New York - Only a few governments have enacted laws upholding women's active participation in peace agreements nine years after the UN Security Council decided to support their role, UN officials said Monday.

Only 16 of the 192 UN members have so far adopted national plans to implement a resolution passed by the 15-nation council in 2000, which provided a framework for women to be involved in hammering out peace agreements and for their needs to be taken into account, said UN Deputy Secretary General Asha Rose Migiro.

"I encourage all member states to take action before the 10th anniversary" of Resolution 1325, Migiro told a council session that reviewed the implementation of the document.

"Indeed, a growing body of evidence suggests that bringing women to the peace table improves the quality of agreements reached, and increase the chances of successful implementation," said Migiro, a former Tanzanian foreign minister.

The council has since 2000 passed more resolutions calling for the protection of women and girls in conflict areas and for increasing the number of women in high-level governmental positions.

Rachel Mayanja, a UN assistant secretary general on gender issues and advancement of women, said in the council meeting that women and girls continue to be victims of gender-based violence, especially sexual violence during hostilities, despite UN resolutions.

Ireland's UN Ambassador Anne Anderson said women continued to be imprisoned in the victim role: "the collateral damage of war and, if present at all, a kind of add-on at the peace talks."

"Men who have been in the front line of conflict feel they have earned the exclusive right to broker peace," she said. "Women who are struggling to get hearth and home together after the fighting have other priorities."

The council meeting was called to urge governments, regional and international groups to take further measures to include women in all stages of peace processes "particularly in conflict resolution, post conflict planning and peace building." dpa