Intervention by Ambassador Maria Luisa Escorel de Moraes, the Ambassador of Brazil to the Kingdom of Sweden, designated Vice-Minister for Europe and North America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - March 7th, 2023

Brazil congratulates H.E. Minister Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovu and the presidency of Mozambique for providing us with this opportunity to reflect upon the Women, Peace and Security agenda towards the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325 (2000). We also thank the Executive Director of UN Women, Mrs. Sima Bahous; ICRC President, Mrs. Mirjana Egger and Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union for WPS, Mrs. Bineta Diop, and Ms. Leymah R. Gbowee for their presentations. It is always good to see in practice the increase in the number of women “briefers”, one of the concrete results of a process formally initiated with the adoption of Resolution 1325 (2000).

The advances brought about by the Women, Peace and Security agenda cannot and should not be underestimated. Today, it is widely recognized that women have an indispensable role to play in matters of international peace and security. Such an assumption can be considered, by some, as commonplace. It is, however, part of a gradual mindset shift engendered by WPS resolutions. If women were generally seen, along with children, solely as victims of conflict and in need of protection, they are now also finally seen as indispensable agents of peace, especially if the primary objective is sustainable peace. It is also clear now that gender equality is a driving force for peace within and among nations. 

Women contribute to building societies that are less susceptible to violence, more resilient and inclusive. They help promote community reconciliation, and lead successful pro-peace movements. But WPS resolutions have come to formally identify a serious flaw: women have not been given the same space and opportunity as men to act in favor of peace. That is the message behind the calls for full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict, that we often hear in this room. It does not suffice to have more women at peace negotiating tables or peacekeeping operations, for instance, if we do not ensure that their voices are heard, and their perspectives are taken into account. We must make sure that women’s views count, not only count the women.

Since 2000, WPS resolutions have also identified important protection gaps as they recognize women continue to face serious and multiple challenges in conflict situations. Sexual violence, against women and girls, but also men and boys, was, for instance, formally pointed out as a tactic of war in resolutions that call for the prevention, investigation, and punishment of such acts and emphasize the need for support and services for survivors. That has led to the inclusion of more specific protective measures in the mandates designed by this Council. However, as pointed out in the most recent of WPS Resolutions (2538/2020), the United Nations must step up their efforts to also protect women peacekeepers from sexual harassment and other security threats.

The list of normative contributions brought by WPS is long but the implementation gap is also wide. Brazil is proudly part of the group of Council members that has made WPS one of the priorities of their mandates in order to work for effective implementation. The Statement of Shared Commitments group has called for more women briefers, but also for more specific discussions of the Council on areas of concern. It has also used “stakeouts” to call for attention to country specific situations. We decided to join the Shared Commitments because we believe women´s perspectives should inform the Council´s decisions in all of the items under its agenda. 

The idea has always been - and we emphasize - to integrate women’s perspective into the daily practice of the Council and not to have those issues discussed in separate meetings attended only by women. This is why WPS resolutions call for more participation of women briefers, panelists and delegates in all of our meetings.

Madam President, 

Brazil will continue to advocate for the implementation of the WPS resolutions, not just in theory, but also in practice.  We need to guarantee the integration of gender-sensitive approaches in the design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of all UN programs and policies. This approach should be applied at all levels, from the Security Council to the country level.

We also need to find ways to increase funding and resources for women-led organizations and grassroots movements working on peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Women-led organizations often work in difficult conditions with limited resources and funding, as Mrs. Bahous has often recalled us here. Yet they play a pivotal role in peacebuilding efforts, so we should provide them with the necessary means and support to enhance the impact and sustainability of their actions. The Peacebuilding Commission has made efforts in this regard, which Brazil commends and supports.

We thank UN Women and other organizations that have thrived to collect and analyze sex-disaggregated data to ensure that we have a comprehensive understanding of how women are affected by conflict and peacebuilding efforts. This data can inform evidence-based policymaking and program design, helping to ensure that woman’s experiences and perspectives are fully integrated into our endeavors to achieve sustainable peace.

Before concluding, I would like to refer to the fact that the Brazilian government has recently recreated a Ministry for Women and has been working to substantially increase the number of women in government leadership positions. This is part of our general commitment to gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. As the annual open debate on WPS will happen during Brazil’s presidency next October, we intend to follow up on the discussions being held here today and focus on women as agents of peace: women mediators, in parliaments and the Judiciary, women diplomats, peacebuilders and peacekeepers. We need women in all those areas, and in decision-making positions, so that they can make a difference in how states handle defense and security matters. If we truly want “to give peace a chance”, women must be given a chance, too. That, in our view, is the true spirit behind WPS resolutions.