Security Council to debate rule of law and women's role in peace - President
Justice, the rule of law and the role of women in post-conflict peacebuilding will be the subject of two Security Council meetings this month, the President of the 15-member body said today.
Wednesday's open debate on justice and the rule of law will essentially be "part two" of what the United Kingdom presidency did in September 2003 on that topic, UK Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, whose delegation presides over the Council for the month of October, told a press briefing.
In addition, in light of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report in August, it was time for the Council and the wider membership to see where things stood on the rule of law, he added.
On 28 October, the Council will hold an open debate on women, peace and security, the fourth anniversary of resolution 1325, which had set out very clearly women's role in ending conflict, Ambassador Jones Parry said. It was also one of the first times the Council had recognized the extreme and disproportionate suffering of women during conflict.
On Sudan, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Jan Pronk, will brief the Council tomorrow. He will address not only what is happening in Darfur but also in Naivasha, Kenya, given the general agreement that the Naivasha process - which concerns the separate conflict between the Government and rebels in the country's south - is central to finding a political solution in Darfur.
The Council will also discuss an updated account of the humanitarian situation and the problems on the ground in Sudan and, in particular, how the resolution adopted last month on the issue is being put into place, he added.
Concerning terrorism, the Russian Federation's Ambassador Andrey I. Denisov explained today the current version of the terrorism resolution, which had been issued on Friday evening and was being discussed in the capitals, the Council President said.
On the basis of what he heard this morning, it is clear that there is a strong view in the Council that the resolution should be adopted, but one or two delegations sought different language, Mr. Jones Parry said. He had asked Mr. Denisov to consider what he had heard and to consult especially closely with those countries that were less positive than the others, and in that light, to decide when the draft should be formally put to a vote in the Council.
Video of press briefing [19mins]