UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for efforts to boost women's meaningful participation in peace processes.

"Women's meaningful and effective participation in mediation matters. It broadens the prospects for peace, stability, social cohesion and economic advancement," Guterres told a Security Council open debate on women, peace and security.

But gender equality is first and foremost a question of power, and power structures are dominated by men, he said.

Women lead only 7 percent of countries. Three-quarters of the members of COVID-19 task forces and committees are men. Decisions about international peace and security are still overwhelmingly made by men, and women remain largely excluded from delegations to peace talks and negotiations.

Guterres asked a series of questions on women's roles in their countries. Are women fairly represented in the rooms where the future of Afghanistan is being discussed between the Taliban and the government, or in Mali, as it embarks on a political transition? Is Sudan on track to meet the 40 percent quota for women's representation in parliament, set out in the new Constitutional Declaration? Will South Sudan meet the 35 percent quota for women's representation across the executive arm, included in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution to the Conflict? Are political actors and conflict parties in Yemen including women at the negotiating table?

"If the answer to these questions is no, then clearly, we face serious obstacles in the task before us," he said. Enditem

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