NEW YORK: A virtual high-level panel on championing gender-sensitive security sector reform was hosted by the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the UN and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, GIWPS, in collaboration with the Department of Peace Operations. The meeting was the fourth and final in a series of dialogues sponsored by the UAE and GIWPS on the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction.
Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, said that increasing women’s representation in the security sector and cultivating male allies who work for gender equality, is a solid strategy for dismantling gender-biased power structures and norms that contribute to violence against women and broader inequality. Accountability mechanisms represent another powerful lever to empower women and build peace.
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of GIWPS, stated, “Women’s inclusion in security forces is not enough for meaningful participation – which is what matters in the end”.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, “Women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in national security sectors is one of the UN’s highest priorities in the area of SSR.” He emphasized that women’s exclusion from national security sectors impacts states’ capacity to effectively prevent conflicts and respond to the security needs of all members of their population – women, men, boys and girls, and to contribute to international peace and security.
The joint initiative of the UAE and GIWPS is focused on advancing the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction and evaluating how far the international community has come since the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on WPS.
Source: wam.ae
