Merci, Madame President.
I congratulate Switzerland on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for this month, and thank President Amherd for presiding over this important meeting.
I am grateful to Secretary-General Guterres for his report and Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed for her presentation.
I also thank Executive Director Bahous for her briefing and commend her continued leadership in the empowerment and protection of women and girls around the world, and we listened carefully to this morning’s briefers.
Madam President,
Women and girls disproportionately bear the brunt of war – from conflict related sexual violence and increased vulnerability in forced displacement, to heightened risks of food and water insecurity and economic hardship.
This is more than a fact; it is a sobering reminder of the gendered impact of war.
Yet time and again, these same women and girls play an essential role in conflict resolution and post-conflict settings as agents of change, and enablers of peace.
We must all fully commit to leveraging the unique roles and perspectives women bring as peacebuilders in an ever-evolving environment.
In order to achieve this, the United Arab Emirates would like to offer three recommendations:
First, the Security Council must take greater initiative to increase its engagement with women and girls in conflict contexts.
For instance, Council field visits with a gender lens can be a powerful tool to do so.
Last year, the UAE and Switzerland, as co-chairs of the Informal Experts Group on Women, Peace and Security, organized a trip to South Sudan to understand the recommendations and needs of women and girls in the region and better inform this Council’s work.
Trips like these represent an important avenue for direct engagement between the multilateral system and women on the ground.
Second, we must ensure women’s safe participation in peace processes both offline and online.
Emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, offer a powerful tool for inclusive peacebuilding.
For example, it can facilitate engagement with women and girls in even the most remote locations.
To support this, we must ensure that women and girls are protected, safe, and secure from the threats of online intolerance, misinformation, hate speech, and gender discrimination.
An inclusive digital space, where women and girls are able to fully participate and utilize the opportunities provided by emerging technologies, will be of benefit to us all.
Third, if we are to durably resolve conflicts, we must commit to supporting women’s participation at the negotiating table.
This requires their inclusion in mediation efforts, humanitarian action, and the protection of civilians.
The international community must leverage its influence to drive and develop gender-responsive initiatives that integrate and promote the perspectives and needs of women and girls in conflict.
This is why the UAE is leading an initiative to amplify Sudanese women’s perspectives in the ALPS format – and ensure all its tracks are gender-responsive.
Madam President,
Each and every day, the catastrophic war on Gaza claims the lives of many women and girls.
We are losing a generation of peace makers.
We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire to extinguish the flames of this conflict which has already engulfed Lebanon and risks a further conflagration. We need a political horizon to navigate towards.
Any effort at achieving the two-state solution must include the participation of Palestinian and Israeli women.
Madam President,
With the 25th anniversary of resolution 1325 ahead of us, a course of inaction in untenable. It is time we engage women as the agents of peace that they are.
For an investment in the full, equal, and meaningful participation and inclusion of women and girls is an investment in our collective security, stability, and resilience.
Thank you, Madam President.