Qatar stresses importance of women's role in peace processes

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA

New York: From its position as an active and pioneering country in the peaceful settlement of conflicts and disputes, the State of Qatar has affirmed that women's participation in making, preserving, building and sustaining peace is vital and a prerequisite for the success of these endeavours.

This came in Qatar's statement addressed by Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations H E Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani to the UN Security Council Open Debate chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway H E Anniken Huitfeldt under the title“Women, Peace and Security — Protecting Participation: Addressing violence targeting women in peace and security processes.”

In the statement, the Permanent Representative stressed that Qatar believes in the importance of women's full participation in various political, economic and social fields, noting that it is embodied in its policies at the local and international levels, in addition to the importance of involving women in peace processes, the content of these processes should take into account the preservation of the rights of women and girls and the strengthening of their participation in society.

In cooperation with Finland, Colombia and a number of UN bodies and civil society organizations, Qatar will organise on Jan. 20 the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Process, which will be held virtually. It will focus on the participation of young women in peace processes, which would serve efforts to promote broad participation of women in peacemaking, she said. In the statement, she touched on Qatar's support for the peace process and the establishment of peace in Afghanistan. She pointed out that Qatar facilitated the participation of women in the peace talks hosted by Doha, and devoted special attention to preserving the gains made by the Afghan people, especially for the benefit of women.

Since August, Qatar's efforts have focused on supporting and highlighting the rights of women and girls and making the voices of Afghan women heard internationally, in coordination with international partners, such as the Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan, she noted.

Also, a large part of Qatar's pioneering efforts to evacuate Afghan and other citizens and host thousands of them in Doha have focused on evacuating women and girls at risk, in addition to striving for the continued operation of educational facilities, educating girls in Afghanistan, and facilitating UN humanitarian activities in Afghanistan to improve the humanitarian conditions of Afghans, especially Afghan women, she added.

The Permanent Representative said that enhancing women's participation in peace and security processes and opening the way for them to do so requires the provision of a safe and enabling environment, which cannot happen in light of the exposure of women participants in peace processes to killing and violence. Such violations are one of the worst forms of depriving women of their rights, she stressed, expressing regret that they occur constantly in many conflict situations and that this trend is on the rise, according to the recent report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security.

She stressed that these serious violations deserve condemnation in all their forms, wherever they occur and under any pretext, and they also require attention from the UN and the international community, and work on ways to address and prevent them.

Concluding her statement, the Permanent Representative reiterated that Qatar will continue to devote its efforts in cooperation with its partners from countries and international organisations to ensure the advancement of women's rights, protect their security and enhance their participation in all fields, especially in peace and security operations, since this is one of the factors for the success of these operations and thus is in the interest of everyone. 

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