Statement by H.E. Mr. Rytis Paulauskas, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the UN at the Security Council Open Debate on Promoting Conflict Prevention Empowering All Actors Including Women and Youth
Updated 2024-03-19
Statement by H.E. Mr. Rytis Paulauskas, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations at the Security Council Open Debate on Promoting Conflict Prevention Empowering All Actors Including Women and Youth on Tuesday, 19 March 2024.
Mr. President,
I thank you for organizing this meeting and welcome the briefers’ remarks.
In the current rapidly evolving global security environment, the processes governing peacebuilding and conflict prevention are marked by complexity, interconnection, and the necessity for comprehensive responses.
Our responses to instability and prevention efforts should be strengthened and initiated well ahead of conflict escalation. Such an approach needs to encompass early response to a spectrum of challenges that transcend borders and disciplines, and it demands a holistic reevaluation of our methods of conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
As noted in the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace, as part of the response, it is important to dismantle the patriarchal power structures. Inclusivity and participation must stand as pillars in this redefined approach.
We acknowledge the imperative of engaging diverse stakeholders, with a particular focus on the meaningful inclusion of women and youth not only in the peacebuilding processes but in the conflict prevention as well. The resolutions 1325 on Women Peace and Security and 2250 on Youth Peace and Security serves as clear guidance for that approach.
The key message from the UN Women Global study on 1325 resolution identifies that women’s engagement in peace processes often produces “a shift in dynamics, a broadening of the issues discussed –increasing the chances of community-buy in and addressing root causes.” It might also create “a greater pressure on the parties to reach an agreement or go back to the negotiating table when the talks had faltered.”
Regrettably today we are witness to conflicts where women and youth are particularly targeted. The brutal, unprovoked, and unjustified Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine causes unspeakable suffering for civilians, especially women and girls, and grossly violates international humanitarian law and principles and norms of human rights.
Nevertheless, in this war women have become an all-important force. We must recognize the important role and leadership of Ukrainian women for defending their country, as well as for their contribution to the long term transformative societal solutions, rehabilitation, and psychological healing of the society.
In conclusion, the imperative of women and youth inclusion in conflict prevention is not merely a moral or ethical obligation; it is a pragmatic necessity. By recognizing, empowering, and actively involving them, we fortify our collective pursuit of a more peaceful, just, and inclusive world.
Thank you.
