UN Women chief calls for recommitment to women, peace and security agenda

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous on Monday called for renewed global commitment to the women, peace and security agenda on the eve of the 25th anniversary of a landmark resolution addressing the needs of women and girls in armed conflict.

The record of the last 25 years since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on the women, peace and security agenda is mixed: bold, admirable commitments have been followed too often by weak implementation and chronic under-investment, said Bahous at a Security Council meeting on women, peace and security.

Today, 676 million women and girls live within reach of deadly conflict, the highest since the 1990s. It is lamentable to see today's rising military spending and renewed pushback against gender equality and multilateralism, she said. "These threaten the very foundations of global peace and security."

This anniversary must be more than a commemoration. Women and girls who live in conflict deserve more than commemoration. It must instead be a moment to refocus, recommit, and ensure that the next 25 years deliver much more than the last, she said.

Bahous said that suffering and displacement will likely rise globally in the face of seemingly intractable conflicts and growing instability. It is a painful fact that the world must be prepared for the situation to become worse before it becomes better for women and girls.

"This will continue to be exacerbated by short-sighted funding cuts that already undermine education opportunities for Afghan girls; curtail life-saving medical attention for tens of thousands of survivors of rape and sexual violence in Sudan, Haiti and beyond; shutter health clinics across conflict zones; limit access to food for malnourished and starving mothers and their children in Gaza, Mali, Somalia and elsewhere, and fundamentally will erode the chance for peace," she warned.

There is no alternative but to change course and to invest significantly in women's organizations on the frontlines of conflict, she said. "When women lead, peace follows. We made a promise to them 25 years ago. It is past time to deliver." Enditem