Statement by Mr.Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council on Women and Peace and security in Africa (the Sahel)
First of all, we would like to welcome you, Madam, in presiding over this briefing of the Security Council, and to thank you for organizing it.
We listened with interest to the briefers, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Ms. Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, on their recent visit to South Sudan, Chad and the Niger, with a focus on women’s participation in peace, security and sustainable development processes.
More than 17 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the role of women in preventing and resolving armed conflicts and in post-conflict reconstruction has been expanded. However, the state of affairs with regard to the protection of women during armed conflicts is unfortunately very different, including in this part of Africa, where the level of threats to security and stability is unprecedentedly high.
We have already expressed our concern about the fact that the terrorist groups that are entrenched in the Sahel are intensifying their criminal activity and trying to expand its geographic reach. Women continue to be the victims of violence, and the atrocities and excesses inflicted on them by terrorist groups are horrifying.
In that regard, our hopes rest on the initiative of the countries of the Group of Five for the Sahel to create a Joint Force to fight terrorism and organized crime. It will be crucial to continue to coordinate the efforts to combat extremism in the Sahel-Saharan region. We believe that it is essential to work to effectively counter the spread of extremist ideology, find practical solutions to the social and economic problems of the countries of the region and strengthen their State institutions. The United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel has a key role to play in resolving these issues.
We firmly believe in the positive role of women’s participation in various aspects of the resolution of armed conflicts and post-conflict restoration. In our view, women’s direct involvement in the prevention of armed conflict and in post-conflict reconstruction is an important prerequisite for ending violence against them. The Security Council’s annual debates on women and peace and security enable us to monitor the overall progress in improving the protection of women in situations of armed conflict and ensuring their full and effective participation in efforts to prevent and resolve such situations. However, when we are dealing with concrete situations, it is important to take their specifics into account.
We believe that it is national Governments that should play the primary role in protecting women at every stage of an armed conflict, while the measures taken by United Nations bodies and civil society should be aimed at supporting and supplementing the efforts of States. In particular, the Security Council can make the most effective use of its toolkit and resources in matters directly related to the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security.
With regard to such important topics as ensuring gender equality and expanding women’s rights and potential, the specialized United Nations entities and mechanisms continue their successful and systematic work, which Russia is ready to continue to assist in every way.
