25 years after landmark UN resolution, UN chief says women are too often absent from peace talks
United Nations (AP) – Twenty -five years after a Historic United Nations Historic Resolution demanded equal participation for women in all efforts to promote peace, the United Nations chief said Tuesday that far too often, women remain absent.
At the same time, sexual violence against women and girls is increasing and 676 million women live less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) of fatal conflicts, which, according to the head of the UN Women’s Agency, has been as many people as possible since the 1990s.
“All over the world, we see disturbing trends in military spending, more armed conflicts and more shocking brutality against women and girls,” said Secretary General Antonio Guterres at a United Nations Security Council meeting.
Since the adoption of the resolution on October 31, 2000, there has been progress, he said. The number of women in uniform as a soldiers of the UN peace has doubled, women led local mediation, the advice advanced for survivors of sexist violence and female organizations played a decisive role in promoting conflict recovery and reconciliation.
“But the gains are fragile and – very disturbing – upside down,” said Guterres.
In the language without frills, Guterres said that too often, the nations meet in documents like the Security Council Chamber “full of conviction and commitment”, but are not far from the request for the resolution for the equal participation of women in peace negotiations – and the protection of women and girls against rape and sexual abuses in conflicts.
Despite war horrors, the executive director of UN women, Sima Bahous, also stressed certain progress. She said women have reduced community violence in the contested region of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
In Haiti, women have reached parity close to the new provisional electoral council, and the representation of women in the National Assembly of Chad has doubled, she said. The provisional constitution of Syria guarantees rights and protections for women, and in Ukraine torn by war, women have succeeded in obtaining national aid efforts to help women to codify.
But Bahous also said that it was lamentable that the world today witnesses a “renewed decline against gender equality and multilateralism”. She said the situation was exacerbated by what she called short -sighted financing cuts.
These cuts undermine the possibilities of education for Afghan girls, reducing vital medical care for tens of thousands of survivors of sexual violence in Sudan, Haiti and beyond, and limiting access to food for women and children of malnutrition in Gaza, Mali, Somalia and elsewhere, said Bahous.
She pointed out that change is possible.
“It is understandable that some may conclude that the rise and normalization of misogyny currently poison our policy and our food conflict is unstoppable,” said Bahous. “This is not the case. Those who oppose equality do not have the future, we do it. ”
Guterres urged the 193 UN member countries to increase their commitment to women taken in conflict with new funding and ensuring their participation in peace negotiations, the responsibility of sexual violence and their protection and their economic security.
