Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at panel discussion on "A Transformative Approach to Transitional Justice: Building a Sustainable Peace For All" [as delivered]

Thank you for this opportunity to speak about an issue that demands international attention – namely the need to adopt a transformative approach to transitional justice, with a special emphasis on the effects of such an approach on women.

In the wake of conflict, women have an essential role to play in building stability and prosperity. Transitional justice needs to take into account the opinions, needs and rights of women if we are to address the full range of wrongs experienced by them.

I am grateful to the organizers of this important event: the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates, in association with UN Women and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.

We meet at the start of a potentially historic year.

2015 marks two decades since the landmark Beijing Platform for Action was adopted. That roadmap to gender equality still guides us today.

2015 is also the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals. This largest anti-poverty campaign – ever – rightly put women’s rights and empowerment at the heart of human progress.

We are now elaborating a new universal agenda for sustainable development. We already have widespread agreement that women’s rights and empowerment remain critical to success.

The United Nations is also conducting major reviews this year that will have an impact on the agenda on women, peace and security. The Secretary-General has convened experts from around the world to examine our approaches to peace operations. A similar review is under way for peace-building. And the Security Council will review the implementation of its resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Fifteen years ago, that resolution presented a simple but fundamental concept: peace is inextricably linked to equality between men and women.

Since then, the Security Council has adopted six resolutions to strengthen the interrelationship between gender equality and international peace and security.

Overwhelming evidence confirms that respect for women’s rights promotes peace and sustainable development.

This is especially true in conflict-ridden societies where wounds and feelings are raw. During and, not least, after conflicts we must ensure that the voices of women are heard.

To achieve true reconciliation, we must have justice. And we must have it as soon as possible. So even when institutions are not fully established and communities are not yet rebuilt, we must push for transitional justice as a bridge to a stable future.

This can take many forms:

? Institutional or legislative reforms that offer a vehicle to restore hope and trust;

? Prosecutions that provide accountability for crimes and justice to victims;

? Truth Commissions which validate the facts; and

? Reparations that redress grievances.

The UN uses all of these mechanisms to nurture the rule of law in the aftermath and in the ashes of war.

Let us recall that we have seen progress since the adoption of resolution 1325.

International courts and tribunals now routinely investigate sexual and gender-based violence.

I am also proud to note that every single UN-supported Commission of Inquiry established since 2009 has included a gender advisor to back the investigation of sexual and gender-based crimes.

Truth commissions increasingly ensure the equitable representation of women. They specifically identify sexual and gender-based crimes for investigation.

Further, there has been a welcome increase in the percentage of women participating in transitional justice mechanisms. And more women are receiving reparations. I also am glad to note that the Secretary General's Guidance Note on Reparations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence is seen as a critical milestone in addressing sexual violence.

But, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are not here today to look back. We have to take a hard look at the present and prepare to do much better in the future.

I must admit, on a personal note, that I have been mediating in 6 conflicts and have never seen a woman on the other side of the table. This must change.

Women in societies emerging from conflict still face dangerous insecurity. In some cases, they are even more vulnerable to violence after the end of fighting.

We hear countless stories of women who are forced to “marry”, very much in quotation marks, their abductors and rapists. And millions of women displaced by conflict cannot claim land or access to productive resources.

So if I have one message to you today it is this:

We have to do more than strengthen the gender balance in transitional justice mechanisms. We must address the root causes of inequality. We come back to that all the time.

Our aim should be justice that is not merely transitional, but transformative.

The kind of justice we need addresses the context that makes discrimination possible. It covers all violations of women’s rights during conflict. And it promotes women’s full participation in all institutions.

For reparations to be transformative, they have to go beyond monetary compensation. Land restitution is important, coupled with access to credit and skills development.

Transformative justice requires broader institutional reforms that dismantle the structures that allowed abuses in the first place. Societies should enact legal frameworks to address all forms of violence and promote gender equality. They should include more women at all levels in government, courts and police departments.

We should have very high ambitions and match them with appropriate resources to turn promises into results.

The Secretary-General’s Seven-Point Action Plan on Gender Responsive Peace-building has set a clear target: at least 15 percent of peacebuilding funds should directly address gender equality.

This to me is a minimum. We must be committed to achieving it. But we need broad and solid support in order to succeed and to increase that percentage.

I call on all concerned – starting with the parties to conflicts, authorities with influence and partners in peace – to ensure that women have an equitable say in rebuilding societies and shaping a common future.

Let us recognize that gender equality generates the power to move from justice that is transitional to justice that is transformative.

As we go forward in this year of significant milestones for the UN and the world, let us do our utmost to realize this vision.

Thank you.

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