Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018

The importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment cannot be understated in efforts to prevent, and respond to, these crimes; in fact, gender equality and women’s empowerment – fundamental principles of the UAE’s foreign policy – are core values which can prevent violence against women when they are woven throughout society.

Lithuania continuously underlines the importance of the Secretary-General’s efforts to put emphasis on conflict prevention, preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. The overarching priority of prevention should be at the forefront of our fight against sexual violence in conflict – we should look for early warning indicators to identify potential conflict situations.

 In preventing and deterring sexual violence, we need to reflect on its root causes. Discrimination of women and gender inequality are one of the root causes and drivers of sexual violence [...] Moreover, economic and political empowerment is a surefire way to prevent and deter sexual violence. Women are active peace-builders and safeguards against violent extremism, not just victims of conflict. Empowering women enhances the resilience of families, communities, regions and beyond

Let me turn to gender equality as the principle means of prevention. There is a strong empirical connection between the lack of gender equality in a society and readiness to take up arms. A thorough analysis of the dynamics of gender equality can therefore help to design tailor-made programmes to prevent conflicts from breaking out. This is why Switzerland’s 4th National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security will also focus on promoting gender-responsive security sector reform and the deployment of mixed teams in military and police units.

Ever-greater resources and focus must be dedicated to conflict prevention. The Holy See supports the efforts of the Security Council, within the limits of its mandate under the Charter of the United Nations, actively to encourage the Member States to settle their disputes through dialogue and negotiation [...] Heightened attention and efforts to prevent violence against women should be sustained in post-conflict situations, which, more often than not, remain chaotic, lawless and dangerous, and are thus environments that enable and facilitate violence against women. With the goal of eliminating the root causes of conflict, the international community should actively help post-conflict countries to promote education, economic and social development, and to ensure that the dividends of peace and development benefit the entire population.

The challenges are immense: insufficient protection mechanisms, inadequate rule of law and weak judicial systems, poor services for survivors, stigmatization of victims and witnesses of gender-based violence, structural discrimination, economic and social inequalities, just to mention a few.

We believe that the culture of violence relates to socioeconomic factors and occurs where various groups are marginalized. The Czech Republic therefore addresses the root causes of the inequalities in societies by implementing projects aimed at the economic empowerment of women and their equal participation in public and political affairs. Such projects are implemented in Georgia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In a majority of cases, they are women and girls who are economically and politically marginalized. This is the case whether we refer to the women and girls of CAR, to those in Kivu, Kasais or Tanganyika in the DRC, to the Yazidis in Iraq, or to the Rohingya in Myanmar, where there has even been talk of ethnic cleansing. We must address the root causes (inequality and lack of women’s empowerment and participation), and we must react to any early warnings. The Council counts on -or can count on if it so decides- the necessary tools: the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security, peace operations’ mandates, the work of women protection counsellors, as well as sanctions, just to name a few. 

Estonia is fully committed to tackle gender- based violence and has a comprehensive Development Strategy for Reducing Violence from 2015 to 2020 domestically. It lays out concrete activities on how to reduce and prevent violence in its various forms, including sexual violence.  Globally, Estonia has been a strong supporter of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten and her mandate

Masculine dominated cultures often create obstacles to upholding zero tolerance policies. But – like the Secretary-General – we are determined to remove those obstacles, and work towards true gender equality. 

Sexual violence in conflict does not arise spontaneously. Therefore, it can be prevented if States fully use all the available tools to empower women and girls and strengthen their protection and access to justice. By investing in women and girls as essential promoters of peace and security, we must bear in mind that every national and international effort to address sexual violence in conflicts, from a prevention perspective, requires to recognize the virtuous cycle between sustaining peace, development, the rule of law and human rights.

We also emphasize the relevance of early warning and awareness-raising measures to tackle problems regarding the situations of minorities, including through the competent UN mechanisms and bodies as well as regional organizations.

The Maldives supports the Secretary General's preventative approach, and we believe that early-warning indicators could help prevent sexual violence in conflict prone areas, in addition to post-conflict situations, and that this should be factored in when evaluating risks to peace and security in the Council. In this regard we wish to emphasize the importance of ensuring adequate funding for sexual violence programmes in conflict-affected situations.

