKO. Next year Sweden will have just as many female as male students at the national police academy. As a result of these active efforts Sweden has achieved the same proportion of female police officers working overseas in peacekeeping missions as we have nationally.
In the military forces special observer teams that form part of our contribution to ISAF in Afghanistan, there will be equal participation of female and male officers.
For the last couple of years, Sweden has argued for a new capacity in peacekeeping missions. We believe that civilian observers would be an important complement to the capabilities we already have. In particular, civilian observers could be an even more relevant tool in dealing with violence against women and girls.Mr. President,Sweden is now in the process of reviewing our National Action Plan for Resolution 1325. It was developed through a consultative process, including public authorities and civil society organizations. It has been helpful as a practical guide for implementing the resolution, and as a point of departure for policy dialogue at all levels. It has helped put the issues of women in armed conflict high on the agenda, and made everybody aware of the importance of including more women in Swedish contributions to peace missions. We whole-heartedly recommend fellow Member States who have not yet done so to elaborate National Action Plans for the implementation of resolution 1325.
Thank you