The Belarus Government should end “violent crackdowns” and “increasing repression” against protesters who are still contesting the result of last month's Presidential elections, UN deputy rights chief Nada Al Nashif told the Human Rights Council on Friday.
Security Council Briefing on Syria, Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen
Thank you Mr. President (Ambassador Abdou Abarry, Niger),
I begin today’s briefing recalling – as I did last month -- the deep suffering of the Syrian people, who in this almost full decade of conflict have experienced death, injury, displacement, destruction, detention, torture, terror, indignities, instability, de- development and destitution on a massive scale – and who have seen the country they love devastated – and who are now grappling with COVID-19 and economic collapse. Syrians, both those inside the country, and the millions of refugees outside, desperately need this suffering to be eased and to see a path out of this conflict.
Against these hard realities, and the deep distrust among the Syrian parties, a faint but real ray of hope shone from Geneva when, in the last week of August, we were able to convene, after a nine-month hiatus, a Third Session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
The discussions within the Committee were mostly substantive and on the agreed agenda. The Co-Chairs told me that they sensed that some common ground was emerging on some subjects. There were practical suggestions from members on how to identify such common ground and how the discussion could move forward. I was very pleased with this.
This said, there were very real differences on substance even at the quite general level of the discussions. And the Co-Chairs were not, as I had hoped, able to agree while in Geneva on an agenda for the next session. We need a proposed agenda if the Committee is to meet.
I worked hard in Geneva and since to assist the Co-Chairs to agree. These discussions are continuing on a compromise proposal. Given the realities of organizing meetings, we need to finalize the agenda without further delay if we are to meet in early October as we had hoped.
Beyond agreeing an agenda in line with the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure, it is important to remind ourselves of other features of this document. It provides that:
I am continuing to urge that the Constitutional Committee proceeds in line with these already agreed Terms of Reference. If we can finalize an agenda and move forward in this way, I remain hopeful that we can deepen this process with a Fourth Session soon – and a Fifth and a Sixth in the coming months – as the COVID-19 situation allows.
Here let me pause to thank the Swiss Federal and Geneva Cantonal authorities, and the United Nations Office at Geneva and its medical services, and indeed the Committee members themselves, for their support in ensuring a COVID-safe Third Session, something that will be a continuing priority for future sessions too.
Yesterday, I invited the members of the Middle 50 of the Large Body of the Constitutional Committee to a briefing on the work to date and to hear views and suggestions on the process, and we will of course be following up on those discussions.
Let me also note that during the Third Session, I had the opportunity to consult the members of the Women’s Advisory Board. They provided useful ideas that showed their keen belief in the possibility to find commonalities, and that safeguard the rights of Syrian women. They, like all Syrians, wish to see concrete progress. In their view, this must happen in parallel to tangible improvements in the lives of Syrians who have urgent economic and humanitarian needs, as well as security and health concerns. This is also a constant message echoed by a broad range of civil society actors with whom we engage. Both the WAB and our Civil Society Support Room will remain active in the coming period on all aspects of the political process envisaged in resolution 2254.
Mr. President,
The COVID-19 pandemic is emerging as a major challenge for the Syrian people, who are acutely vulnerable after 10 years of conflict. As Under-Secretary-General Lowcock told you two days ago: reports from inside Syria continue to point to a much broader spread of COVID-19 than the number of confirmed cases conveys. In some areas, existing healthcare facilities have faced challenges in absorbing all suspected cases – particularly as healthcare workers, already in short supply, are themselves struck with the virus. Syrian refugees, both inside and outside camps, remain at great risk as well.
The pandemic will only add to humanitarian needs, which remain acute. Many Syrians face food insecurity, poverty and deprivation, particularly in the face of unprecedented economic collapse and socio-economic strain. To give just one indicator: food prices remain at the highest level ever recorded – monitoring by the World Food Programme shows the price of a standard reference food basket increasedby over 250 per cent on last year. Some Syrians even struggled to access water. In the northeast, the supply from the Alouk water station was cut once again in August, before resuming following the constructive intervention of several member states.
