European Union

Statement at the Panel discussion on Disarmament and the gender perspective in the context of Women, Peace and Security (WPS)

Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 23 May 2023

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The candidate countries North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1], the potential candidate country Georgia, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

As a staunch proponent of the UN Security Council Agenda on Women, Peace and Security, we appreciate your choice for thematic debate today, which is of great importance. We welcome the participation of the Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, madam Valovaya, in today’s discussion. We also thank all panellists for their interesting and thought-provoking presentations.

Madam President,

Resolution 1325 and the further nine UN Security Council Resolutions that compose the Women, Peace and Security framework work as our compass towards achieving gender equality, peace and security.

The implementation of the WPS agenda continues to be an essential tool in ensuring the agency of women and girls and the promotion and protection of their rights. The EU recalls its commitment to support women’s and youth’s equal, full, effective and meaningful participation, in all their diversity, including in all spheres of public and political life, as per the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024. The EU Strategic Compass, which aims to make the EU a stronger and more capable security provider includes Women, Peace and Security as an integral part.

The EU supports the UN Secretary General’s proposal in his Our Common Agenda report of a New Agenda for Peace, which would include building on the existing WPS agenda in order to place gender equality at the heart of peace and security. Doing so is not only a matter of representation, but an imperative, critical for shaping and implementing gender responsive decisions and policies; in line with our commitments. The full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women in conflict prevention and resolution throughout the conflict cycle, and the integration of a gender perspective in all efforts, is essential for the promotion and attainment of sustainable peace and security. However, women remain underrepresented in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament processes and diplomacy. Targeted action to improve participation of women and integration of a gender perspective is thus needed.

The EU remains fully committed to promote equal participation and leadership of women in all peace and security-related contexts, including in existing and future disarmament and non-proliferation instruments to pursue their objective and purpose. This is why the EU is proud to be one of the champions of Actions 36-37 of the UN Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament and we are grateful to the UN Secretary-General for his continued engagement in this matter.

Gender equality and human rights are, indeed, at the core of universal values and constitute stand-alone priorities mainstreamed across all European Union policies. In its Conclusions on Women, Peace and Security of 14 November 2022 the Council of the EU reiterated its commitments to the implementation of the WPS agenda and underlined its significance to contemporary global peace and security challenges. It reaffirmed the validity of the EU Strategic Approach to WPS and its commitment to the full implementation of the EU’s Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2019-2024. Acknowledging the political importance of the WPS agenda, the EU has also incorporated WPS in all its global policies on gender equality.

Madam President,

Armed conflict as well as new, emerging and increasingly complex security challenges, such as climate change, food insecurity, scarcity of water and other natural resources, pandemics, energy challenges, terrorism, organized crime, and disinformation, disproportionately impact women and girls with detrimental consequences for the full enjoyment of the human rights of women and girls globally. The EU and its Member States commit to seek understanding of and to act on the gender dimensions of the security risks to avoid exacerbating vulnerabilities, but also to uncover new entry points for advancing gender equality, improving resilience and sustaining peace. It is crucial to ensure that any response is based on the following principles:

• A gender analysis of the causes, consequences and policy implications, using data disaggregated by sex age- and disability, to ensure a more effective, inclusive and sustainable response;
• Women’s full, equal and meaningful participation at all levels in all phases of the conflict cycle;
• The prevention of and protection from sexual gender-based violence;
• Overall inclusive and gender-responsive leadership in politics and security related decision-making in general.

The EU is deeply concerned about the disproportionate effect that armed conflicts continue to have on women and girls worldwide, as well as the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence including conflict-related sexual violence, offline and online. The EU will enhance its efforts to prevent and counter sexual and gender-based violence in order to ensure full accountability and to combat impunity, and will encourage all stakeholders to join this collective endeavour.

Furthermore, the implementation of the full WPS agenda remains a key priority for the EU-UN strategic partnership on peace operations and crisis management, as well as for partnerships with other international and regional organisations such as the OSCE, NATO and the African Union. It calls for an increased effort to accelerate the operationalisation of the joint EU-UN commitment on WPS, with special attention paid to the protection of women human rights defenders and peacebuilders against reprisals, threats and violence. In order to advance this agenda further, the EU is ready to cooperate with all countries and other relevant partners.

Civil society organisations, women-led organisations, women human rights defenders and women peacebuilders play a vital role in realising change and commitments of the WPS agenda. They often face specific security threats, intimidation and harassment and deserve our recognition, support and protection. The EU underlines the importance of strong cooperation with civil society organisations in implementing gender equality and WPS commitments and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In conclusion, the EU reiterates its call for strengthening the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women and girls in conflict prevention and resolution throughout the conflict cycle, including in formal and informal mediation, crisis management, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, peace negotiations, demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration, security sector reform and other recovery and reconstruction processes.

Madam President,

I will have two questions, if I may:

• How could States better ensure a meaningful two-way dialogue with civil society organisations, women-led organisations and women human rights defenders in policy making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WPS agenda?
• How could the WPS agenda be more systematically integrated into all political and security dialogues and what role could gender-responsive leadership play?

I thank you, Madam President.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.