- Check against delivery -

Madame President,

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, and Albania^*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

Madame President,

Peace processes should reflect the wider society they seek to bring together. It is widely recognised that peace processes which are inclusive and ensure the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation and leadership of women, especially from civil society, produce more durable and stable peace. Both the Security Council and the wider international community therefore share the goal  to support and advance the involvement of women, including women human rights defenders and women peacebuilders, in peace and security processes at all levels, also by ensuring their safety and security. Each and every country has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their people.  

Supporting independent civil society organisations, enabling civic space and protecting human rights defenders and peacebuilders are key priorities of the EU’s foreign and security policy, as outlined in the EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy. We deplore that women peacebuilders, mediators, journalists, politicians,  humanitarian workers, civil society leaders and human rights defenders face increasing and specific challenges, including threats to their safety and freedom, which often hamper their ability to act . It is our collective responsibility to put an end to such threats and hold perpetrators accountable.

Worldwide we have seen the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls. The EU and its Member States are deeply concerned about the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war in Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray region, and the persistent threat of violence facing women, in countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Myanmar, South Sudan and Yemen.

With regard to Afghanistan, the EU has strengthened its support to Afghan women at risk, not least through the establishment of a dedicated programme including a focus on Afghan human rights defenders. At the same time, efforts are underway to meet the medium and longer-term needs of Afghan civil society actors to enable them to continue their work. The protection of Afghan women’s and girls’ human rights must be an integral part of the political solution and the EU’s future support to Afghanistan will depend on  its respect of international human rights frameworks and norms.

Madame President,

We have to step up collectively our efforts.  While implementing the EU Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2019-2024)and other programmes, we have identified six recommendations and best practices  to strengthen prevention and response to threats:

First, systematic gender mainstreaming based on targeted analyses should be applied to all actions. based on thorough and conflict-sensitive gender analyses.

Second, visibility can be a powerful tool to ensure protection, if pursued in close consultation with the women concerned. When women at risk are themselves contributing to the risk analysis and security response, it is more likely to be effective.  

Third, intersectionality is key. Special attention should be given to those who are at risk to suffer from multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence, particularly young and older women, women with disabilities, indigenous women, and LGBTI persons.

Fourth, we must do more to fight impunity. The EU supports initiatives to strengthen legal procedures at national, regional and international levels, notably through the Rome Statute and the ICC, to ensure accountability for gender- based crimes in conflict, including conflict-related sexual violence. We reiterate our support for the Security Council to incorporate and apply sexual and gender-based violence in conflict as a designation criterion in UN sanction regimes in a systematic manner.

Fifth, prevention and mitigation are important to avoid reprisals. The EU engages in political dialogues and diplomatic efforts with countries where women human rights defenders and peacebuilders are likely to face reprisals or other forms of violence in order to promote prevention and accountability, and to strengthen their rights

Sixth, security and protection cost money. Funds should be adequately allocated to support protection measures, as part of standard Women, Peace and Security funding. The EU's Human Rights Defenders Mechanism, for example, has an operational budget of 15 million EUR for 3 years (2019-2022), and any human rights defender at risk can apply for protection.

Madame President,

The Security Council has a strong mandate to tackle these issues and has repeatedly urged Member States and other actors to create safe and enabling environments, and address threats, harassment, violence, including sexual and gender-based, and hate speech. The existing frameworks must be given the necessary attention and resources and must be fully implemented.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office have a key role to play in this regard. We encourage increased cooperation between the Human Rights Council and the Security Council on these matters.

Lastly, let me stress that the inclusion of civil society is essential for protection and prevention measures to be effective. We urge the members of the Council to continue to invite more women human rights defenders and civil society leaders to brief the Council. This must be done while taking all the necessary actions and precautions to ensure their safety. The innovative WPS trio presidency launched by Ireland, Kenya and Mexico last year, followed by the ongoing presidency initiative by Niger, Norway, Albania and UAE, are major positive steps for placing WPS and women briefers at the centre of all relevant discussions. We look forward to seeing more Council members commit to this good practice.

We remain ready to work with all partners to eliminate violence, threats and reprisals against all women.

Thank you.

* The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.