The following declaration was made by the members of the International Council of Women, at the 6-9 November 2023, participating in the ICW-CIF Executive Committee Meeting.
Declaration
ICW-CIF Executive Committee Meeting
Manila, 6-9 November 2023
We, the members of the International Council of Women, gathered here in Manila on 6-9 November 2023, participating in the ICW-CIF Executive Committee Meeting with the theme of “Women’s Empowerment: Peace and Sustainable Development,” are deeply concerned about the suffering and the high costs caused by armed conflicts and the violations of human rights of women and girls in the forms of gender and sexual violence, displacement, other harm, injury and death arising from the increasing conflict and unrest around the world. We, therefore, call for the cessation of all armed conflicts and the re-establishment of peace and security in the world.
Recalling ICW-CIF resolution on peace in Edinburgh 1938, “Collaboration between the Nations in Favour of Peace,” the Declaration at the Executive Meeting in Brussels 1946, and the Statement at the Executive Committee Meeting in Malta 2014, the ICW-CIF reaffirms its whole-hearted opposition to war as a means of settling international conflicts as well as its longstanding faith in the necessity for international collaboration through dialogue, mediation, and negotiation to arrive at peaceful solutions of the problems. We condemn the crimes committed against humanity and the dignity of the individual before, during and after war and look forward to the restoration of a just and durable peace.
ICW-CIF strongly advocates for the implementation of the three key pillars of UN Security Council Resolution 1325: participation, protection and prevention and emphasizes that it is the primary responsibility of each individual state to protect its populace and ensure their individual human rights while reiterating the significant function of the United Nations Security Council to maintain international peace and security. We call attention to the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and firmly believe that more active participation of women in governments, international organizations, and peace-building processes is beneficial to create sustainable peace.
The International Council of Women urges the Member States of the United Nations to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 2493, adopted on 29 October 2019, which reaffirms UN commitment to continuing and full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122, 2242 and 2467 on women, peace and security. The Council further encourages its members to advocate for and participate in peace processes so that women and women’s perspectives are represented in and contribute towards conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace negotiation and peace building efforts.
Manila, November 8th, 2023
Martine Marandel
ICW-CIF President