Statement to be delivered by Her Excellency Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations
on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
at the United Nations Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security Agenda

“Peace is decided with women: Emerging from conflict by enhancing their participation”

Madam President,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the fourteen Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  
We thank you for convening this important debate and for the opportunity to address this Council on the vital and enduring importance of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

Madam President, Excellencies
Twenty-six years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, the WPS agenda remains a landmark commitment. 
It affirms a simple but powerful truth that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of conflict prevention, resolution, and recovery. For small island developing states such as ours, peace and security are deeply intertwined with sustainable development, resilience, and inclusive governance. Women play a critical role across all these pillars.
The Secretary General’s 2025 report on Women, Peace and Security, indicates that progress remains deeply uneven and, in many contexts, is stagnating or reversing.  CARICOM laments the persistent institutional barriers to women’s participation in political and peace processes, continued high levels of conflict-related sexual violence, and the severe underfunding of women-led organizations. This is compounded by oppressive campaigns and harassment aimed at silencing women who choose public roles.

This Council has repeatedly affirmed that women’s participation is not only a fundamental right as espoused within United Nations Charter but is also critical to effectiveness. Evidence has consistently demonstrated that peace processes that include women are more likely to result in durable agreements. Women bring critical perspectives on community resilience, reconciliation, and inclusive governance, which serve strengthen the legitimacy and sustainability of peace efforts.
The responsibility for advancing the WPS agenda rests with all Member States and the United Nations system. Peacekeeping and political missions must integrate gender perspectives across their mandates. This Council must continue to ensure that WPS commitments are systematically reflected in its resolutions and decisions.  
To close the gap between commitment and implementation, CARICOM urges concrete, measurable action in four priority areas:

First, we must ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation and leadership of women at all stages of peace processes. This includes supporting women mediators, negotiators, and civil society leaders, and removing structural barriers to their engagement.
Second, we must strengthen protection efforts, including accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. Impunity remains widespread. Survivors must have access to justice, healthcare, and psychosocial support, and perpetrators must be held accountable.
Third, we must increase financing for the WPS agenda, including grassroots women’s organizations who have an essential role in prevention, response, and peacebuilding.
Fourth, we must address emerging and interconnected challenges, including climate-related insecurity, displacement, and the misuse of digital technologies. 
CARICOM remains steadfast in its belief that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without gender equality. The Women, Peace, and Security agenda must move beyond commitments to concrete action that delivers measurable change on the ground.
I thank you.