抖淫视频

Speech by Ambassador Richard Arbeiter at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Women in Peacekeeping

April 11, 2019, New York City

Mister President, allow me to make a few additional remarks about women in peace operations, in a national capacity.

Thank you for Germany’s initiative in convening this important conversation on women in peacekeeping under the auspices of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

I would like to thank the Secretary General, Major General Lund and Ms. Merekaje for their valuable interventions.

As we have heard today, women’s meaningful participation in UN peace operations is more than simply a nice-to-have; it is, quite frankly, a must-have.

That statement is not controversial. Nor is it new. It has been uttered by many member states, by the SG, by USGs, by civil society representatives and by commanders in the field.

It’s a point of consensus, which Canada of course welcomes.

That consensus has yet, however, to translate into operational change. The dial has not moved. Numbers are nowhere near where they should be. Something isn’t working.

Elsie Initiative

Most on this Council and in the General Assembly agree that progress on this agenda has been scant, slow and insufficient.

Canada’s Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations seeks to change that.

Its concept and design are informed by the views of women peacekeepers themselves.

Alongside our partners, we started by listening to women peacekeepers about their experiences before, during and after deployment.

We heard directly from them about the significant structural barriers they continue to face.

These include: a lack of opportunity for training, a lack of mentors and support networks, inadequate accommodations, facilities and equipment in the field, a lack of information about deployment opportunities, and a lack of leadership.

We also heard about their experience of being subjected daily to unwanted touching, advances, and offensive remarks, and the impact that had on themselves and their missions. They questioned whether to report such incidents, and if so, to what end? That this is continuing is of course very disheartening, but can and must be addressed.

What we heard was anecdotal, but accurate. We are keen to continue listening.

For this reason, Canada and Norway are funding the creation of a Barrier Assessment Methodology to gather the kind of empirical evidence that can help to sharpen our understanding of the systemic barriers confronting women peacekeepers.

The Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also working alongside our bilateral partners in the Elsie Initiative, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Zambia Police Service, to use these Barrier Assessments to find ways to address the structural barriers that exist in our own systems.

Our intent is to share what we learn with all of you, and to encourage others to undertake similar efforts.

But we realize that doing so may not be easy, and that some member states may need support.

In this context, we congratulate UN Women for launching the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations on the eve of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting.

The Elsie Fund offers an innovative approach by financially incentivizing the increased deployment of trained and qualified women. This includes premiums for the deployment of Gender Strong Units.

Canada has already provided $15 million to the Fund. We welcome the additional contributions recently announced by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Finland.

We encourage all Member States to consider applying for funding to support their domestic efforts or, alternatively, to consider providing contributions to the Fund.

I would also like to commend Germany’s leadership in establishing a network for women peacekeepers. We have heard from many Canadian and other women peacekeepers about the value of such a network. We look forward to working with Germany and other stakeholders on this in relation to the Elsie Initiative.

The importance of networking was also raised repeatedly at the Peacekeeping Ministerial Preparatory Meeting on Women, Peace and Security that Ethiopia and Canada co-hosted in Addis Ababa this past January.

With women and men from over 60 countries participating, the gathering exemplified the diversity that can improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping missions.

I myself was there and learned tremendously from the women peacekeepers, civil society leaders, academics and diplomats who shared their personal experiences.

Their message was clear: women are agents of change and partners for missions, they are mobilizers, and have deep connections to local communities.

They also said, quite clearly, that leaders should be held accountable for being inclusive.

Inclusion is easier said than done. It is a choice in how we act. That choice extends to how UN operations are designed, resourced, staffed, and evaluated.

This Council has that choice too. It can demonstrate that it is listening in how it formulates mission mandates, from inception to drawdown and beyond.

Canada is strongly committed to working with the UN on practical ways to overcome the barriers facing women peacekeepers.

We are convinced we can achieve these goals by continuing to listen, and continuing to act.

If elected for the 2021-22 term on the UN Security Council, Canada will bring this approach and commitment to our work on the Council.

We need to encourage and push each other, and the UN. It will be challenging, but everyone benefits from more inclusive UN peace operations. It is only when we work together that we can make this a reality.

Ambassador Richard Arbeiter,
Deputy Permanent Representative,
Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN