Events

9 Mar 2023

Belarus at UN Security Council: All conflicts should be resolved at the negotiating table

Irina Velichko. Photo courtesy of Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MINSK, 9 March (BelTA) - All conflicts should be resolved at the negotiating table, Head of the Multilateral Diplomacy Directorate of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Irina Velichko said at the open debate of the UN Security Council “Women, Peace, and Security: Towards the 25th anniversary of resolution 1325”, BelTA has learned.

“All conflicts should be resolved at the negotiating table. And women should occupy a decent niche in the peacemaking process and be more involved in post-conflict reconstruction. However, let us be honest. Is a woman always just a victim of conflict? Isn't a woman often a supporter of it?” Irina Velichko said.

According to her, in this context it is impossible not to address the issue of the use of illegal sanctions by individual states, which not only violate international law and undermine the efforts of the affected countries for sustainable social and economic development, but also have a negative impact on their initiators.

“It is precisely such destructive, voluntaristic sanctions that are actively lobbied by women. It is a paradoxical situation: some women pose a direct threat to global security, while others are their victims. It is worth reflecting on such a position,” the diplomat stressed.

According to the representative of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March marks the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness. The UN secretary general called on women, as the main educators of their families, to participate in the decision-making process on the implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs.

“We are confident that the more people get educated about disarmament issues, the fewer prerequisites there will be for an arms race, escalating tensions and unleashing conflict. And finally, we will all realize that there is no alternative to a San Francisco-inspired global security dialogue. Women also have a role in this process, which is creation and life harmony,” Irina Velichko said.