On April 11, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Security Council Open Debate dedicated to the theme, “United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Women in Peacekeeping.”

In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that the UN Security Council committed itself in 2000 to increase the representation of women in peace processes, protect them from violence during armed conflict and facilitate their participation of agents of change in peace work on the ground. He said that women bring courage, professionalism, responsibility and a special sensitivity to peace operations and also play an essential role in rebuilding trust and facilitating reconciliation at local levels and in emerging democratic and legal processes. Their participation at every stage of the peace process, he said, is necessary and invaluable. He added that female leadership is often found in faith-based communities, which have a large and lasting role in peace work and should be further harnessed particularly in regions where religion has been manipulated to incite division. He finished by thanking all peacekeepers, women and men, and urged continued inclusion of women in the peace and security agenda.

The statement can be found here.