I appeal once again for your support in securing both the necessary resources and humanitarian access for all those in need of relief, in accordance with international humanitarian law. And it remains imperative that any sanctions or measures that can undermine the capacity of the country to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and COVID-19 medical support are waived.
Mr President,
I continue to appeal for large-scale and unilateral releases of detainees and abductees – especially of women, children, the elderly and the sick – and for more meaningful actions on missing persons. I pressed this issue with the Astana guarantors when we met in Geneva. I note their stated intention to resume the meetings of the Working Group on this issue at the earliest opportunity – but I also note the deep dismay that lack of movement on this issue causes among Syrians of all backgrounds, and internationally as well. I will continue to press this issue with the Syrian parties, including in any forthcoming engagements.
Mr. President,
Syria remains a highly internationalized environment, with five foreign armies active in the theatre, and Syria’s sovereignty compromised. Militarily, however, existing arrangements continue to sustain broad calm across Syria, relative to the intense violence of recent years. Indeed, the frontlines have barely shifted for half a year – the longest in the Syrian conflict – and a basic military status quo seems to be emerging.
However, while Syria is calmer than before, worrying incidents continue that could destabilize that calm:
There has also been continued worrying ISIL activity in the desert, and we saw an attack on a pipeline in areas where ISIL is active, which resulted in a nationwide electricity cut in late August.
Mr President,
I appeal to all relevant actors to contain these violent and de-stabilising incidents, build on the relative calm that exists, and, as resolution 2254 calls for, establish a nationwide ceasefire to protect civilians, maintain international peace and security, and support a political process. And we must, as 2254 says, counter the threat of internationally-proscribed terrorist groups active in some parts of Syria through a cooperative approach that is in line with international humanitarian law.
Mr. President,
As we seek to consolidate calm, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to build a more meaningful political process.
The realities on the ground remind us that only by focusing on a political settlement can we meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and restore Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. A political process is also plainly vital if Syria’s socio-economic challenges are to be addressed, and if conditions are to emerge in which millions of refugees would be able to return in a voluntary, safe and dignified manner.
And it is clear that no one actor or group of actors – Syrian or international – can determine the outcome of this conflict. In this regard, I believe there is a growing acknowledgement among many key actors that there truly is no military solution, and that the only way forward is a negotiation and a political settlement, however difficult that may be.
That is why I believe there is a common desire from all sides to get beyond a complete stalemate and see some movement. And there is a readiness for steps to beget steps, for goodwill to beget goodwill, and for us to move slowly but steadily along a 2254-path out of this conflict, supported by mutual and reciprocal measures.
In this regard, I have received strong support from key players for the UN efforts to facilitate the Constitutional Committee – a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned process that can act as a door opener.
Beyond the Constitutional Committee, it is too early to say whether the increasingly shared assessments of the realities will turn into common diplomatic pathways for the implementation of resolution 2254. But the potential may be slowly emerging, and I will seek to nurture and support this.
I appreciated the recent presence in Geneva of senior representatives of Russia, the United States, Turkey and Iran for consultations on the margins of the Constitutional Committee. I have remained in close contact with them since, and with other European and Arab interlocutors, and this continues.
I particularly appreciated the opportunity to visit Moscow recently for substantive and wide-ranging discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Defence Minister Shoigu, in advance of Foreign Minister Lavrov joining a high-level visit to Syria last week.
I encourage Russia and the United States to advance their dialogue and for them and other key players, including the Astana Guarantors and those who meet in the Small Group, and indeed the members of this Council, to work with me toward our common goal in Syria: a political settlement in line with resolution 2254.
Mr. President,
The immediate priority is for the Co-Chairs to agree an agenda so that we can resume the Constitutional Committee soon, and for the Committee to proceed in accordance with its Terms of Reference. Meanwhile, we must continue to work to bring about positive and mutually reinforcing steps among Syrian and international players and a wider political process in line with resolution 2254. With relative calm on the ground, and with the urgent need to alleviate the Syrian people’s suffering, now is the time to press ahead.
