 The land revere, as many of you know, is the ambassador at large for global women's issues at the State Department, and the very fact that that role exists and that it has been elevated to an ambassador at large really says something about the importance of these gender and peace building activities. And although Ambassador revere could not be here today because she, and she has a very good excuse, she is in Tunisia meeting with women and civil society leaders to establish more of a dialogue about how women throughout the Middle East and North Africa can play a role in the post revolutions that we've seen raging across those regions. And so her office will be charged with writing this national action plan. The United States Institute of Peace is participating and supporting that effort and working hard to do that post-UN-1325 work. So I'm really delighted to have Ambassador revere with us via satellite. It is an honor to speak to this symposium on women in war. I only wish I could be there with all of you in person. I want to thank the U.S. Institute of Peace for your leadership and groundbreaking work to promote the critical importance of women's participation in all stages of peace building. And I want to thank also the leadership of Under Secretary Flournoy and Deputy Administrator at AID, Don Steinberg, for their extraordinary leadership. The impressive coalition of civil society leaders, media, filmmakers, researchers and academics, as well as colleagues from the diplomatic community and those at the Department of Defense and USAID who have gathered today, is such a testament to our shared commitment to full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and the critical role women must play in peace and security more broadly. The status of women is a global issue that can no longer be relegated to the margins of policy. Sustainable peace, security, prosperity and economic growth cannot be achieved without the full and equal participation of women. The international community has made great strides in recognizing the importance of women to peace and security and over the 10 years plus the United Nations Security Council has adopted five resolutions that address the need to not only protect women and girls from gender-based violence but also to ensure that women participate as decision makers during conflict resolution and peace building. There is also a growing recognition by the private sector and others that women are drivers of economic growth. The World Economic Forum, for example, found that in countries where the gender gap is closing, where men and women are closer to parity in educational attainment, health outcomes, economic opportunity and political empowerment, those countries are far more prosperous and economically competitive. But despite this progress, we all know horrific human rights violations and discrimination against women still occur, and women are rarely at the peace table. Today there are some 30 active conflicts worldwide, many of which are part of a repeating cycle of violence. And far too often these recurrent conflicts take a disproportionate toll on women and their children. More than 50% of all peace agreements fail within the first 10 years. In large part this is because negotiations and accords focus on the short term goal of bringing an end to fighting, and that is so important. But we also need to focus on the root causes of conflict, focus on the range of issues that bring about genuine peace, justice, reconciliation, and a shared vision of a prosperous future. Evidence shows that integrating women into peace building processes positively correlates to the reduction of violence, the sustainability of peace agreements and political frameworks, and the evolution of democratic governance as well as the long term security and recovery of communities and nations. Yet as each of us knows, women are rarely present at peace talks in any meaningful numbers or in significant roles. In the 2009 the UN Development Fund report found that women comprise less than 10% of negotiators and less than 3% of signatories to peace agreements. In case after case, women who have risked their lives to engage the armed actors in negotiations and built the necessary trust to initiate a formal peace process. They have then found themselves excluded when the official talks begin. This exclusion is not only to the detriment of women, but to peace and international security as a whole. President Obama and Secretary Clinton are fully committed to advancing the agenda of women as agents of peace and stability. The concept is embodied in the president's national security strategy, which says that countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights and opportunity. When those rights and opportunities are denied, countries lag behind. The national security strategy in the State Department's 2010 US Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review reflect the US commitment to put women front and center as we work to ensure security for the American people, to build respect for universal values at home and around the world, and to advance an international order that promotes peace and opportunity for men and women everywhere. As you know so well, at the 10th anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 1325, Secretary Clinton announced that the United States would develop a national action plan to accelerate support for women as key enablers of peace and stability in countries affected by conflict. The development of this action plan has begun under the coordination of the national security staff as a collaborative interagency effort among the Departments of State, Defense, and USAID. The US National Action Plan will mandate a series of actions to advance the inclusion of women in US training, policies, plans, programs, and activities worldwide. It will establish new initiatives to ensure women's representation and participation and infuse a gender perspective into conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, protection and relief and recovery efforts. It will also build upon existing activities in coordination with our bilateral and multilateral partners, including the United Nations, who share our ultimate goal – peace and security for all. My trip to engage women in the broader Middle East and North Africa region, which is taking place this week, recognizes that their work is critical to building their country's democratic futures, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia. The women have been on the front lines in the demonstrations, and they must be included in whatever process goes forward. They deserve to be at the table making the choices that will affect their lives and the lives of their children, no matter what governments emerge. Nothing less than the peace and security of the world is at stake in the deliberations on women's full participation taking place here in the United States government and around the world. Thank you for all that you do.