Address of H. E.
Mr. Gordan Jandroković, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia
at the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly
– 1325 Call to
Action –
New York, 25th September 2010
Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow
me to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the hosts of today’s
event, particularly to the Delegation of Canada (H.E. Mr. Lawrence
Cannon), for providing us with the opportunity to reaffirm our
common commitment to advancing the goals embodied in Security Council
Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security”.
The presence
of many eminent speakers in this room is in itself a testimony to the
profound impact that it has produced over the past ten years.
The
Resolution highlights not only the special vulnerability of women in
conflict, but also their role as indispensible participants in conflict
prevention.
It also stresses the importance of women’s equal and full participation
as active agents of peace and security.
I
am pleased to say that Croatia, both in its capacity as, until
recently, a non-permanent member of the Security Council and a member
of the Group of “Friends of Women, Peace and Security”, has always
strived to have this dimension echoed in our discussions.
As we
look back at the past actions of the Security Council, I am proud to
recall that Croatia was an active participant in the recent endeavor to
improve the visibility and effectiveness of Resolution 1325 and
translate its goals into practice.
It was a highly important
task which resulted in the adoption of several resolutions and
presidential statements under the umbrella of Resolution 1325,
accompanied by a series of high level debates.
We would like
to see this positive trend continued, and support the efforts to close
the implementation gaps through applying a global set of indicators to
track progress achieved in the implementation of SCR 1325.
While the normative progress achieved over the past 10 years is
undeniable, its implementation has been uneven.
Sadly, armed conflicts continue to have a devastating impact on women
and girls.
They
are often accompanied by gender based violence including an increasing
scale and brutality of sexual violence, rape often being used as a tool
of war.
Impunity for such violence against women is still widespread, while the
prosecution rate is very low.
Participation of women in peace processes still falls short of the
mark.
Here
I would like to recall the recent Statement adopted by the CEDAW
Committee on the 10th anniversary of SCR 1325 that emphasizes the
important links between this Resolution and the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
We
support the CEDAW Committee’s view that the implementation of SCR 1325,
1820 and 1889 should be placed into a broader framework of the
implementation of the CEDAW and its Optional Protocol.
SCR 1325
recalls the Preamble of CEDAW which makes a direct connection between
the cause of peace and the full participation of women on equal terms
with men in all fields.
And by doing so, it holds out a promise
to women across the globe that their rights will be protected, that all
barriers to their equal participation and full involvement in the
maintenance and promotion of sustainable peace will be removed.
Unfortunately,
major gaps in the implementation of SCR 1325 still remain, and a
mechanism of accountability to ensure its implementation has not yet
been instituted by the Security Council.
While women are widely
recognized as effective agents of peace, they still have little access
to decision-making positions and peace negotiations.
The gender composition of peace-keeping missions is still unbalanced.
Therefore,
the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Resolution 1325 should serve
as an occasion to focus and re-energize our efforts, both on the
international and domestic level.
I am pleased to say that
Croatia has taken steps to integrate the gender perspective in the
national security policy through its National Strategy for the
Promotion of Gender Equality.
One of our goals, for instance, is to keep increasing the deployment of
women officers in peace-keeping operations.
The Government is also developing a new National Action Plan for the
implementation of 1325 and related resolutions.
In this context, we attach particular importance to cooperation with
the national and regional civil society.
Under
the leadership of its first female Prime Minister, Her Excellency Ms.
Jadranka Kosor, Croatia will continue to give its firm support to the
full implementation of the „women, peace and security” agenda.
We
see it as a “gender-based peace agenda”, which involves not only
addressing the disproportionate effect of conflict on women and
combating sexual violence.
It is also about securing a full,
equal and effective participation of women at all stages of the peace
process, giving them an equal role in the prevention and resolution of
conflicts, as well as in peace-building.
The realization of these goals is a basis for safeguarding basic human
rights and achieving human security and lasting peace.
Thank you for your attention!