Thank you, Mr. President.
More than five years of war have “devastated the lives of tens of millions of Yemenis”, with experts estimating that up to one million may have been affected by COVID-19, the UN chief told the General Assembly on Thursday.
New York, 18 September 2020
Around the world, despite decades of activism, and dozens of laws on equal pay, women still earn less than 80 cents for every dollar men do. For women with children, women of colour, women refugees and migrants, and women with disabilities, that figure is even lower.
If you had told me this forty years ago, I would have been shocked. But according to the...
A Japanese principle that finds beauty in broken things, should serve as guidance for today’s fractured world as we navigate out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday during the annual ceremony at UN Headquarters to mark the International Day of Peace on 21 September.
To help prevent conflicts and at the same time protect the planet, “we all must tackle environmental degradation”, a top UN official told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN-appointed investigators have issued fresh warnings about ongoing rights violations and impunity in Burundi, since the death of former President Pierre Nkurunziza, who ran for a third term in 2015, in a move deemed by opposition to be unconstitutional.
Although the transitional government in South Sudan continues to function, with state governors now appointed, among other developments, progress on the 2018 peace agreement “limps along”, the top UN official in the country told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
Thank you Dr. Lupel
I am very pleased to be joining you today.
I would like to extend my thanks to Sweden – and Minister Linde in particular – as well as International Peace Institute for organizing this event.
In the last few months, the disruptive force of Covid-19 has impacted all of us. It has caused unimaginable loss and suffering, challenged our assumptions on how we live and work, and overshadowed so many of our global priorities, including this year’s 20th anniversary year of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).
While the pandemic is primarily considered a health crisis, it has had significant impact on our socio-economic well-being and on peace and security. Many of the economic costs of the pandemic are disproportionately affecting women, who are overrepresented in some of the sectors hardest hit by shutdowns and ensuing layoffs and cuts. And gender-based violence, particularly in the home, surged around the world as COVID-19 lockdowns became necessary.
Social unrest erupted in some areas because of deteriorating economic conditions, and parties to conflict at times used the chaos and uncertainty created by the virus to press their advantage. And during this difficult period, our ability to carry out conflict prevention and resolution initiatives has been limited by travel restrictions.
More than ever, we need to make sure that women’s voices are heard in crafting the response to the pandemic and building a more peaceful world.
I would like to highlight three key areas for priority action.
First, the use of digital technology. As travel restrictions have slowed peace talks or moved them online, we have taken active steps to ensure women’s leadership continues in the virtual world.
The Special Envoy for Syria and the Special Representative for Colombia are using digital platforms to consult regularly with women groups, advisory boards and mediator networks.
In Yemen, the Special Envoy leveraged the power of digital technologies to conduct large-scale virtual consultations with over 500 Yemenis, including many Yemeni women’s networks.
We see the enormous potential for digital tools to open closed spaces, increase the transparency of power-sharing, and facilitate the safe and diverse participation of women in peacemaking. We have been able to engage more women than ever before in peacemaking activities.
However, it remains the case that virtual spaces mirror the inequalities that exist in the offline world. Women and girls in conflict-affected settings often lack equal access to technology, are deprioritized in using shared digital resources, and are subjected to online harassment and intimidation that can have real world consequences for their safety. Supporting access to technology and combatting on-line bullying must therefore be prioritized as fundamental to ensuring women’s participation in public and political life.
Second, resourcing. Effectively implementing the women, peace and security agenda requires dedicated and predictable capacity and funding.
My department has allocated 17 per cent of our extra-budgetary funds to projects supporting women, peace and security. We have also created a ‘gender marker’ to track the mainstreaming of gender issues in all our initiatives.
And the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) has over the last two years allocated 40 per cent of its total investments to gender-responsive peacebuilding.
Allocating adequate, predictable and sustained financing must be a joint priority for us all to achieve the women, peace and security agenda.
Finally, we must be more vocal and active in our support for women. In an environment of shrinking civic space and backlash against women’s rights, it is incumbent on the international community to – as the Secretary-General said in March – “pushback against the pushback”.
