Thank you very much.
Like you, I think the real challenge is developing programs. We can hardly expect to show up with bags full of money ready to be handed out to women, even though that seems to be the case in other situations, with money being handed over to warlords and even heads of state. We still need to come up with something a bit more sophisticated than that.
As for UN Women, I have recently had a few meetings with Ms. Bachelet. I am very confident in her leadership. I think that the creation of UN Women and the fact that the United Nations is focusing on this issue will have a positive impact.
As I said in the beginning, I have some concerns about the actual doctrine at play. Programs are not the only problem. Resolution 1325 serves as the foundation not only for all the UN's efforts, but also for those of many member states, who model their own foreign aid programs on it, especially in cases of armed conflict. The resolution has two pillars. First, it recognizes the specific victimization of women and children—and not just child combatants—in situations of armed conflict. Second, it recognizes the importance of empowering women so they can contribute to the peace process.
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, here we are ten years later, and I am not so sure that the initiative has yielded much progress. Of course, we need to continue taking care of victims. And no government, including Canada's, is doing enough. For instance, we give local NGOs money to open clinics. I am not suggesting we abandon those efforts altogether, because we do still need to support victims, especially in situations like the one in the Congo. You have no doubt heard just how severe the sexual violence can be and that it very often requires considerable medical attention. I am not trying to minimize that, but it is by no means enough.
As far as giving women power goes, I would say we have been much too tame, focusing solely on bringing women to the table for the so-called peace process and reconstruction talks. If women are to make a real contribution, they have to have something to bring to the table. It is not enough just to give them a seat, while the powerful players do all the negotiating. Having a seat and having power are not one and the same. A seat alone is not enough.
To really empower women, we need to give them more significant resources than we have in the past. Resources that are meaningful, not necessarily limitless. For instance, we need to stop the stigmatization of women. Being raped already comes with a huge stigma, but imagine if, after being raped, you could return to your village with the financial means necessary to stop relying on those who were supposed to protect you but did not do so. This does not always require excessive resources, but rather, tangible ones that visibly influence power.