One year after adopting its first resolution promoting an increased role for women in peacemaking, the United Nations Security Council today reaffirmed its strong support for boosting women's contributions to conflict prevention and resolution.
The contribution of women has been shown to be an important factor in building peace in war-torn areas, but female voices will go unheard without efforts by the international community and warring parties to include them in peace processes, members of the United Nations Security Council were told during a meeting today with representatives from women's organizations.
Female staff members have made slight headway in some areas of the United Nations system over the past year - for the first time accounting for 40 per cent of positions subject to geographical distribution - but are still lagging behind men in such fields as peacekeeping, according to the latest report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the status of women in the UN system.
A senior United Nations official today urged policy makers meeting in Brussels to ensure that women's concerns are taken into account in national budgets.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has announced that it will give $1 million in grants this year for programmes to end violence against women in 21 countries.
