Commitments made on September 25, 2010 (see here full statement)
Civil Society Engagement | Financial
- Looking ahead, I am pleased to announce two important steps the U.S. is taking to advance the goals of Resolution 1325. First, the United States will commit nearly $44 million to a set of initiatives designed to empower women. The largest portion, about 17 million, will support civil society groups that focus on women in Afghanistan. The women in Afghanistan are rightly worried that in the very legitimate search for peace their rights will be sacrificed. And I have personally stated, and I state again here in the Security Council, none of us can permit that to happen. No peace that sacrifices women’s rights is a peace we can afford to support.
- Fourteen million dollars will also go to nongovernmental organizations working to make clean water more available in conflict zones, because in these areas when women and girls go looking for water they are at higher risk of being attacked. Similarly, I had the honor of announcing the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves last month – another initiative that by our support can protect women who will not have to go out seeking firewood or other forms of fuel if we can revolutionize the way they’re able to cook food for their families.
Financial | UN Engagement
- Another 1.7 million will help fund UN activities, including Special Representative Wallstrom’s office, and 11 million will help expand literacy, job training, and maternal health services for refugee women and girls.
Policy
- In addition to this new funding, our second step will be to develop our own National Action Plan to accelerate the implementation of Resolution 1325 across our government and with our partners in civil society. And to measure progress on our plan, we will adopt the indicators laid out in the Secretary General’s report. We will measure whether women are effectively represented in the full range of peace-building and reconstruction efforts; whether they are protected against sexual violence; and whether they are the focus of conflict prevention, relief and reconciliation efforts. Measuring our progress will help ourselves be held accountable and identify those areas where we need to do more. Now, the National Action Plan and the new funding I’ve announced are two important steps, and we will pursue them with total commitment. But as several have already said: Action plans and funding are only steps toward a larger goal.
Commitments made on October 26, 2010 (see SC Open Debate).