NEW YORK, JUNE 15 – With a tribute to “all women who live in fear”, including the women of Ukraine, “peace-builders whose voice must be heard to held perpetrators accountable to justice”, Italy addressed today a Security Council open debate organized by the monthly Presidency of Albania on the role of regional organizations in implementing women, peace and security in the face of the political turmoil and seizures of power by force.
The Women, Peace and Security agenda is “one of our best hopes” for a more peaceful future and a livable planet, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council: “At this time of proliferating crises, the international community must pursue proven strategies for peace and stability. Protecting and promoting women’s rights is such a strategy,” he said, highlighting the positive role regional organizations have played in protecting and advancing the key agenda. The Secretary-General also underscored that “women’s equality is a question of power” and that today’s political deadlocks and entrenched conflicts are “just the latest examples of how enduring power imbalances and patriarchy continues to fail us.”
Since the adoption of the landmark Resolution 1325 in 2000 on Women Peace and Security a lot has been accomplished in terms of strengthened awareness, a more robust policy framework, new monitoring and reporting mechanisms in place. However, twenty years later, women and girls continue to disproportionately bear the burden of conflict and turmoils and remain underrepresented or unrepresented in peace process efforts, in spite of their constructive contribution to conflict resolution at grassroots level, Ambassador Maurizio Massari said today. The Italian Ambassador highlighted the need to put women at the center of all diplomatic efforts, working in a coherent way at different and complementary levels: national, international and regional.
At national level, Italy is currently implementing its fourth Action Plan on WPS (for the period 2020-2024) while continuing to engage, together with the EU partners, in the implementation of the relevant EU Action Plan for the 2019-2024 term.
Italy has also strengthened its partnership with the UN system in favor of Women and Girls, through increased core funding and policies commitments and integrating female personnel in peacekeeping operations.
At the regional level, Italy has launched the Mediterranean Women Mediators’ Network, which has increased in scope through the year and contribute to the creation of the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediators Networks, gathering voices from different regions of the world demanding to accelerate the implementation of UNSCR 1325. (@OnuItalia)
