NATO SECRETARY GENERAL SPEAKS AT GEORGETOWN The Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen was hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security on 19 March 2014. Below are some excerpts from his address, “Leading By Example: Women, Peace Security and NATO”, and his answers to questions, including on Afghanistan and Ukraine. The text of the full speech is also attached.
Advancing women in peace and security efforts “Armed conflicts often hit women and children harder than men. They lose access to basic services – to education and economic opportunities – and increasingly they are subjected to sexual violence. The harsh reality is that in many conflicts – in many conflict area today – it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier.” “It is vital that we continue to develop our understanding of how women are affected by conflict and how they can be a prominent part of their resolution. Not sometimes, but every time. And it is important for me to stress that we should not regard women only as victims, but first and foremost as assets.
On Afghanistan “NATO’s twenty years of experience in challenging missions and operations has shaped the way we view the role of women in peace and security. And none more so than our engagement in Afghanistan…Female experts, both military and civilian, continue to play an important part in our mission: to ensure that commanders at all levels take women’s perspectives into account, to provide additional lines of communications to local communities which are not open to male soldiers, to help build trust and confidence, and to alert commanders to the specific needs of women and girls, including for basic services, and for health and education. “ “We have also encouraged Afghan women to join the country’s military and police. Over 2,000 women are now part of the security force. That may not sound like many, but for a country like Afghanistan, it is a visible change for the better. Since 2001, the lives of millions of Afghan men, women, and children have improved. Life expectancy has gone up, maternal mortality has gone down, over three million girls now attend school from almost none under the Taliban, and women make up 27% of the members of the Parliament.” “My main message today is this: Play your full parts in building a better Afghanistan and play your full part in this year’s crucial elections as voters, candidates, observers. And in the forces that will secure the election, all Afghans now have the chance to decide their own future and develop their own country. It is an opportunity they must seize to preserve the gains that we have made together.”
“I am confident we will get a security agreement because a lot is at stake. It’s not only about security but, obviously, if we don’t get a security agreement in place, we cannot deploy training missions after 2014. So, if there’s no signature, there will be no troops. It is as easy as that. But, it goes beyond security because if we have no troops on the ground, I think it will be difficult to generate financial resources to sustain the Afghan security forces after 2014. We have built Afghan security forces to a level of Afghan government, so if they don’t get international financing, they can’t pay the salaries. That would be a very dangerous situation because it might, in the worst-case, lead to dissolution of the Afghan security forces and we would see the security situation deteriorate. I think the Afghans are very well aware of this and that’s why we have seen all presidential candidates express support for the security agreement. We also saw last November the Loya Jirga expressed a very clear view that they want the security agreement to be signed and we will be able to deploy a training mission from 1st January 2015.” “As regards to women’s rights, it is a matter of concern, but the Afghan government has committed itself to protect human rights, including women’s rights, and that pledge was delivered in several conference in Bonn, in Kabul, in Tokyo, and seen from the international community’s perspective, it is a mutual commitment. We have committed to support Afghanistan after 2014 also financially with development assistance. In exchange, we would expect the Afghan government to protect women’s rights, and to put it very bluntly, if women’s rights are put in danger in Afghanistan, I think it will be very, very difficult to generate financial resources in many countries to support the Afghan government.”
On Ukraine “Recent events in Ukraine have shown that we cannot take that security and stability for granted, and that we need to stand up for our values. We have seen Russia rip up the international rulebook, trying to redraw the map of Europe and creating, in just a few weeks, the most serious security crisis since the end of the Cold War. This sort of behavior goes against international norms, and it simply has no place in the 21st century. NATO allies stand with Ukraine. We stand by Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We stand by the right of every nation to decide its own future. And we will continue to support all constructive efforts for a peaceful solution in accordance with international law.”
Full Transcript of Remarks Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, I am very pleased to be back at this great academic institution, and I am deeply honored to receive this distinction. So, let me start by thanking President DeGioia, Melanne Verveer, and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. And I’m also very pleased that Ambassador Fulton is among us today. I still remember the Copenhagen Conference that Melanne Verveer mentioned.
