Statement by Ambassador Bergdis Ellertsdottir at the Pleding Conference on Women, Peace and Security

Statement at the pledging conference

Women, Peace and Security

April 23, 2019

Chair

I would like to thank our co-hosts Germany, United-Kingdom and UN-Women for organizing this session in the lead up to 20th anniversary of resolution 1325 and Germany for its clear leadership in highlighting the central importance of women for maintenance of peace and security during its presidency of the Security Council in April. Including the adoption of the Security Council resolution 2467 this afternoon. However, we regret that there was no consensus to include the crucial rights of survivors of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Resolution 1325 was a clear recognition by the international community that women and girls are affected differently by conflict and that women have a vital contribution to make to the achievement of sustainable peace.

This should be self-evident today in the year 2019 but there is still a long way to go as the systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict is an almost daily occurrence and security and peacebuilding, from the field to the negotiation table, continues to be dominated by men.

The most appropriate way to commemorate the 20th anniversary of resolution 1325 is making sure that we all, the UN and its member states, continue to strengthen implementation of relevant resolutions with measurable results. 

In 2008, Iceland adopted its first National Action Plan on the implementation of 1325 and our third national plan was adopted last year for the period of 2018-2022. The new plan contains several clearly defined goals, that we pledge to implement. Let me use this opportunity to highlight three key deliverables today.

Firstly, raising awareness and understanding of the importance of 1325 among Icelandic policy makers and those working on security and humanitarian issues in the field. Our goal for 2020 is to make sure that all key parties will have received appropriate training. This includes mainstreaming 1325 into all relevant strategic papers and policies, such as on development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, security and defence.

Secondly, increase meaningful participation of women and their subsequent impact on peace and reconstruction. We are committed to ensuring that women are more equally represented in our missions and humanitarian effort abroad as well in key positions at home, or no less than 40%, before 2020. This includes providing training and support in Iceland for women from conflict areas.

Thirdly, we will continue to support multilateral and bilateral funds and programs aimed at peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction that contributes to the security, protection, assistance and recovery of women and girls in conflict zones. This includes a four-year project with the Government of Mozambique, in partnership with UN Women and Norway, which aims to promote women and girls´ effective participation in peace, security and recovery in Mozambique. Iceland has also recently signed an agreement with the UN Women regional office in Turkey on a four-year programme to create a more enabling environment for refugee women to lead, participate in and benefit equally from all aspects of migration management, refugee response, peace, security, disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian action.

Mr Chair, we look forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary of resolution 1325 and stressing the importance of it. We hope that it will bring clear deliverables and renewed political emphasis on women, peace and security.