25 years ago, this Council adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1325, delivering a united message that for peace to be sustainable, it must be inclusive. This means it must be with women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation.
Whilst there is much to celebrate since then, decades of hard-won progress are under threat. From Sudan to Ukraine to the DRC, conflict and violence is escalating and women and children continue to bear the brunt.
Women in Gaza are suffering from the unprecedented scale of violence and lack of access to basic services and healthcare. I pay tribute to the courageous women across the globe that have dedicated their lives to peace and security, often in the most challenging circumstances.
The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda globally. There are three areas on which we must focus our attention and take collective action:
First, as underlined by the Secretary-General, we must do more to turn our commitments on women’s participation into action.
The UK has supported greater involvement of women in peace processes in Sudan and the Philippines; in peacebuilding in Myanmar and Syria; and in defence in Ukraine; and in reconciliation efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The increasing threats and reprisals against women who engage in peace and security are unacceptable. The UK will continue to work with UN Women to help Member States prevent, and mitigate the impact of, reprisals.
Second, we need renewed efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen justice and accountability for survivors.
Since 2012, the UK has spearheaded the flagship Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and we continue to work consistently to confront rising violence against women and girls, including in Ukraine, Sudan and the DRC.
We commend Ukraine’s leadership of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and their important work to respond to sexual violence perpetrated by Russian forces.
We call for an end to impunity and urge decisive action around the world to support survivors and to ensure their voices shape our response.
Third, we must address the changing nature of conflict, and the impact this has on women and girls.
On the frontline and online, people are being targeted because of their gender, undermining national security and exploiting societal vulnerabilities. The rights of women and girls are under attack, threatening our shared national security and our global security.
Humanitarian and health crises are exacerbated by reproductive violence and the gendered impacts of conflict. In Gaza and Sudan, pregnant and breastfeeding women are suffering from acute malnutrition and have lost access to critical reproductive health services. In Yemen, a woman dies in childbirth every two hours – less time than we will spend in this chamber today.
The past 25 years have shown us that efforts to champion the role and rights of women and girls in peace and security can deliver meaningful change. We must redouble our efforts to protect those gains and accelerate implementation – for the next generation of women and girls.
