Thank you, Madam President.
We welcome the attention given to the subject of this session and thank all the speakers. "Peace begins with me, you and all of us" - this is the powerful message of 75 years of UN peacekeeping. This message must resonate with the entire population, women and girls included.
Experience and examples presented by the speakers shows that if women's participation in peace processes is neglected, conflicts are prolonged, and women and girls pay a high price. Gender considerations are therefore essential to ensure that withdrawals from peace operations do not result in a setback for women's rights and gender equality. Withdrawal from a peace mission must not mean the loss of hard-won progress in the field of women, peace and security.
This is not a new observation. In 2021, this Council underlined in Resolution 2594 the importance of gender analysis, gender expertise and gender mainstreaming, as well as the full participation of women throughout transition processes. However, some of the tools developed in this context remain unused.
So how can we achieve withdrawals that do not compromise gender equality and women's rights?
Firstly, gender benchmarks must be an integral part of all components of a UN mission, from the moment it is deployed. The Secretary-General stressed this in his report on transitions in 2022: The criteria must result from an inclusive process and be applied consistently. The ability of national security institutions to protect the population, maintain civic space and ensure respect for human rights are key elements, as is the ongoing participation of women in decision-making processes, particularly in relation to the withdrawal of missions and the future of their country. A specific gender policy, for example in the form of a national action plan, can encompass all measures aimed at maintaining and promoting gender equality.
Secondly, it is essential to recall the primary responsibility of states to protect their populations, taking into account gender-specific needs and vulnerabilities, guided by the international human rights framework, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). As discussed at our Arria meeting in March, CEDAW is an essential instrument for holding states accountable for protecting women's rights before, during and after conflict. The Security Council and the UN must work closely with national and local authorities from the moment a UN mission is deployed, to prepare drawdown plans, facilitate capacity building and transfer, and adopt a gender-sensitive budgeting approach guided by established benchmarks.
Finally, it is essential to document the experiences of past withdrawals and share them in order to learn lessons about the consequences for women's rights, participation and security. In Mali and Sudan, for example, UN downsizing led to an interruption in monitoring, reporting and analysis of the situation of women's rights, including conflict-related sexual violence. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) provides a platform for this collective learning, which can also benefit the work of this Council. The Peacebuilding Fund plays an important role in helping to bridge the most urgent financial gaps in transitional contexts. Additional resources need to be allocated to the Fund. But this is not enough. Transitions must be planned in a sustainable way, including with resources from the regular budget.
Madam President,
As peacekeeping evolves, we cannot afford to leave women behind. Their rights and security are essential to achieving lasting peace.
The decisions we take today lay the foundations for future peacekeeping efforts. This Council must live up to the assertion that women and girls are not just beneficiaries of peace, but essential architects of it.
A successful transition is one with and for women.
Thank you.