New York: Qatar has stressed the need to devote humanitarian and legal protection for women and girls affected by armed conflicts.
The state also stressed the importance of giving priority to the application of international law to protect women during armed conflicts, expressing concern over the continuing and emerging patterns of violence against women and girls during and after armed conflict.
This came in a statement delivered by Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, during an open discussion of the Security Council on ‘Displaced women and girls: Leaders and survivors’, in connection with the agenda item ‘Women and peace and security’.
Sheikha Alia said the attention given to the issue of women, peace and security by the council and the international community since the adoption of Resolution No. 1325 in 2000, had helped shed light on the larger impact of conflicts on women and girls, and the role of women in resolving conflicts, building consensus and creating opportunities for the consolidation of stability, democracy, prosperity, reconciliation and post-conflict peace-building.
She said a review of the implementation of the resolution next year would be an important opportunity to highlight good practices and address challenges and concerns, especially that women and girls form the vast majority of those affected by armed conflicts, including refugees and internally displaced women. She said the majority of the refugees were women and children as a result of conflicts and terrorism which will increase all forms of discrimination, violence and human rights violations against them.
She said Qatar commends the joint mechanism between the United Nations Commission for Women and the Justice Rapid Response initiative with regard to sexual and gender-based crimes, and the support for the international community to achieve justice and accountability for violent crimes in conflict situations.
Sheikha Alia expressed regret that in different regions of the world, particularly in the Arab world, displacement is a major problem as a result of conflicts and terrorism.
QNA
