HAMILTON, Canada
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that women around the world are facing “troubling trends” of violence, conflict and exclusion, with the number of women living near deadly conflicts reaching the highest level in decades.
“Last year, 676 million women lived within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict events, the highest number in decades,” Guterres said in remarks to the UN Security Council at the annual open debate on Women, Peace and Security.
He said sexual violence against girls surged “with documented incidents against girls rising by 35%,” and in some places, “girls accounted for nearly half of all victims.”
Guterres emphasized that despite years of progress, global gains for women’s participation in peace and security are “fragile and, very worryingly, going in reverse.”
“In Afghanistan, the systematic erasure of women and girls from public life is in overdrive, with appalling restrictions in accessing education, employment, healthcare and justice, and surges in sexual violence and maternal mortality,” he said.
He further noted that in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar and beyond, women and girls face grave risks and horrific levels of violence,” as women’s organizations that support them “are being starved of resources.”
The UN chief called on member states to accelerate their commitments under the Women, Peace and Security agenda as pledged in the Pact for the Future.
“Now is the time for Member States to speed up commitments on women, peace and security,” he urged.
Outlining several steps to strengthen women’s role in peacebuilding, Guterres emphasized the need to prioritize five areas: funding, participation, accountability, protection, and anchoring commitments in national laws, policies, planning, budgets, and programs.
Guterres also stressed that “the women, peace and security agenda must deliver measurable change.”
“More women shaping peace agreements, security reforms and recovery plans. Resolution 1325 is clear: Women are leaders of peace for all. The world does not need more reminders of that truth; it needs more results that reflect it, he added.
