At a high-level forum on the Culture of Peace, Pakistan has called for an expanded role for women in peace and security, emphasizing the theme of women’s leadership.

“Let’s invest in women leadership, let’s invest in peace, let’s invest in future,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the forum held on Wednesday to commemorate the adoption of the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 1999.

He also lauded Bangladesh for sponsoring the annual follow-up resolution adopted by the 80th session of the 193-member Assembly.

“This landmark document affirmed that peace does not merely lie in the silence of guns but, in fact, flows from the protection of human rights, celebration of plurality, and promotion of the rule of law,” the envoy said.

Pointing out that women constitute a major constituency for peace; Ambassador Jadoon said, “Fostering a robust Culture of Peace is predicated on women’s full participation in political process and their unhindered access to education and justice.”