INTERVENTO ITALIANO AL DIBATTITO IN CONSIGLIO DI SICUREZZA SU DONNE, PACE E SICUREZZA (18 ottobre 2013) 

Mr. President,

Allow me to begin by thanking you for organizing this open debate of the Security Council. I also wish to thank the distinguished speakers for their important contributions to the discussion.

Italy welcomes the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution on women, peace and security. It is a further step towards the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 of 2000. We call on the Security Council, the UN system, and Member States to live up to the commitments taken today.

Mr. President,

Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to make the following remarks in a national capacity.

We appreciate the focus of today’s debate: women’s rights must be an integral component of efforts to rebuild justice and rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations. I wish to address three areas. First, participation: we need to remove the obstacles blocking women’s access to justice, which are often rooted in traditional and cultural attitudes. We must also increase the number of women in national and international judiciary bodies and entities, and ensure that gender expertise inform their decisions. Second, protection: laws must be gender-sensitive, including by allowing women’s right to access to land and by criminalizing sexual and gender-based violence. No amnesty should be granted to the perpetrators of these crimes and of other violations of women’s rights. Third, reparations: they are of critical importance in transitional justice processes. Yet to be effective, reparations must be able to ensure that in the long term such violations are not repeated and that the root causes of gender inequality are eliminated.

As much as the Governments have the primary responsibility of steering these processes, the international community and other actors can provide critical support. In the fight against the impunity of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, of which women are often the victims, the International Criminal Court has a unique role in complementing the efforts of national courts when these are unable or unwilling to bring perpetrators to justice. The United Nations are also key in assistance and capacity building, as proven by the work conducted by the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict. Former judges and specialized staff of UN Ad Hoc Tribunals are potential resources that should not go untapped. Finally, cooperation with civil society organizations, particularly women-led civil society organizations, is also essential.

Mr. President,

In 2015 the Security Council will hold a High Level meeting to review the implementation of resolution 1325. In his report, the Secretary-General provides strategic measures to accelerate implementation and address gaps. I would like to highlight three recommendations. First, increasing women’s participation in UN peacekeeping and political missions, especially in the middle and senior management levels. Second, reaching the target of 15 per cent spending for post-conflict peacebuilding projects on gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly on women’s economic security. Third, systematically addressing all elements of resolution 1325 in the work of the Security Council. We particularly advocate for a stronger focus of the Council on women’s leadership and participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and for the inclusion of criteria pertaining to violations of women’s rights in the adoption and renewal of targeted sanctions in situation of armed conflict. Regular briefings to the Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and by the UN Women Executive Director can contribute to avoiding that these issues fall off the agenda of the Council.

Mr. President,

Italy considers resolution 1325 and following resolutions key elements of its agenda for international peace and security. We are currently reviewing our national action plan on women, peace and security with a view to accelerating its implementation in the next three years. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are mainstreamed into development cooperation programs. Specific projects on resolution 1325 and the following resolutions are currently being implemented in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Somalia, Palestine and Libya. Italy supported the creation of the first Palestinian center in Bethlehem, offering a comprehensive response to women as victims of violence. In Libya we are supporting the approval of a bill which equals victims of sexual violence to victims of war. These experiences can be considered best practices also in terms of cooperation with local authorities and women’s organizations.

Mr. President,

To conclude, we have the tools to ensure that the vision enshrined in resolution 1325 become reality. It is high time we use them to turn a new page in the lives of many women and girls around the world.