Виступ делегації України на відкритих дебатах Ради Безпеки ООН щодо ролі жінок в попередженні та вирішенні конфліктів в Африці
Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the UNSC Open Debate on The Role of Women in Prevention and Resolution of Conflict in Africa
28 March 2016
Your Excellency, Minister of Family and Promotion of Women of Angola Delgado,
Ukraine appreciates Angola’s initiative to hold an open debate on the subject «Women, Peace and Security: the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa».
From the outset I would like to state that Ukraine aligns itself with the statement of the European Union on this subject to be delivered later.
I would like to thank H. E. Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women for her introduction to the debate today.
Conflicts and crises in Africa took a more complex turn in recent years. They tend to be followed by devastating upsurges of violence against women and girls. We all recall with deep shock the tragic case of abduction of 200 Chibok girls from a school in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram militants in April 2014.
In too many places women and girls are being wounded, mutilated and killed along with men and boys. They also suffer gender-based violence. The sexual violence is used as a weapon of war in conflicts all around the continent.
Ukraine condemns all acts of sexual violence as well as any forms of sexual abuse of women and children, which, in some conflict situations, surpass the level of war crimes and reach the scale of crimes against humanity or a genocidal slaughter.
Considering the growing magnitude of such crimes we express our readiness and commitment to actively contribute to consolidated international efforts aimed at elaborating effective steps to address the issue of sexual violence.
In this context we welcome the International Criminal Court´s decision in the case of the former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba — the first trial by the ICC to focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council Ukraine strongly supports Council’s efforts aimed at addressing the full range of human rights violations and abuses faced by women in armed conflict and post-conflict situations.
Madam Minister,
In the face of challenges of war and conflicts women are increasingly becoming critical agents of change.
According to the Global Study, there is a growing evidence that women’s empowerment contributes to the success of peace talks and the achievement of sustainable peace, accelerates economic recovery, strengthens our peace operations, improves our humanitarian assistance, and can help counter violent extremism.
Ukraine recognizes the importance of equal and full participation of women in all activities for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace-building and peacekeeping.
It is also in this light we welcome the joint initiative of Spain and the UK to set up an informal Security Council Working Group on Women, Peace and Security.
Yet, while gender issues are increasingly integrated into the United Nations activities, the challenges in this area remain grave and widespread around the globe.
Nowhere it is more evident than in Africa.
Women there play important roles as custodians of culture and nurturers of families, yet in times of conflict they are hardly represented at peace negotiating tables or in community reconstruction efforts. Moreover, according to the UN Women, women constitute fewer than 10 % of peace negotiators globally and only 3 % of signatories to peace agreements.
We commend the fact that a number of African countries have embraced resolution 1325 and already have relevant national action plans in place. We take equally positive note of the fact that the African Union has also made significant efforts to integrate the women, peace and security agenda into its own security, crisis-response, human rights and peacebuilding efforts.
It is of great importance that both the AU and UN have increased the number of female military and police officers in peacekeeping missions and set up units that provide protection to victims of gender-based violence in Somalia and Darfur. In Rwanda, Liberia, DRC and other places the UN provides important support to survivors of such violence.
Noting the ever changing global context of peace and security, in particular related to the surge of terrorism and violent extremism, the increasing numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, today we more than ever need to ensure the participation of women and women’s organizations in developing strategies to prevent and respond to these challenges.
Madam Minister,
In closing let me stress that, standing at the origins of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, Ukraine is a strong supporter of the Security Council Women, Peace and Security agenda. Recently, we adopted a National Action Plan on the implementation of the Security Council resolution 1325, developed in close consultations with the UN and OSCE agencies as well as civil society. The action plan is aimed at promoting women’s greater participation in military, political, economic and social life, peace and recovery processes, prevention and combating gender-based violence, reintegration of persons affected by the consequences of the on-going foreign aggression against our country.
Ukraine will remain actively engaged in promoting women’s rights, women’s participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction, and their protection from sexual and gender-based violence.
