The United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, Tuesday told a Caribbean woman, peace and security conference that matters of security have long been viewed through a military-centric and traditionally male lens.
“Historically, while their contributions may have been largely unrecognized, women have always been critical in all security issues and across all sectors, playing key roles in conflict, as combatants and non-combatants, and creating the conditions for enduring peace, protection, and prevention of conflict,” she told the opening of the two-day conference.
She told the participants from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and partner nations across the Caribbean that for flexible, responsive, and agile security forces to succeed, women and diverse members of communities must be significantly and meaningfully included.
“For example, at the U.S. Embassy right here in Georgetown, many of our local guards are brave and accomplished women, keeping our staff and facilities safe on a daily basis.”
The U.S. diplomat said the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had reminded everyone that national security threats extend far beyond the battlefield.
“Also, over the past few years, forcible displacement due to conflict, humanitarian crises, persecution, and human rights violations has risen to over 82 million people. Never has a broader understanding of security and inclusive decision making been needed.”
She said the discussions this week will not only focus on gender integration requirements for security and military forces, sexual harassment, and discrimination but also on the need for a gender perspective and mainstreaming within a larger context, such as disaster relief operations and migration.
“Women are often disproportionately impacted by disasters, and so their perspectives need to be heard,” she said, adding that the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda was created to better respond to these security challenges by being more inclusive and listening to more voices.
“This is so important considering these stark reminders from the United Nations Security Council 2021 Report on Women, Peace and Security (that) women represent only 23 percent of delegates in peace processes led or co-led by the United Nations (and) only five percent of military troops in peace operations are women”.
In addition, in the United States, according to Department of Defense statistics in 2021, the percentage of women active-duty service members was 21 percent in the Air Force; 15 percent in the Army; nine percent in the Marines; and 20 percent in the Navy.
But Lynch said there certainly has been progressing over the years, even as she acknowledged that “clearly more needs to be done to attract women to the military and promote them to positions of leadership.”
Sarah-Ann Lynch said through the passage of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, the United States became the first country in the world with a comprehensive law on WPS.
Washington also released the 2019 U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, which established an interagency approach with integrated metrics to measure progress.
The conference here is being attended by the Commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, as well as Ambassador Jean Manes, Deputy Civilian Commander of U.S. Southern Command.
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