Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Women, Peace and Security.
The UK is unwavering in our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and its crucial role in sustaining peace.
There are three priorities I want to focus on today.
First, participation. We must commit to amplifying the voices of women from all backgrounds, and strengthen their active participation in peace and security processes, as well as all aspects of political and civil life.
And in this context, I am inspired to see today's list of 100 global women published by the BBC.
The UK is working with, for example, Afghan women leaders to discuss tangible steps to support women's inclusion in Afghanistan's future.
And in October, my Minister for the Indo-Pacific joined the WPS Conference in the Philippines, to showcase UK support in enabling cross-generational women peacebuilders to participate in the Mindanao peace process.
Second, it is vital that this Council increases support to grassroots women's rights organisations, recognising their crucial role in building and sustaining peaceful communities.
Through support to the Peacebuilding Fund, the UK is reaching women and young people in 21 countries, including in Chad, Haiti and South Sudan.
Through our $900,000 programme with the International Civil Society Action Network, the UK helped bring together over 40 women peacebuilders across generations to assess challenges and plan collective action. These dialogues provide opportunities to strengthen partnerships among women peacebuilders and expand the impact of their work.
Finally, we must urgently address conflict-related sexual violence.
The latest Secretary-General Report noted a 50% increase in UN verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence this year alone. This is a deeply worrying trend, but it's also an inhuman story, and we must collectively do more to address it.
Our newly appointed Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord Collins, will drive international action to tackle this issue.
The Minister has hosted events on the deteriorating situation in Sudan and the rising cases of sexual violence in the DRC. Both meetings gave a platform to the civil society organisations and first responders supporting survivors of all ages on the ground.
President, women peacebuilders secured hard-won gains under Resolution 1325, yet those gains have not been fully realised. The Secretary General's Common Pledge to prioritise women's participation in peace processes will help address this gap in implementation, but there is more to be done. We call on all Member States to move from words to action.
