Sen. Inyumba addresses UN Security Council

KIGALI - Senator Aloysia Inyumba reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to United Nations Resolution 1325 which aims to promote women’s roles and rights in relation to peace and security. The Senator was addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) in New York during a high-level meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of Resolution 1325. Her address coincided with the launch in Kigali, of a high-Level international Conference on the Role of Security Organs in Ending Violence against Women and Girls. “My government remains firmly committed and will continue to play its role at the national, sub-regional, regional and global level towards the full implementation of Resolution 1325, including continuation of support to the Women’s Forum of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR),” she told the UNSC. “We call upon the UN Agencies and other international stakeholders to support us, with a view to fully implementing the Rwanda Action Plan, hence to achieve our common goal of ending, once and for all, Gender-Based Violence and ensuring that women acquire an important role and position in all decisions relating to peace and security.” The meeting had an open debate on “Women and Peace and Security” and was attended by high-level members of UNSC and the UN. Sen. Inyumba took time to highlight the main components of the Rwanda National Action Plan for 2009-2012, launched in May, to implement Resolution 1325. She told the gathering that the Action Plan’s development started with a baseline study which highlighted tremendous contribution by Rwandan women in peace, security, justice and reconciliation since the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. “Sexual violence against women and girls is considered by the Rwanda Defence Forces as a key component of the security threat in all its deployments,” she said, adding that, in this respect, the Gender Desk at RDF headquarters devises training programs with support from UNIFEM and other UN Agencies to raise awareness of GBV. She informed the UNSC that awareness and training on responding to GBV and Violence against Women has now been mainstreamed into the curriculum of all Rwandan Military Schools and Training Institutions and is integral to the preparation of all RDF battalions preparing for peacekeeping missions abroad. “The participation of Rwandan police women in peacekeeping missions in the Sudan has further ensured that they raise awareness among the population in support of their missions.” Last week, 90 Rwandan female police officers were deployed to Sudan as advisors on GBV in Darfur. Resolution 1325 aims at protecting women and girls during and after armed conflicts, and to fully involve women in conflict prevention, management and resolution, peace building and reconciliation. It was adopted by the UN on October 31, 2000. Ends