Thank you, Mr President,

and thank you to Greece for convening this debate, and to the briefers for their very substantial remarks and briefings

Germany aligns itself with the statement of the European Union.

Over twenty-five years ago, this chamber adopted resolution 1325, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and girls. And despite the progress that has been made since then, the SG’s latest report on Women, Peace and Security documents that we still have a long way to go in order to ensure women’s equal participation in peace processes.

What is more, there is a worrying backlash against the WPS agenda and gender equality more generally. This threatens hard-won gains for the empowerment of women and girls across the globe.

So at this juncture, we need to ask: how can we fulfil the promise of the WPS agenda? And I would like to make three points.

Firstly, we need to ensure that women are fully, equally and meaningfully participating in decision-making and in all stages of peace processes. The United Nations should make this a formal requirement for peace processes it leads or co-facilitates. Research shows that peace is more durable when women are adequately represented in peace processes led or co-led by the UN. And this would be in everybody’s best interest - because peace doesn’t work if half of the population is excluded. And excluding women makes peace less durable. You can see it in the numbers that we are not there yet. Across 57 negotiation processes in 2025, women accounted for 5 per cent of lead negotiators and 14 per cent of mediators. That is why Germany supports initiatives like the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund or the African Women Leaders' Network: To ensure that women are adequately represented where it matters. We urge the Council to make women's participation a standing element of its mandates and to hear women civil society briefers more regularly.

Secondly, the Secretary-General's latest report on conflict-related sexual violence shows that the number of verified cases is rising sharply: In conflict contexts, women and girls are disproportionately affected by displacement, conflict related sexual violence, food insecurity and the disruption of essential health and education services. It documents systematic sexual violence in different settings and highlights the need for the protection of women and girls in conflicts.

All of us need to do more to meet its targets. Germany is currently working on its fourth National Action Plan on WPS. The plan will also, among other things, reconfirm Germany's commitment regarding the fight against and prevention of conflict-related sexual violence. We have joined the UN Team of Experts’ CRSV Prosecution Network, which was launched recently

Finally, resources of course play a critical role to enable the WPS agenda. That is why Germany remains the largest bilateral donor to the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund. This week, we will sign an agreement to expand yet again financial support to the African Women Leaders’ Network , to provide the basis to promote the next generation of women leaders in for example in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, amongst other things.

Let me assure you in closin that Germany will continue to do what it can to fulfil the promise of resolution 1325.

I thank you.