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United Nations’ Security Council debate on Women and Peace and Security

February 23, 2012 By

STATEMENT BY H.E. Dr. Zahir Tanin

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations   At the Security Council debate

on

Women and Peace and Security

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you for assuming the presidency this month and thank you for convening this important meeting. I also welcome the report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence that informs our discussion today and the helpful briefing of Ms. Wallström. The report and meeting are timely and necessary, as sexual violence remains a major threat in the lives of women, men and children, particularly in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Mr. President,

Central to today’s debate is the relationship between conflict and sexual violence. In order to better understand this connection, I wish to highlight three main elements:

First, the importance of the focus of the international community: with the end of World War II in 1945, and with the creation of the United Nations, humanity was saved from another World War, but it was not spared the effects of war and atrocities. Over twenty million people were killed in the 265 wars and conflicts from 1945 to 1990, and in the 186 wars and conflicts that erupted from 1990 to present.

In the 1990s, after the Cold War, we increasingly faced a new form of wars with a decrease in the number of inter-state conflicts, and an increase in the prevalence of intra-state tension and violent non-state actors, which brought new waves of atrocious horrors, including in my country, Afghanistan.

The atrocities emerging from the conflicts of the 1990s, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity raised a tenacious challenge for the international community and subsequently fuelled the prompt application of international laws and norms in response. The shift in focus of the international community was significant, as illustrated by the establishment of vital bodies such as the ICTR in 1994 and the office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict in 2010.

Second, the interconnectedness of sexual violence and other atrocities: while sexual violence is embedded within the definitions of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the international community should take a holistic approach to these atrocities, as they cannot be separated from one another. Furthermore, every atrocity is spawned from the all-encompassing destruction of society caused by war; we cannot truly stop atrocities such as sexual violence without ending the violence, wars and conflict, which breed them.

Third, the breakdown of cultural values: war is pervasive. It tears down common understandings of decency and respect for human rights. It kills morals. It breaks down social contracts. It erodes solidarity and trust. As I saw in my own country, war and conflict resulted in a corrupting prevalence of a militant-culture, countering the society’s values that were based on tolerance and respect. War and violence, during more than thirty years of conflict, led to not only a broken society and state, but also sometimes to the unsettling of cultural norms, and the moral tenet of society.

What emerged was, in fact, a militant anti-culture, caused by war. Crimes against Afghan people were committed, and human rights violations were extensive, especially violence against women. The war-culture is about disrespecting women, by using atrocities to achieve its aim, disregarding the traditional values in which women were respected as the centre of family and lifeblood of the society. We saw what had never before been seen in the history of Afghan women – a sequence of killing, maiming, and violence.

Mr. President,

As noted by the Secretary-General’s report, there is often a breakdown in the rule of law and the capacity of civilian and military justice systems to address widespread sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict countries. These fragile states are not only hindered by the weakness of rule of law or the physical destruction of homes and infrastructure, but the erosion of the very fabric of society. Tragically, Afghanistan is all too familiar with this scenario.

However, Mr. President, in the last ten years, after the fall of the Taliban, the Government of Afghanistan with the support of the international community has worked to put an end to violence in the country, essential for security and protecting rights of women, men and children.

Afghanistan has adopted the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law which has provided the government with stronger judicial means through which we can combat sexual violence more effectively. After its adoption, about 600 cases were opened by prosecutors throughout the country. That is real progress towards breaking the silence with regard to violence and sexual violence, and we are confident that in the years to come, our efforts will bear more results and women will be more safe and respected and will receive the justice they deserve.

The President of Afghanistan also established the Commission on Elimination of Sexual Abuse of Children and Women, which is comprised of the ministers of Interior Affairs and Justice, as well as a member of the Supreme Court.  This Commission advises relevant organisations on how to fight against women’s and children’s sexual abuse and encourages relevant reporting to the Commission.

The Government of Afghanistan is committed to restoring the integrity of Afghan women on the fundamental principal that there can be no democratisation, and no true promotion and protection of women’s rights without the participation of women. We believe that the provisions made for female political power in our constitution are helping to guide us towards achieving inclusivity and ensuring a real voice for women in the public discourse on Afghanistan’s future.