We must harness the current interruption to the status quo to build more inclusive prevention, peacemaking and governance structures. We need to build back better.
Thank you.
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic continues to top a long list of global concerns, the UN chief told journalists on Wednesday, noting that “the grimmest of milestones” is upon us.
Good morning, and warm wishes from New York. Thank you, President Duque, for the invitation to take part in this timely event, which we hope can help to advance the important work of consolidating peace in Colombia.
I also extend my warm regards to the distinguished participants here today. Our collective presence is a reminder of the deep well of support that Colombians can rely upon in the international community as they press forward with this critical agenda.
Mr. President, we meet two years into your administration and nearly four years since the signing and entry into force of the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the former FARC-EP.
The Agreement was a watershed moment that opened an opportunity for the country to build a future free of the violence that marked its past. It binds Colombians to an ambitious agenda for sustainable peace.
We are working closely with your Government and the former FARC-EP as well as with civil society and the institutions established as expressions of the peace process. For everyone the responsibilities are far reaching. They demand the courage to prevent differences – no matter how deep they are –from standing in the way of lasting peace. And I commend Colombians on the progress achieved this far. Colombia’s success can be a source of hope and inspiration beyond its borders, especially in those corners of the world that continue to be ravaged by violent conflict.
The United Nations has proudly stood by Colombians since the beginning of the peace process. We recognize its many achievements – which have continued under your administration - and appreciate the faith placed by the Government and Colombians across the spectrum in the United Nations Verification Mission and the work of the broader UN system.
We were first-hand witnesses as the former FARC-EP laid down its weapons and turned a page on more than five decades of armed struggle. We have seen with great encouragement how former combatants take steps – with the Government’s support – towards their social, economic and political reintegration. They are now part of the democratic political life of Colombia. And we acknowledge how the Government has worked hard to include former combatants in Colombia’s future.
In other areas of the Agreement we see the opportunity to support Colombia in addressing issues such as rural reform, political participation, transitional justice, and the problem of illicit drugs. We are inspired every day by the unrelenting work of social leaders, women’s organizations, indigenous and Afro-Colombian and youth representatives in support of peace and reconciliation in Colombia. They are a testament to the resilience and creativity – on the part of the Government, the former combatants, civil society and others - that have been required to secure these tangible gains of peace.
Still, we are reminded of the difficult path ahead.
We remain deeply concerned about the insecurity affecting the lives of too many Colombians in conflict-affected areas of the country, notwithstanding the overall reduction in violence brought about by the peace process. We condemn the violence by illegal armed groups that has continued unabated even amid a global health crisis. The killings and threats against social leaders, former combatants, women and young people are a threat to peace. We acknowledge the efforts by Colombian authorities, communities and local leaders to address this serious challenge. We all recognize more needs to be done.
In keeping with the Secretary-General's call for a global ceasefire, we appeal again to armed groups to stop the violence in order to give respite to suffering populations and to facilitate efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let me stress that Colombia is not alone in facing the difficult task of coming to terms with the past. The Peace Agreement charts out an innovative path based on transitional justice. Its key promise is to place the rights of victims at the forefront.
For it to be able to fulfill this promise, full respect and support for the bodies that form the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition will be critical. Equally important is the full commitment of the actors who took part in the conflict to truth and the acknowledgment of responsibility.
Let me also highlight the pathbreaking extent to which Colombia’s peace process reflects the critical role of women in peacebuilding. This is timely, as we approach next month the twentieth anniversary of landmark Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. I salute the work of women in government, state institutions and civil society who are playing leadership roles in their communities, and I urge all efforts to ensure the full realization of the gender provisions of the Agreement.
Let me conclude by thanking you, President Duque, again for this opportunity to be with you today as well as for your commitment and that of the officials of your government. We look forward to continuing our close cooperation and partnership. We realize that definitively ending the cycles of violence in Colombia and building lasting peace can only be achieved with efforts over time.
However, this future will be built upon the foundations set now.
As you continue to implement the Peace Agreement, you can rest assured of the continued support of the United Nations.
