Remarks by HR/VP Kaja Kallas to open the exhibition "Celebrating 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security" with UN Women

Dear Excellencies,

Dear Colleagues,

Dear friends,

Welcome to the External Action Service. Thank you for joining us this afternoon for the opening of one of our exhibitions in the building, one that is dedicated to women as drivers for peace. And the second once is dedicated to transitional justice in Afghanistan, which you can also visit.

On the one we are now inaugurating, I would like to say a few words.

For far too long, women were seen only as victims of conflict, as survivors of gender-based violence, mutilation, torture, humiliation; as casualties of decisions and actions taken by others.

But 25 years ago, things started changing. 25 years ago, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 [thirteen twenty-five] laid the foundation for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

And across the world today, from the villages rebuilding after war to negotiation rooms in major capital cities, there is one thing we know for sure: there is no security, no lasting peace without women as active participants in the process.

The photos of this exhibition show us what this looks like. Each image captures a moment that is statistically more likely to lead to a positive outcome than if men alone are in their place.

The facts are very clear:

• When there are more women involved in reconstruction, aid is more efficiently used and GDP growth is higher;
• When women are part of peacekeeping missions, they build trust faster with local communities and gather better intelligence;
• When women are involved in peace agreements, they are 35% more likely to last longer.

It is simply common sense for women to be present at every stage of peace and security efforts.

That is why today I am pleased to announce an additional 12 million euros for civil society organisations operating, amongst others, in the Middle East and the Great Lakes Region. The EU funding will strengthen and support women’s organisations in conflict, including to protect women human rights defenders.

But it is also not enough for women to be simply there, they must also lead. When women lead, the conversation changes. Talk moves from ending conflict to what the future looks like and the true meaning of security, which is justice, education, dignity. But here the gender gap is far too great.

In the EU’s own work, women make up a third of our Heads of civilian missions and only 11% of management positions for our military missions and operations. We have to do far better than that. EU Member States need to be putting forward more female candidates.  Because if I don’t have female candidates, I can’t choose a female to lead these operations. So please can you put good candidates [forward]. I know there are a lot of good women in your Member States as well.

Dear colleagues,

We must keep working towards a balance, where women are not just seen as victims but as fundamental enablers for a solution. Because if women are not there in prevention, in response, in reconstruction, and if women are not leading the work, we have to ask if the objective really peace?

I want the European Union to help women rise and take security and peace in their hands. And there is no better partner to do this with than UN WOMEN. Thank you for being here with us today, all of you.

We do this not only because it is right, but because it works.

Thank you.