South African FM calls for empowering women to achieve peace, security, sustainability

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, October 30, 2019
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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on Tuesday called for empowering women at all levels to lead the efforts to achieve peace, security and sustainable development.

Pandor made the remarks during a press encounter after the Security Council passed Resolution 2493 to reinforce the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the lead up to the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the agenda.

Recalling the deliberation process, the Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for October, said participating delegates brought to the fore the voices of women engaged in peace building, mediation and conflict resolution.

"Women want action... Women want governments and other stakeholders to implement policies and programs that will end and reduce conflict, that will end the nexus between conflict and violence against women and girls," Pandor said.

In essence, she said "women are saying to the leaders of the world, let's move from words and rhetoric to action so that we demonstrably change the lives of women and children."

In 2000, the Security Council passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, emphasizing the need to incorporate gender sensitivity and include women in approaches on security and peace-building, especially those affected by the conflict.

However, 19 years on, both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Women's Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka pointed to continued exclusion of women from peace processes in their speeches Tuesday.

In Resolution 2493, the Security Council further urged UN member states to implement the agenda and its priorities "by ensuring and promoting the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace processes."

It urged member states to facilitate women's inclusion and participation in peace talks from the outset, both in negotiating parties' delegations and in the mechanisms set up to implement and monitor agreements. Enditem

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