Thank you
The spectre of famine has returned to Yemen as donor countries fail to make good on their 2020 pledges, amidst an upsurge in fighting, fresh hurdles for aid deliveries, and ongoing efforts to nail down a nationwide ceasefire, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
Despite a reduction in largescale hostilities since a ceasefire in March, the UN Syrian Commission of Inquiry reported on Monday that armed actors continue to subject civilians to horrific and increasingly targeted abuse.
Over the next 10 years, the world could well be transformed by potentially lethal new technologies, climate disruptions and disruption caused by expanding cities, the UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Monday, outlining the adaptations required to keep the Organization’s flagship enterprise fit-for-purpose as it confronts daunting new security threats.
New York, 15 September 2020
As the world confronts COVID-19, democracy is crucial in ensuring the free flow of information, participation in decision-making and accountability for the response to the pandemic. Yet since the beginning of the crisis, we have seen the emergency used in a range of countries to restrict democratic processes and civic space. This is especially dangerous in places where democracy’s roots are shallow and...
New York, 15 September 2020
I am pleased to join you for the closing of the 74th session of the General Assembly -- a session like no other in the past 75 years.
The last seven months have been extremely difficult for the people we serve, and for many of us, personally and professionally.
The...
New York, 15 September 2020
It is a pleasure to be with you again for the opening of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Let me begin by warmly congratulating His Excellency Ambassador Volkan Bozkir of Turkey on his election as General Assembly President. Mr. President, you can fully count on our support and our committed partnership in this common work.
...The first ever direct talks between Afghan Government representatives and the Taliban which began on Saturday, present “a major opportunity” to finally realise the “long-held aspirations” of the people, for a peaceful future, the UN chief has said.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday expressed deep concern over the continued use of force against peaceful protestors in Belarus and detention of those exercising their legitimate democratic rights.
A proposed new anti-terrorism law in Switzerland could set a dangerous precedent for the suppression of political dissent worldwide, a group of five independent UN human rights experts warned on Friday.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
COVID-19Interview with the Resident Coordinator in Gabon
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact, please visit:
Security CouncilMeeting on cooperation between Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the United Nations
DiCarlo warns against the erosion of trust in public institutions due to COVID-19
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Colombia
Risaralda department establishes a reintegration board for former FARC combatants
The UN Verification Mission in Colombia on 8 September participated in the establishment ceremony of the Risaralda Departmental Reintegration Board, which aims to coordinate efforts in favor of cultural transformation for reconciliation, coexistence, and non-stigmatization of FARC-EP former combatants. This body will follow up on social plans and programs intended to help people in the reintegration process, their families, and local communities. The Governor's Office committed to managing resources to support the productive projects of the former combatants based in the community of Santa Cecilia. The UN Mission, together with representatives of the group of former combatants, the Governor's Office of Risaralda, the Mayor's Office of Pereira city, and the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) will be active members of the Board.
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
The Security Council on Thursday demanded a halt to attacks on schools, together with students and teachers in conflict zones around the world, in a presidential statement coinciding with the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Until outstanding issues related to Syria’s initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile and programme are resolved, the international community cannot have full confidence that its activities have ended, the UN’s top disarmament expert told the Security Council on Thursday.
New York, 11 September 2020
I thank the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council for convening this joint briefing on my Report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace – focusing on the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture.
I thank Member States for engaging actively and helping shape this critical outcome. Despite the extraordinary conditions imposed on us...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend economies and societies, while also threatening to erode trust in public institutions and democracy, it is critical that people everywhere continue to pursue peace.
Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister Minh. And thank you to Vietnam and ASEAN for organizing today’s dialogue and bringing dedicated attention to the critical issue of women’s participation in peace and security.
Twenty years on from the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), we have made significant progress in anchoring the understanding of the full and equal participation of women in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding as crucial to achieving sustainable peace.
For ASEAN Member States, the commitment to women’s leadership in peacemaking is a long-standing one. As far back as 1973, a woman minister was one of three Vietnamese signatories to the Paris Peace Accords ending the war in Vietnam.
