The Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, represented the Republic of Cyprus on 7 March 2023 at the UN Security Council open debate on "Women, Peace and Security: towards the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325".
In his intervention, Mr. Hadjichrysanthou referred to the historic unanimous adoption of Resolution 1325 by the UN Security Council 23 years ago, which recognized for the first time the role of women in peace and security. He stressed that in view of the 25th anniversary of the resolution, we must take stock of what has been achieved so far and, at the same time, consider how to achieve full implementation of the resolution by 2025. He pointed out that despite the positive steps and progress made so far, there is also a regression in some areas, as undoubtedly women and girls continue to be dramatically affected by ongoing armed conflicts, while continuing to be excluded from decision-making processes related to peace and security.
The Permanent Representative stressed that unfortunately we are witnessing an increase in violence against women as a result of armed conflicts around the world. In addition, he said, women and girls are experiencing gender-based sexual violence both online and offline, while at the same time these acts of violence go unpunished in many cases. For this reason, he noted, we must intensify our efforts as States so that sexual violence in armed conflict is combated and the perpetrators of these atrocities are brought to justice.
Mr. Hadjichrysanthou also said that everyone recognizes the integral role that women have to play in the peace and security agenda, especially in conflict prevention and resolution. He added that the exclusion of women from peace processes and negotiations leads to detrimental consequences for efforts to achieve lasting peace and prosperous societies. He pointed out that without the full, meaningful and equal participation of women in decision-making structures and negotiation processes, this goal risks remaining unfulfilled. Therefore, he added, more action is needed at national, regional and international levels to mainstream the gender dimension and include gender issues in the global agenda.
The Permanent Representative stressed that Cyprus attaches great importance to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and the provision of equal access to the peace and security agenda. He added that the Government of Cyprus has developed the 2020 National Action Plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325, which covers the period 2021-2025 and consists of four pillars: (1) participation and empowerment of women, (2) protection, (3) prevention and, (4) advocacy.
In conclusion, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus stressed that it is our collective responsibility to strengthen our efforts to achieve the full implementation of resolution 1325 and to adopt gender-sensitive approaches to create a more peaceful and prosperous world.
For the intervention in English click here.
(MB/EXP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
