10th Anniversary of the United Nations Resolution on Women, Peace and Security: Olivier Chastel outlines the vision of the European Union
Olivier Chastel, State Secretary for European Affairs, spoke on behalf of High Representative Cathy Ashton, in the context of the 10th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
The State Secretary reminded listeners of the European commitment to the implementation of this resolution. "Today we have a solid EU policy on women, peace and security, covering all aspects of EU External Relations, from crisis management to humanitarian assistance and development cooperation," Olivier Chastel said on behalf of Cathy Ashton.
Concrete achievements include the sharing of best practices between experts from EU institutions and Member States, but also a series of programs such as funding medical services for victims of sexual violence, etcetera. Over less than two years, this program has provided funding for projects in 67 countries, for a total of over 300 million euros. In addition, the EU has advisers or contact points for gender issues in all thirteen missions for the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP), as well as gender issue contact points in more than eighty EU delegations. Finally, the EU is working closely with civil society to promote women’s participation in the field of peace and security.
Within the framework of this 10th anniversary, the Belgian Presidency has organised three events at ministerial level, at high level and at expert level in Brussels, New York and Geneva to raise awareness and make recommendations. "The EU is arguing strongly for the strengthening of international monitoring of UNSCR 1325, in particular by highlighting the set of indicators developed by the Secretary-General. The EU is now calling for the swift implementation and operationalisation of these indicators," Olivier Chastel concluded.