In 2014, three of the five Government signatories to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro were women. This included the Chair of the Philippines negotiating team, whose signature represented the first time a woman was the chief signatory of a peace agreement on behalf of a major party. I am happy to call her, Miriam Coronel Ferrer, a colleague. Miriam is a member of the UN’s Standby team of Senior Mediation Advisers.
More recently, women negotiators [such as Ja Nan Lahtaw] have been facilitating talks in Myanmar. Women leaders have been heading governments and ministries across the region, and just last month, under Indonesia’s Presidency, the Security Council adopted the first dedicated resolution on Women and Peacekeeping. This is an issue Foreign Minister Retno has been critical in championing.
At the same time, ASEAN has been making important strides to formalize its women, peace and security architecture. This includes: adopting the first ‘Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN’ in 2017; launching the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry in 2018, and convening the first ASEAN Symposium on Women, Peace and Security in 2019 – an event which featured Noeleen Heyzer, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation.
In this work, the UN has been a steadfast partner. From co-organizing with ASEAN the groundbreaking 2017 Track 1.5 regional dialogue on the critical role of women in preventing violent extremism, to providing bilateral support through the Peacebuilding Fund to projects such as those underway in Myanmar aimed at strengthening the capacity of women mediators and overcoming barriers to women’s participation in conflict resolution.
Each of these initiatives is vital to our collective efforts to operationalize the women, peace and security agenda. But as we take stock today of our global progress, we must be clear-eyed: far more remains to be done.
Power politics, entrenched patriarchal attitudes, unequal social structures and resource exploitation and diversion have held back progress in implementing Security Council resolution 1325.
So, too, has the lack of mainstreaming of gender analysis in policy making, inadequate support to women’s meaningful participation, and duplication of efforts arising from weak strategic partnerships.
Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted how fragile the progress we have made actually is. Existing gender inequalities in conflict-affected countries have been exacerbated, and women are at risk of further marginalization from education, economic and political life.
As we look ahead to the next 20 years of the women, peace and security agenda, and to the efforts needed to realize a world of sustainable peace, development and equality for all, we must focus on implementation.
It is vital that we all use our political will and leverage to press for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women – from political decision-making to peacemaking, from pandemic response to peacebuilding.
We need to build governance structures that ensure gender analysis is integrated from the outset and informs all our policy making.
We should bring the weight of national legislative processes to provide legal protections for women’s rights.
We must pursue electoral reforms to facilitate women’s safe political participation as candidates and voters.
We need to allocate adequate, predictable and sustained financing to support our efforts.
And we must work in close cooperation with our strategic partners including regional organizations and women’s civil society, to achieve the vision laid out in resolution 1325 for just, equal and peaceful societies.
As we face a historic public health crisis, economic uncertainty and complex peace and security challenges, the importance of strategic and complementary partnerships to achieving the women, peace and security agenda could not be clearer.
To this end, the adoption of the second ASEAN-UN Plan of Action later this year is a prime example of such partnerships in action.
Under the current Plan of Action, ASEAN and the UN are working to mainstream gender-inclusive conflict prevention through the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry, to promote the role of women in peacebuilding and preventing vio lent extremism, and support ASEAN’s deployment of women peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping missions.
The new Plan of Action will build on this existing close cooperation to strengthen the role of women in governance through a proposed ASEAN-UN electoral observation training and by exploring ways to support women in politics through the ASEAN Inter-Government Parliamentary Assembly.
Excellencies,
The women, peace and security agenda will require long-term and sustained political will, effort and investment – particularly from Member States.
Attitudes and resources need to be shifted, and the wider public’s understanding of the importance of women’s participation expanded. Implementing the women, peace and security agenda is, and needs to be seen as fundamental to achieving sustainable peace, security and development for all.
The UN looks forward to continuing its close partnership with ASEAN on women, peace and security, and to working together to ensure that over the next 20 years, women achieve their equal and rightful place in shaping the decisions and priorities of their communities and countries.
Thank you.
