Estonia Supports Efforts to Alleviate Situation of Women and Children in Humanitarian Crises

08.03.2012

No. 61-E

According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Estonia provides support to efforts to alleviate the situation of women and children in humanitarian crises.

“For example, through the projects of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Estonia has helped to improve the situation of women and children in Haiti during a cholera epidemic and those who were affected by violent clashes in Cotê d’Ivoire, and also to reduce the risk of disease from the lack of clean drinking water and poor sanitary conditions in Pakistan. We have also supported making education more accessible and supplying food to girls in South Sudan through the UN Refugee Agency,” he listed.

In addition, Paet said, Estonia bilaterally supports many projects geared towards improving the situation of women in Georgia and Afghanistan. “In Georgia we have supported, among other things, a project to prevent violence against women and a practical birth aid project for midwives. In Afghanistan we have supported projects to procure computers and teaching materials for girls’ schools, training for female members of the Afghan parliament, and the creation of a support system for Afghan women and children,” he stated.

In October 2000 the UN Security Council accepted the resolution 1325 “Women, peace and security”, which acknowledged the disproportionately large effect that wars and armed conflicts have on women and children. In order to further promote the issues brought forth in Resolution 1325, in October 2010 the Estonian Government approved the “Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 ‘Women, peace and security’ in Estonia 2010-2014”.  The action plan defined state and international activities in specific sectors and determined a leading body for each sector. The report being presented at today’s session of government reflects Estonia’s activities from 21 October 2010, when the action plan was approved, to the end of the year 2011.

SPOKESPERSON’S OFFICE
+372 637 7654