The United States has pledged new funding to help implement U.N. efforts to integrate the protection of civilians and to combat sexual violence in conflict zones.
This was announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.N. Security Council Summit on Peacekeeping.
The U.S. will provide nearly $2 million to help start up the new U.N. special representative office on sexual violence in conflict.
The new office under special representative Margot Wallstrom will constitute a team of experts to investigate crimes, assist victims and track data on sexual violence mentioned in U.N. reports.
The U.S. will contribute $100,000 to the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations for a pilot project in the DR Congo to assess steps to protect individuals, including victims of rape and gender-based violence, witnesses, and judicial personnel, before, during and after trials.
Clinton said the U.S. government has been working to enhance its support for U.N. and regional peacekeeping forces in line with the commitments that President Barack Obama outlined at a meeting he hosted in September 2009 with leaders of the top troop-contributing nations to U.N. peacekeeping operations.
