VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #4792 3021921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281911Z OCT 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000
INFO UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS STATE 114792 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNSC GG PREL
SUBJECT: INSTRUCTION - U.S. SECURITY COUNCIL INTERVENTION 
ON WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY 
 
(U) This is an action request:  USUN is instructed to draw 
from the points below during the UN Security Council open 
debate on Women and Peace and Security scheduled for Ocotber 
29, 2008. 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
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The United States appreciates the opportunity to address the 
Council on the vital role that the international community 
plays in empowering women.   The United States reiterates its 
commitment to prevent the use of sexual violence as a tactic 
of warfare.  And, we must continue to build upon current 
momentum to ensure the full participation of women in peace 
processes and increased representation of women at all 
decision-making levels of the United Nations. 
 
First, it is imperative that the United Nations and the 
international community continue to keep the issue of women, 
peace, and security in the spotlight in order to bring about 
change.  Rape is a crime and sexual violence has a grievous 
moral and psychological impact -- destroying not just the 
lives of individuals and families ... but communities and 
entire societies.  Through greater awareness and action, 
however, the international community is responding.  For 
example, in recent months, the Congolese government, in 
conjunction with organizations like the American Bar 
Association and the United Nations, has instituted capacity 
building programs that have contributed to a decrease in 
sexual violence and dramatic increases in prosecutions.  Even 
so, women, especially in rural villages, are not safe as 
chaos and war continue to threaten this trend.  Thus, 
protection and assistance for victims of sexual violence in 
situations of armed conflict remains an essential part of the 
solution. 
 
The United Nations has taken laudable steps but must 
continually do more, particularly to eradicate sexual 
exploitation by peacekeepers and to ensure that peacekeepers 
respect the communities in which they work.  The UN must also 
must do more to factor the issue of women, peace, and 
security into development portfolios across various sectors, 
including health, education, democracy and governance, and 
economic growth.  Human trafficking, especially in conflict 
situations, where women and girls are often abducted by 
militia and turned into slaves or &war wives8 must also 
continue to be addressed. 
 
This is why the attention of the Council on this issue is so 
important.  Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 
address sexual violence and exploitation in conflict 
situations more forcefully than ever before and Resolution 
1820, in particular, requests that the Secretary-General 
report on specific situations in which sexual violence has 
been widely or systematically employed against civilians in 
such situations.  The United States is pleased that the UN 
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) -- with its 
expertise on conflict situations -- will be contributing to 
the Secretary-General,s report on the implementation of this 
Resolution. 
 
We recommend that DPKO draw upon the inter-agency resources 
of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, so that 
a wide range of experts and observers in the field can gather 
the sensitive and sometimes elusive information that will be 
necessary to identify and combat sexual violence as an 
instrument of war. 
 
Second, we must also dramatically increase women,s 
participation in all aspects of building peace and security. 
Security Council Resolution 1820 recognizes and highlights 
the need for these essential contributions, but also points 
out that there is not adequate participation by women in 
peace negotiations and processes.  The United States believes 
that ensuring the full participation of women in peace 
processes as well as increased representation of women at all 
decision-making levels is a proactive approach to getting to 
the root of the challenges we face on the issue of women, 
peace, and security.  Empowerment of women in leadership will 
garner results-oriented outcomes, but only when their 
participation is substantive and institutionalized, rather 
than ad hoc and marginalized. 
 
Positive steps have been taken.  For example, in 2006, 
several dozen female Foreign Ministers and other high-ranking 
officials from around the world, including U.S. Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice, formed the Women Leaders, Working 
Group.  The Group works to ensure that the issues of women,s 
political participation, access to justice, economic 
empowerment, poverty reduction, combating violence against 
women, and women in conflict and post-conflict situations are 
international priorities.  And it has made efforts to promote 
the appointment of senior women as Special Representatives of 
the Secretary-General and Special Envoys. 
 
Last May, the U.S. launched a public-private partnership 
called the 'One Woman Initiative' that focuses on women,s 
entrepreneurship, political leadership, and the rule of law. 
The project is initially focused on women in countries with 
significant Muslim populations.  The U.S. Government and 
private donors have provided $100 million in funding, and the 
first grants will be awarded this November. 
 
Also this year, the U.S. hosted a Senior Roundtable for 
Women,s Justice, where judges from around the world 
discussed women,s lack of access to justice and best 
practices to combat violence against women and improve 
women,s legal enfranchisement.  As a result of this 
roundtable, the cosmetics company Avon Products contributed 
$1 million to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against 
Women, and this fall the United States will provide training 
to 23 Malawi federal judges on issues related to violence 
against women. 
 
With regard to UN activities, the U.S. welcomes the 
conclusions of the Secretary General,s report, which states 
that the deployment of women in the field facilitates 
engagement with local women which leads to more access to 
appropriate services for women and girls and lowers the 
incidents of sexual violence and abuse.  We also applaud 
efforts by nations such as Jamaica in attaining an equal 
number of women and men in their UN peacekeeping contingents. 
 
 
The United States would also like to commend Secretary Ban 
for his leadership and commitment to increasing the number of 
women candidates for UN Special Representative and for 
Special Envoy positions.  At present, 15 of the 37 UN Senior 
Leadership positions are held by women, including Jane Holl 
Lute -- Assistant Secretary General for Peacebuilding 
Support, Margaret Loj of Denmark -- the Secretary General's 
Special Representative (SRSG) in Liberia, and Rhadika 
Coomaraswamy ) the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict. 
The United States hopes that these appointments will continue 
to increase and that empowerment issues become more prevalent 
in country-specific reports in the Council. 
 
At the same time however, women continue to be 
underrepresented in peace negotiations.  According to a 
forthcoming UNIFEM report: only 2.7% of signatories of 15 
sample agreements they reviewed were women.  Where 
information on negotiations was available, there were no 
female lead negotiators; and women,s participation in 
negotiating delegations averaged 7%.  The United States looks 
forward to working with Council members and the international 
community to increase these opportunities. 
 
With the adoption of UNSCR 1820, the Council signaled its 
belief that it understands that when women are empowered, 
societies can be more prosperous and entire communities can 
be changed together and for the better.  In today,s world, 
no country can achieve lasting success, stability, and 
security when half its population is sitting on the 
sidelines.  The United States looks forward to continuing to 
share our best practices and experiences and to 
institutionalizing women,s participation in building peace 
and security. 
 
Thank you. 
 
END TEXT 
RICE