Statement by Archie Young, UK Ambassador to the General
Assembly, at the UN Security Council meeting on Women, Peace and
Security.
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.
