STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR VANU GOPALA MENON, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON WOMEN AND PEACE AND SECURITY, 5 OCTOBER 2009

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR VANU GOPALA MENON, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON WOMEN AND PEACE AND SECURITY, 5 OCTOBER 2009

One of the most famous symbols of the global search for peace is the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded every year to the person who has done the most to promote peace in the world. What is less well-known is the fact that Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor who created the prize, was actually inspired by a woman - the Baroness Bertha von Suttner, a peace activist who campaigned tirelessly against the wars in Europe in the late 19th century. Alfred Nobel had her in mind when he wrote in his will that the Peace Prize should be given to the most deserving person, "a Swede or a foreigner, a man or a woman." (emphasis added)

2 The Council's adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325 in 2000 was an acknowledgement of a truth borne out by most of human history - that women play a powerful role in the promotion of peace and security. This is evident when women are allowed to participate fully, equally and effectively in all stages of the peace process: peacekeeping, peace negotiations and peace building, and are similarly involved in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies, reconstruction and consolidation. As my colleagues have already spoken with great eloquence on these issues, I simply wish to emphasize a few key points.

3 There remains a serious gap in the translation of paper commitments to reality. It is a sad fact that the impact of conflict is borne disproportionally by women. For instance, over 70% of the casualties in recent conflicts have been non-combatants, most of them women and children. Moreover, conflicts have profound implications for women's basic health and survival. Of the countries that have the highest lifetime risks of maternal death today, most are at war or in a post-conflict situation. In addition, as a country begins to emerge from conflict, women and girls have specific priorities and needs in areas like physical security, socio-economic conditions, education, income generation, access to basic services, as well as gender-responsive law enforcement and access to justice.

4 Unfortunately, these needs and priorities are often not being recognized or met. Studies have shown that there is a substantial gap in financing for women's needs in post-conflict situations. This cripples the ability of women to contribute meaningfully to their societies and communities. Moreover, efforts to include women in peace-building and reconstruction processes are often limited. Women make up 52% of the world's population but comprise only 7% of negotiators on official negotiating delegations. In addition, women often lack the organizational force to make their voices heard in political and economic decision-making. As a result, women are prevented from making the contributions that they would like to make to post-conflict governance and peace consolidation.

5 It is vital that the international community redouble its efforts to empower women, especially ahead of the 10th anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325 next year. We look forward to the Secretary-General's report, as requested by the resolution that the Council has just adopted, which will provide important recommendations on how to address women's participation and inclusion in peace-building and planning in the aftermath of conflict. Singapore was pleased to co-sponsor this resolution, as well as resolution 1888 last week, ably led by the Vietnamese and US delegations respectively. What these two texts show is that the United Nations must lead by example to address gender issues in UN mandates, including the greater participation of women in political, peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions.

6 The simple presence of women military, police and civilian peacekeepers on the ground has a tremendous positive effect on local communities, by reaching out to and serving as powerful role models for local women. Women currently constitute just 2% of military personnel and 8% of police personnel in UN peacekeeping missions and more should be done to encourage greater female participation. During the INTERPOL General Assembly to be held in Singapore later this week, Singapore will be working with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to promote DPKO's "Power to Empower" global campaign to recruit more women police for peacekeeping operations. The continuing need for increased participation of female officers in UN peacekeeping operations will also be highlighted in the Outcome Declaration of the INTERPOL-UN Ministerial Meeting.

7 Let me end where I began - with the Nobel Peace Prize. When Alfred Nobel created the Nobel Peace Prize, he intended for Baroness von Suttner to become the first recipient. However, it took five more years before she was honoured in 1905 and became the first woman to receive the Peace Prize. At her presentation ceremony, Jorgen Lovland, then Chairman of the Nobel Committee, said "History constantly demonstrates the great influence of women. Women have encouraged the ideas of war, the attitude to life, and the causes for which men have fought, for which their sons were brought up, and of which they have dreamed. Any change or reformation of these ideas must be brought about chiefly by women." It is up to us to ensure that all women around the world have the opportunity to exercise their profound power to do so.

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