Statement

Prime Minister
Minister of Culture
Chairperson
Excellences - ladies and gentlemen

It is truly an honor for me to address this distinguished group gathered here in the great city of Skopje to discuss such important topics as: Freedom and Dignity.

I believe that these values lie in the heart and soul of us as human beings.

I expect that this conference will allow us to explore these values from different perspectives and remind us of our obligations as individuals and as members of societies to respect each other and to promote peace and security for all.

I am very appreciative to Minister of Culture Kancheska-Milevska for inviting me and allowing me to share my perspectives and talk about how these values are embedded in the NATO’s fundament. 

NATO’s overall purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means, but the Alliance is not defined by the threats we face, the Alliance is defined by the values we share. We are united by the principles of individual liberty, democracy, human rights and rule of law.

We do not have individual liberty if women cannot decide for ourselves, we do not have democracy if women cannot participate, we do not respect human rights if women’s rights are not respected and there is no rule of law if women do not have access to justice.

Allow me to address briefly UNSCR 1325 on women, peace and security adopted in 2000. The adoption of this resolution represented a significant development as it placed the issue of women’s rights, role and situation at the international agenda on peace and security. Since 2000 it has been followed by four other resolutions and together these resolutions form a rather strong policy basis for the work on women, peace and security.

There are two main messages embedded in these resolutions that are particularly important: 1) how conflicts affect women and 2) women as a resource.

1. War comes with very high costs and conflicts have devastating consequences for civilians. Due to the social structures in many societies, women and children are often harder hit and often lose access to basic services, education and economic opportunities. We see in conflicts also sexual violence used as a weapon of war.
2. However, it is important to understand that women are not only victims; they represent an under-utilized resource. If our intellect, abilities, competences and experiences are not included in prevention and resolution of conflicts, we miss out opportunities to resolve the problems. We cannot afford not to include women. This is not simply a question of what benefits women, but of what benefits the whole society - men and women, boys and girls.

NATO’s contributions to the implementation of the resolutions on women, peace and security have emerged from our consultations with partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and operational partners in Kosovo and Afghanistan. By working together with partner countries and other international organizations, we want to prevent armed conflicts. A secure future can only come through cooperation, cooperation within communities and cooperation among countries.

At the political level and within the context of our cooperative security, NATO is actively encouraging all its partners to adopt specific goals related to the promotion of women, peace and security in the various partnership programmes they develop with our Organization. I am very pleased to share that this Government is committed to strengthen its collaboration with NATO on women, peace and security. Our overall aim is to raise awareness on gender and to work towards greater female participation in the areas of defence and security.

When assisting in crisis management, NATO and its Operational Partners in both Kosovo and Afghanistan have demonstrated commitment to promoting the important role that women can play. We have learned that female soldiers are at times able to better connect with members of the population otherwise closed off from their male colleagues. We have learned that integrating a gender perspective has led to greater awareness of the specific situation and area, and better dialogue and understanding between NATO forces and the local community.

We need to show continued leadership in the area of women, peace and security. First and foremost nations and governments need to step forward, but also other actors continue to be crucial to drive this agenda. NATO recognizes the important role of civil society being opinion leaders and in keeping us accountable.

Excellences, ladies and gentlemen

Prejudice is the child of ignorance (Hazlitt). We human beings are so quick to stereotype and draw false conclusions without knowing the character of a person. We should not allow bias and ignorance to stand in the way for peaceful and prosperous societies. We should allow all people to achieve their potential as human beings. We should embrace diversity in our societies and welcome the contributions from every human being. Multi-ethnic societies have much to gain from their diversity.

All people, men and women, should have equal rights and opportunities. Reaching this objective is our collective responsibility. Only through cooperation and dialogue we will be able to progress.

I hope that the gender perspective will be well reflected in the discussions at this conference.

Thank you for your attention.