Statement by H.E. Ambassador ISHIKANE Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, 2020 Review of the Peacebuilding Architecture: Peacebuilding Commission consultation on full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding
2020/5/1
Mr. Chair,
At the outset, I would like to thank the PBC Chair, Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard of Canada for convening this meeting and moving forward the process of 2020 Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) review, despite the restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Also, I wish to extend my appreciation to Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women and other speakers for contributing to this important, once in five years exercise to make the UN system more effective in our efforts for building and sustaining peace.
The human security crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the most vulnerable communities around the world. As Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasized, women are hit by this crisis in many ways, including by a deplorable rise in domestic violence. Japan joined the statement of 136 UN Member States and Observers in support of the UN Secretary-General’s call on gender-based violence and COVID-19.
I would like to take this opportunity to share that on 30 April, the Japanese Diet approved the supplementary budget for additional package of measures to tackle COVID-19, which includes a contribution of 4.5 million US Dollars to UN Women. The funding will be applied to the four UN Women COVID-19 regional response projects in Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, East and Southern Africa, and Europe and Central Asia, starting in May 2020.
Mr. Chair,
Since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 twenty years ago, we have made significant progress in women’s participation in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. This gain must not be reversed in the face of COVID-19. The 2020 PBA review should provide us with the opportunity to consolidate the gain and make recommendations so that the PBA would further contribute to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
I would like to make two points in this regard.
Firstly, Japan believes thematic discussions within the PBC should be revitalized, including on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This could be done by establishing platforms for specific cross-cutting themes and by having in-depth discussion therein. Adoption of the PBC Gender Strategy in 2016 and assigning Member States as gender focal points constituted a significant step forward in this direction. Japan regrets that the focal point functions on all thematic issues including gender were discontinued in 2018, while there is undeniable need for the follow-up of the progress regarding the Gender Strategy.
Secondly, once the thematic platforms are set up, we will be able to capitalize on the PBC’s convening power to bring together various stakeholders, not limited to Member States, to share each other’s experiences, lessons learned and best practices on gender.
Japan supports the efforts to integrate gender perspective into peacebuilding in partnership with UN agencies such as UNDP, UN Women, and Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). In Sri Lanka, for example, Japan implements the G7’s WPS Partnership Initiative through UN Women by assisting the Sri Lankan government in developing its WPS National Action Plan, empowering women and promoting their participation in peacebuilding.
The protection of women under post-conflict situation is a precondition to their proactive contribution to peace. The UN presence on the ground must be a model in this regard. That is why Japan supports gender-related training of peacekeepers, for example, by contributing to the development of an e-learning course on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), which has become mandatory for newly-assigned peacekeepers. Japan co-organized with the UN in December 2018 a training session for women’s protection advisors to peace operations and also sends Self-Defense Forces staff to peacekeeping centers in Africa and Asia to conduct gender-related training.
Japan welcomes that the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is increasingly allocating its resources to gender-responsive projects, well above the UN system-wide target of 15% and at the top of all UN funds. Japan encourages the PBF to continue taking this leading role and share its experience and good practices not only within the UN system but also with the Member States, non-UN stakeholders and women peacebuilders on the ground. Thematic platforms could become the center of excellence by compiling and analyzing those first-hand experiences.
I thank you.
At the outset, I would like to thank the PBC Chair, Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard of Canada for convening this meeting and moving forward the process of 2020 Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) review, despite the restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Also, I wish to extend my appreciation to Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women and other speakers for contributing to this important, once in five years exercise to make the UN system more effective in our efforts for building and sustaining peace.
The human security crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the most vulnerable communities around the world. As Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasized, women are hit by this crisis in many ways, including by a deplorable rise in domestic violence. Japan joined the statement of 136 UN Member States and Observers in support of the UN Secretary-General’s call on gender-based violence and COVID-19.
I would like to take this opportunity to share that on 30 April, the Japanese Diet approved the supplementary budget for additional package of measures to tackle COVID-19, which includes a contribution of 4.5 million US Dollars to UN Women. The funding will be applied to the four UN Women COVID-19 regional response projects in Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, East and Southern Africa, and Europe and Central Asia, starting in May 2020.
Mr. Chair,
Since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 twenty years ago, we have made significant progress in women’s participation in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. This gain must not be reversed in the face of COVID-19. The 2020 PBA review should provide us with the opportunity to consolidate the gain and make recommendations so that the PBA would further contribute to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
I would like to make two points in this regard.
Firstly, Japan believes thematic discussions within the PBC should be revitalized, including on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This could be done by establishing platforms for specific cross-cutting themes and by having in-depth discussion therein. Adoption of the PBC Gender Strategy in 2016 and assigning Member States as gender focal points constituted a significant step forward in this direction. Japan regrets that the focal point functions on all thematic issues including gender were discontinued in 2018, while there is undeniable need for the follow-up of the progress regarding the Gender Strategy.
Secondly, once the thematic platforms are set up, we will be able to capitalize on the PBC’s convening power to bring together various stakeholders, not limited to Member States, to share each other’s experiences, lessons learned and best practices on gender.
Japan supports the efforts to integrate gender perspective into peacebuilding in partnership with UN agencies such as UNDP, UN Women, and Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). In Sri Lanka, for example, Japan implements the G7’s WPS Partnership Initiative through UN Women by assisting the Sri Lankan government in developing its WPS National Action Plan, empowering women and promoting their participation in peacebuilding.
The protection of women under post-conflict situation is a precondition to their proactive contribution to peace. The UN presence on the ground must be a model in this regard. That is why Japan supports gender-related training of peacekeepers, for example, by contributing to the development of an e-learning course on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), which has become mandatory for newly-assigned peacekeepers. Japan co-organized with the UN in December 2018 a training session for women’s protection advisors to peace operations and also sends Self-Defense Forces staff to peacekeeping centers in Africa and Asia to conduct gender-related training.
Japan welcomes that the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is increasingly allocating its resources to gender-responsive projects, well above the UN system-wide target of 15% and at the top of all UN funds. Japan encourages the PBF to continue taking this leading role and share its experience and good practices not only within the UN system but also with the Member States, non-UN stakeholders and women peacebuilders on the ground. Thematic platforms could become the center of excellence by compiling and analyzing those first-hand experiences.
I thank you.