Mr. President,

Afghanistan acknowledges that the accomplishments we have outlined are only first steps towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment; the Afghan Government will therefore continue to dedicate itself to the elimination of sexual violence and to the advancement of women’s rights and empowerment. In that regard, the Government of Afghanistan welcomes SCR 1325, 1880 and 1889, which include the combat of sexual violence as a matter of peace and security.

Mr. President,

The international community has an essential role to play in supporting the ongoing efforts in conflict affected and post-conflict countries to end sexual violence and violence against women, combat impunity, and offer assistance to victims of sexual violence. But we not only need the support of the International Community, but its consciousness not to forget about the violence that affected the lives of women, men and children. We must work together to ensure that such atrocities will never happen again.

I thank you.

 

H.E. Zahir Tanin

February 8, 2012 By

H.E. Mr. Zahir Tanin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, and Vice President of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. at the UN Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People in Cairo.

A New Deal for Enhancing State-building and Governance in Fragile States:A Discussion organized by UNDP and International Peace Institute (IPI)

January 12, 2012 By

On January 12, 2012, over 40 senior-level policymakers from member states, think tanks, NGOs and other organizations participated in the event “Enhancing State-building and Governance in Fragile States: From Policy to Practice”, hosted by UNDPand the International Peace Institute (IPI). The event, focusing on a new approach or “New Deal” for helping fragile states transition to greater stability and prosperity, aimed to determine how this “New Deal” could be translated into real changes on the ground and invited the participants to add to this endeavor by sharing their experiences with state-building and highlighting the challenges they foresaw with regard to the New Deal.

The event opened with a welcome by IPI’s director of research, Mr. Francesco Mancini. The first session, entitled “The New Deal for Engagement with Fragile States,” was chaired by Mr. Jordan Ryan, Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and included remarks by H.E. Ambassador Tanin, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations as well as Dr. Sarah Cliffe, Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General of Civilian Capacities to the United Nations.

Ambassador Tanin began his remarks by recognizing the recent efforts of the g7+, a groupof 19 fragile and conflict affected states which aims to support the transition of fragilestates. The g7+ came together with donor countries and international organizations to form the “International Dialogue.” In Busan, South Korea on 30 November 2011, the Dialogue presented the vision of the New Deal, which has to date been endorsed by 32 countries and 5 organizations. Ambassador Tanin, hailing the g7+ as a “unified voice” for fragile states, focused on the emergence of its New Deal and the challenges that lie ahead.

The Ambassador argued that “the New Deal is an evolution of ideas, based on hard lessons learned” and that “the individual challenges and aspirations of many fragile and conflict-affected nations helped shape the elements of the New Deal and influenced its three pillars”. These pillars, consisting of the use of the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs) as a foundation, a focus on supporting inclusive country-led and country-owned transition out of fragility, and the establishment of trust by providing aid and managing resources more effectively, he said, will hopefully foster “inclusive political settlements, ensur[e] security, promot[e] justice, develop economic foundation and build capacity for accountable and fair service delivery”.

Still, the New Deal must face the challenges of the past since, as Ambassador Tanin suggests, it is “influenced by both the successes and failures of past stabilization efforts”. The creators of the New Deal were aware of this as they aimed to draft a plan that will make statebuilding and capacity building processes more devoted to the specific needs of a certain fragile state, hoping that this will lead to a more effective tackling of the challenges a country faces.

The Ambassador also emphasized that organizations must avoid the threat of dependency when helping fragile states to transition. For even though international assistance is crucial in terms of helping fragile states such as Afghanistan achieve stability, a preponderance of this aid can be counterproductive as it decreases the relative power of the national government. For this reason, any capacity-building and state-building process must, according to Ambassador Tanin, keep in mind the “needs of the transition”.

In conclusion, the Ambassador noted that the success of the fragile states “requires a constant commitment for a responsible national leadership by the fragile countries and an enduring partnership and honored promises by developing partners” and commended the members of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding for having committed themselves to this responsibility.