• Undersecretary Martha Delgado represented Mexico in a UN Security Council open debate on women, peace and security
  • The debate was convened by the United Arab Emirates to commemorate International Women's Day 

The Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Martha Delgado, represented Mexico in the UN Security Council open debate on women's economic inclusion and participation as a key to building peace, under the agenda item "Women and peace and security."  The debate was convened by the United Arab Emirates as UNSC president for the month of March to commemorate International Women's Day. 

In her remarks, Undersecretary Delgado called for addressing the urgent situation experienced by women and girls in times of war: “Mexico expresses its solidarity with all the women and girls in Ukraine, whose lives have been drastically affected in recent weeks due to the invasion by Russia. We are aware of the vulnerable situation of those who have been displaced from their homes and who have been forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries, and we are concerned about the risks they run of becoming victims of sexual and gender-based violence. We insist that any political dialogue must ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of Ukrainian women in decision-making."

The debate was moderated by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates, Mariam Almheiri. In addition to the remarks made by Undersecretary Delgado, it included presentations by the UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous; the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva; civil society representative, Moussokoro Couilbaly; the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defense of Ireland, Simon Coveney; and Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. representative to the UN.  The meeting was held to debate the importance of women's economic inclusion in public-private partnerships for conflict prevention and post-conflict recovery. 

Undersecretary Delgado reiterated that Mexico's priority is to take a comprehensive approach to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. This is based on the indivisibility and universality of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in all of their diversity, and is in line with Resolution 1325 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) and other international instruments. 

The debate focused on drawing attention to how international partners and public-private partnerships can play a positive role in conflict settings and create conditions for sustainable peace and security, in addition to mobilizing tangible support for the Women, Peace and Security agenda.  

Undersecretary Martha Delgado stressed that “all conflict prevention, peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts, in a global context of recovery from the pandemic, must ensure a gender approach in order to guarantee economic inclusion, reduce the gender gap and segregation in the labor market, and create decent jobs with access to comprehensive social protection systems, including sexual and reproductive health services, essential conditions for building sustainable peace.”

She highlighted the importance of private sector actions taken with a gender perspective, and she shared examples of what could be done: i) investment in existing financial mechanisms to support women's organizations and human rights defenders; ii) support for women peacebuilders from the most disadvantaged groups; iii) facilitating access of local women's organizations to digital technologies; and iv) promoting the participation of women's community cooperatives or women-led businesses in decision-making on issues related to the economic recovery and post-conflict reconstruction.

Lastly, she called for international solidarity in granting refuge to Ukrainian women and for women and girls from Afghanistan, as Mexico has notably done by receiving the robotics team, whose members gained visibility by designing ventilators from recycled car parts.

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