UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth LVO Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Resolution 1325: Women, Peace and Security
New York 29 October 2003
On the third anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 – a landmark document for women’s human rights – we are proud to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to the resolution.
Resolution 1325 was the first resolution addressing gender issues to be passed by the Security Council. Since then, significant progress has been made to increase legal protection for women and girls in armed conflict situations – and during peacetime -through international mechanisms including the inclusion of gender-related and sexual crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
However, more needs to be done. Despite international efforts, violence against women in situations of armed conflict continues. Women and girls remain overwhelmingly the main victims of armed conflict.
During times of conflict, women and girls are also especially vulnerable to sexual crimes such as systematic rape, forced pregnancy and sterilisation, sexual slavery and abuse. People trafficking -a crime usually involving women and girls -is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world today, and often occurs as a direct result of conflict. Eradicating violence, and the effects of violence, against women in conflict and post conflict situations requires determined and continuous efforts from the international community.
Women continue to be significantly under-represented in peace-building, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction despite Resolution 1325’s acknowledgement of their important role in these areas.
Mr Chairman
Australia’s experiences in the Pacific region have convinced us of the need to make concerted efforts to ensure that women participate fully in peace-building processes. We actively support such participation, and urge the UN and all member states do so as well. Let me give some examples to illustrate what we have been doing:
- Australia’s Peace, Conflict and Development policy, launched in June 2002, provides a framework for strengthening the effectiveness of development assistance. The policy addresses the impact of conflict on women and children and promotes the role of women as peace-builders.
- Through our aid program, Australia supports a wide range of activities in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, East Timor and elsewhere that address the social dimensions of conflict. These activities have been designed to strengthen the ability of women, community leaders and other community groups to address violence and conflict in their communities. Specific examples of Australia’s aid activities are outlined in the attachment to this statement.=
- Australia led the four-nation Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville, which was careful to engage women in, and to encourage their support for, the peace process. This work is being continued by its civilian successor, the Bougainville Transition Team.
- In addition, Australia is proud to have a senior Australian policewoman as the current UN Police Commissioner in East Timor. Police Commissioner Peisley is the only woman holding such a position in a DPKO operation.
- We have made a concerted effort to include women peacekeepers in our peacekeeping contributions around the world.
Mr Chairman
Australia remains committed to the sustainable implementation of Resolution 1325. We commend the significant first steps that have been taken toward this objective, including through the appointment of a Gender Adviser in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the development of gender action plans in the Department for Disarmament Affairs and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We note also that DPKO is developing a field guide to gender mainstreaming and has issued a gender and peacekeeping training manual. In all this, Mr Guehenno deserves commendation for his leadership.
But, as I have said, much more needs to be done to continue and accelerate the implementation of Resolution 1325. Without further concrete action, Resolution 1325 will only remain a set of aspirational standards. It is in this context that we wish to ask the following questions of the UN Secretariat:
- What are the main hurdles in achieving the implementation of Resolution 1325 in current peacekeeping operations?
- Has the UN Secretariat put into place any institutional mechanisms to monitor progress made in implementation of Resolution 1325?
- What efforts are being made to ensure that the recommendations in Resolution 1325 are mainstreamed into the work programs of all UN agencies that have a role in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Mr Chairman, the responsibility of implementing Resolution 1325 rests not only with the UN Secretariat. Member states and, in particular, Security Council members also have important responsibilities, not least in ensuring that mandates take full account of gender perspectives. We all now need to focus on practical steps to give effect to Resolution 1325. Australia stands ready to do its part.
Thank you.