I also want to salute the woman that has given her name to this award: Hillary Clinton. A powerful voice for peace, for democratic freedoms and for human rights. Hillary is an inspiration for us all. She challenges us all to show leadership on the vital issues of women, peace and security. She has consistently encouraged NATO to lead by example, and that’s exactly what we have done. It is of course a challenging task. Armed conflicts often hit women and children harder than men. They lose access to basic services – to education and economic opportunities – and increasingly they are subjected to sexual violence. The harsh reality is that in many conflicts – in many conflict area today – it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier. Many conflicts persist because peace talks break down, because agreements are ignored, and because parties find it easier to fight than to negotiate. Time and again, women find themselves marginalized in these processes, and they don’t get a chance to make their views known. But if women do not play an active part in making peace and in keeping peace, then the needs and interests of half of the world’s population are not taken into account. So it is vital that we continue to develop our understanding of how women are affected by conflict and how they can be a prominent part of their resolution. Not sometimes, but every time. And it is important for me to stress that we should not regard women only as victims, but first and foremost as assets. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted almost fourteen years ago. Since then we have made progress in ensuring that women are able to assume their rightful place in matters of peace and security, particularly at NATO. NATO’s twenty years of experience in challenging missions and operations has shaped the way we view the role of women in peace and security. And none more so than our engagement in Afghanistan where we have helped Afghan women and girls to exercise their rights. And increasingly, also to shape the future of their country. Female experts, both military and civilian, continue to play an important part in our mission: to ensure that commanders at all levels take women’s perspectives into account, to provide additional lines of communications to local communities which are not open to male soldiers, to help build trust and confidence, and to alert commanders to the specific needs of women and girls, including for basic services, and for health and education. Women in uniform lead patrols, they conduct security checks, and they provide medical care to the local populations as well as our own troops. They make a tremendous difference, and they demonstrate our commitment to the values we hold dear because customs, traditions, and social norms must be respected, perhaps even more importantly during conflict. We have also encouraged Afghan women to join the country’s military and police. Over 2,000 women are now part of the security force. That may not sound like many, but for a country like Afghanistan, it is a visible change for the better. Since 2001, the lives of millions of Afghan men, women, and children have improved. Life expectancy has gone up, maternal mortality has gone down, over three million girls now attend school from almost none under the Taliban, and women make up 27% of the members of the Parliament. This is more than in any other country in the region, and, in fact, it’s more than in some Western countries.
On my many trips to Afghanistan I have met many remarkable women. Women who are activists, entrepreneurs, or politicians. They are brave, they are ambitious. My main message today is this: Play your full parts in building a better Afghanistan and play your full part in this year’s crucial elections as voters, candidates, observers. And in the forces that will secure the election, all Afghans now have the chance to decide their own future and develop their own country. It is an opportunity they must seize to preserve the gains that we have made together. But, of course, NATO’s work to advance women’s roles in peace and security is not limited to crises and conflicts, nor should it be. We have also worked to hard to integrate the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 into our other activities. We now ensure that gender-related considerations are part of our military planning, as well as the education, training, and exercising of our forces. We work closely with the United Nations and other international organizations, and with over forty partner countries on five continents to share experiences and best practices, to learn from each other, and to make sure that we complement and reinforce each other’s efforts. Last but not least, more women, now than ever before, are actively shaping NATO policies and putting them into practice. For the first time in NATO’s history, I have appointed several women in senior positions at our headquarters in Brussels, and I will continue to push for women to take their rightful place in our alliance. Eighteen months ago, Mari Skåre, a senior diplomat from Norway, became my Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. Having someone like Mari in a dedicated, permanent position gives a face and a voice to this vital issue. Everyday, Mari makes sure that we keep women, peace and security high on the NATO agenda. Women are in key positions in NATO and taking key decisions. This was very clear to me last month when I chaired a meeting of alliance defense ministers. I was pleased to see a record number of women sitting around the table. A picture of them together captioned “Power women at NATO” went viral on Twitter – it didn’t get quite as many hits as the Oscar selfie – but it was a powerful image of how far we have come. Ladies and gentleman, for well over six decades, NATO has protected our shared security and our common values. By reaching out to our neighbors after the end of the Cold War, we worked tirelessly to advance the vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. And we have spread stability across the entire Euro-Atlantic region. But recent events in Ukraine have shown that we cannot take that security and stability for granted, and that we need to stand up for our values. We have seen Russia rip up the international rulebook, trying to redraw the map of Europe and creating, in just a few weeks, the most serious security crisis since the end of the Cold War. This sort of behavior goes against international norms, and it simply has no place in the 21st century. NATO allies stand with Ukraine. We stand by Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We stand by the right of every nation to decide its own future. And we will continue to support all constructive efforts for a peaceful solution in accordance with international law. In this crisis, as in any other, the link between North America and Europe is the foundation of our strength. This trans-Atlantic bond remains vital for both sides of the
Atlantic to deal with the serious challenges we face. That is why NATO matters for America and for Europe, because we are stronger within the alliance than we can ever be alone. In September, we will hold our next NATO summit in Wales in the United Kingdom. This is an important opportunity to take tough decisions in view of the long-term strategic implications of today’s crisis, and to shape an alliance that is fully fit to provide security for your generation, just as it has done for Hillary’s and mine. We will make clear that our commitment to the security of allies is unbreakable. We will take decisions about NATO’s operations and capabilities, what more we need to do to prepare for future security challenges, and to offer our partners around the world greater opportunities to consult, decide, and act with us so that we ensure that NATO remains an anchor of stability in an unpredictable world. But we will not forget that our greatest asset will always be our people – the courageous, hard-working, smart women and men in our civilian and military ranks. They embody our values and our way of life. They are the true strength of the world’s strongest alliance. We want to continue to inspire all those men and women, and we want to continue to inspire and call upon people like you. Georgetown has an excellent tradition of service. It is a renowned institution on international affairs, and it is a preeminent educator of our next generation of leaders. Young men and women from across this country and around the globe, young people who are hungry to shape their world, to make a difference, and to make the future better for all of us – I expect you will rise to the challenge.