Secretary Clinton and Women in Peace Building

On Tuesday, October 26th, Secretary of Sate Hillary Clinton joined UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and diplomats from many nations in saying  that the time was now for actions- not words- to end sexual violence in war and include women in decisions on making, keeping, and building peace.

The UN Secretary General warned that resolution 1325 will never be fully implemented until sexual violence ends in conflicts. Secretary Clinton claimed the only way to achieve the goals of resolution 1325 was to ensure that women participate themselves in all stages of the peace and decision making processes.

"No peace that sacrifices women’s rights is a peace we can afford to support," Secretary Clinton urged.

Since the overthrow of the Taliban by U.S.-led forces in 2001, the promotion of women’s rights in Afghanistan has generated much public debate. Some commentators have suggested that prolonged U.S. and NATO military occupation is needed to protect women’s gains.

Read all of Secretary Clinton's remarks here.