Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield U.S. Representative to the United Nations New York, New York November 7, 2022 AS DELIVERED Thank you very much, and hello everyone. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is for me to be here with Foreign Minister Xhaçka hosting this panel. To be here in Albania with all of you, it really is an honor. I’ve been looking forward to this conversation all day, because while there are a lot of issues we care about, the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda is one that is closest to my heart. Women, Peace, and Security offers – the Agenda offers a vision of a world where women and girls are protected, included, and play an essential role for forging peace. Our charge is to make this vision a reality, especially at a moment when armed conflicts are having a disproportionate impact on women and girls all around the world. In Ethiopia, human rights experts have determined that warring parties have committed acts of rape and sexual violence against women and girls. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has instituted archaic restrictions on women’s education, employment, and movement. And, of course, right next door in Ukraine, we have watched the horrors of Russian forces committing atrocities against women and girls. The UN has verified more than 100 cases of rape and sexual assault since Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine. Make no mistake: This is a military strategy. It’s a military tool. Russian forces are using rape as a weapon of war. There must be accountability for all perpetrators of crimes against women and girls. Any sustainable peace requires justice for the victims. But despite these real and grave challenges, I always try to remind my colleagues at the UN that women are not passive victims. They are survivors. They are courageous. They are consistently in the front lines of advancing peace and justice. And all we need to look at is what’s happening in Iran, where women are boldly standing up to a repressive regime that has long …
Source: MyPR International