Statement van VN vrouwenvertegenwoordiger Caecilia van Peski

Afgelopen maandag heeft onze Tilburgse D66'er en VN Vrouwenvertegenwoordiger 2010 Caecilia J. van Peski haar statement uitgesproken voor de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties in New York.

Hieronder volgt het persbericht. Het letterlijk uitgesproken statement staat op de weblog op de website van de NVR.

Ten years of UN Resolution 1325: Women Continue to Deepen Democracy

United Nations Headquarters, New York, Monday 11 October 2010, 04:00 pm 

Most UN Member States do not fully leverage the wisdom and leadership of women. Yet doing so would greatly benefit all citizens in these countries. This was Caecilia J. van Peski’s conclusion to her
statement as UN Women’s Representative to the 65th General assembly of the United Nations in New York this morning.

Van Peski illustrated her conclusion with the following facts, amongst
others: It is only in the rarest of cases that women sit at the roundtables of peace-making and reconstruction. Also, the percentage of women in decision-making positions still remains a far cry from the 40-60% parity zone, a target endorsed by the UN’s Economic and Social Council. Moreover, women continue to be seriously underrepresented as candidates for and holders of public office.

The cost of this underrepresentation and de-facto exclusion is high,
said Van Peski. It ignores the irreplaceable and indispensable
contributions that women could make to make our countries more stable and our societies more peaceful, prosperous and democratic.

Van Peski concluded her statement with five calls for action to be
taken by the UN System and the UN Member States. She had formulated these calls for action after numerous and in-depth consultations with the women’s and peace movements in The Netherlands and other countries.

The UN Women’s Representative calls for action are:

• Firstly, to promote and support legal and institutional
  frameworks and electoral systems that provide a level playing
  field for all citizens including women to vote and hold public
  office.
• Secondly, to further forms of genuine democracy and good
  governance that create more opportunities for more people -including women - to participate directly in democratic
  processes in their societies.
• Thirdly, to actively support women’s organizations to  contribute to developing peaceful and democratic societies, empowering women, and mainstreaming gender, from the local levels up to the UN System as a whole.
• Fourthly, to encourage and support the development and
  implementation of National Action Plans for the implementation
  of Resolution 1325, in all Member States with priority given to
  fragile states.
• Lastly, to promote and support the development and deployment of early warning systems that take full advantage of women as agents of change, to more effectively prevent the outbreak of conflict.
  

Caecilia J. van Peski’s statement comes against the backdrop of the
10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, by the end
of this month. This landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention of conflict, in peace negotiations, and in post-conflict reconstruction.

Resolution 1325 calls upon governments to utilize women’s knowledge and experience in peacework and security building, as well as to involve women in peace negotiations.

Over the past ten years, the implementation of this resolution has
gradually gained momentum. Much has been achieved, yet much more remains to be done. The five calls for actions highlight priority
areas most urgently awaiting action by UN and its Member States.

Ever since the United Nations’ founding in 1945, the Kingdom of the
Netherlands has each year nominated a UN Women’s Representative to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Netherlands has been unique and leading in this. From the very beginning, the UN Women’s Representative has been selected by the Netherlands Council of Women, an influential advisory body to the Dutch government.

Deel via: