Supported by the University for Peace (UPEACE), an international academic institution established by the UN, and more than 50 countries, the "joint declaration on women, peace and diplomacy", presented on Wednesday in the framework of the 48th session of the UNHRC, reaffirms the fundamental role of women in peace processes and conflict prevention, and calls on all States to make a firm commitment to ensure the involvement of women in preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding.
"The initiative is part of the will and the need to work collectively and actively for peace and security building, placing women at the heart of the action for the consolidation of peace and conflict resolution, "said on this occasion, permanent representative of Morocco to the United Nations in Geneva, ambassador Omar Zniber.
For his part, ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, Bahrain's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, stressed that the joint declaration conveys an important message of peace in line with the deeply rooted values of Bahraini society.
Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, permanent representative of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva, said that "this joint declaration is the first formal initiative in the framework of multilateral action" between Israel, Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, while welcoming the fact that the important issue of women in peace processes is at the center of this declaration, which "testifies to the new dynamic that we want to promote in our region and beyond".
Ambassador Ahmed Aljarman, permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates highlighted the content of this declaration, emphasizing the considerable progress made by his country on the issues of women, peace and security.
Ambassador David Fernandez Puyana, permanent observer of the University for Peace (UPEACE), noted that this innovative interregional initiative is consistent with the objectives of UPEACE, which works to "promote among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to contribute to reducing obstacles and threats to peace and progress in the world, in accordance with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations”.