Ambassador Kelly Craft
Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
October 30, 2020
AS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
No nation is more committed to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda than the United States. We were the first nation to enshrine the objectives in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in our national legislation and develop a whole-of-government effort to measure progress and maintain accountability across our domestic and global implementation.
President Trump has an unmatched record of action in support of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, and understands that societies that empower women are more stable, peaceful, and prosperous both economically and politically.
By abstaining on the Russian Federation’s draft resolution, the United States and nine of our fellow Council Members are taking a firm stand to protect this critical agenda from attack by the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.
As written by Russia, with contributions from China, this draft resolution was designed to undermine and reverse the progress of the past 20 years, in a blatant misuse of the UN Security Council to advance their singular agendas. It is evident that our Russian and Chinese colleagues do not support the Women, Peace, and Security agenda as defined by Resolution 1325, and do not believe women should be fully empowered to prevent conflict, or sit at the table to pursue peace and reconciliation.
As the voting results reveal, many other Council members share our concerns. The Russian draft resolution would have diluted longstanding UN commitments to women and weakened consensus about the role of women in conflict situations. These efforts are disrespectful to women on the front lines of peace and security issues today, and a threat to those who might follow.
The United States will never support such an action. Along with our partners, we will continue to defend the aspirations and objectives enshrined in Resolution 1325 against attacks aimed at undermining them, celebrate the 20th anniversary of this landmark achievement, and safeguard its purpose.
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