We all recognise that the majority of victims of CRSV are marginalised women and girls, often living in rural areas beyond the reach of law enforcement and protection. Rural women are vulnerable to displacement and are often forced to flee following struggles for the control of land and resources. Women’s physical security is thus inextricably linked with their political, social and economic security. Women bear the brunt of conflict at every level.

The Council should also continue to attach the utmost importance to preventing and addressing the root causes of conflict. Furthermore, measures aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities of civilians, including by enhancing the capacity of peacekeeping missions, as well as the Council’s using all the available tools at its disposal, will be critical. In this regard, the Council could explore the recommendation of the SecretaryGeneral to include sexual violence as part of the designation criteria on a case-by-case basis, particularly in the context of the use of mass rape and other forms of sexual violence by extremist and terrorist groups.

We agree with the Secretary-General that the best way to prevent sexual violence is to protect basic freedoms and human rights, support economic empowerment and fair political participation, build national capacity and provide assistance to the survivors of sexual violence, in particular women and girls who are marginalized or economically disadvantaged.

We believe that women’s empowerment as a preventive measure, access to justice and accountability are fundamental elements in the fight against sexual violence. However, it is clear that, in order to promote such measures, we must first address the root causes of conflict, reduce structural inequalities, combat extreme poverty and eradicate the discrimination that patriarchal systems have left entrenched in society and that prevent women from enjoying unhindered personal development and access to justice. Prevention is a very important tool that the Secretary-General has been promoting over the past year. Increasing the cooperation between the United Nations and civil society is essential for prevention, in order to access more specific information that will enable us to carry out more reliable analyses of the situation.

Poverty and social exclusion are risk factors associated with genderbased violence. The economic empowerment of women means ensuring proper funding for programmes that address the economic and social needs of survivors, as well as implementing initiatives aimed at changing the conditions that enable violence to occur in the first place. We also believe that there is a need for a broader discussion in the Security Council of the importance of women’s economic empowerment in post-conflict settings in more general terms. Peacebuilding and recovery funding still largely ignore women’s economic role.

The great reluctance of many men and boys to report sexual violence makes it very difficult to accurately assess its scope. Almost certainly, the limited statistics that exist vastly understate the number of male victims. For male survivors, sexual violence remains hidden owing to cultural taboos. The hesitancy of male survivors to speak about sexual violence makes impunity for such crimes even more likely. We urge States to remove all structural and legal obstacles that prevent the investigation and prosecution of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against men and boys.

The only way to effectively address this scourge is a comprehensive and integrated approach on the international, regional and national levels, which entails prevention, early warning, justice and accountability, participation of women in political processes, and their political, social and economic empowerment.

There is no better means to protect women from violence during conflict than preventing the eruption of conflict itself. Attention must be given to ensuring that women’s voices are heard and their effective participation is availed of throughout the whole process.

Patterns of sexual violence are often embedded in and compounded by underlying structural conditions such as inequality, gender-based discrimination and the violations of minority rights. The empowerment of women is therefore a key ingredient of an effective response. This requires increased representation of women in mechanisms to address conflicts and the incorporation of a gender perspective in conflict resolution and peace processes.

Ukraine considers equal and full participation of women in all activities in the area of prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace-building and peacekeeping, to be of utmost importance. In my country, the ongoing fulfillment of the National Action Plan (NAP) for Implementation of 1325 for 2016–2020 is aimed at achieving greater participation of women in decision-making, in particular in the matters of national security and defense and peacemaking, as well as ensuring protection of women and girls, including prevention and response to gender-based violence.

Without full and effective participation of women at all levels of decision-making, we will not be able to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence efficiently.

Myanmar's 10-year National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2013-2022) covers key areas of the UN agenda, including women's empowerment; prevention of violence against women and girls; women participation in politics and public office; women, peace and security; and gender mainstreaming.

Intergovernmental cooperation is extremely significant, however, everyone needs to be heard. Civil societies and non-governmental organizations, and in particular, women’s organizations have the ability to provide new insight and data that could otherwise be missed. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that NGO-s have larger platforms and more access in the UN meetings and Forums.  

By including women and gender perspectives in prevention, peacekeeping and conflict resolution, we can diminish sexual violence in conflict, as well as sexual exploitation and abuse.

Sustaining peace cannot be conceived without the participation of women and girls and the integral consideration of their needs. The systematic exclusion of girls from education leads to discrimination and at the end results in the marginalization of women from political, economic and social life. This marginalization is one of the most evident structural causes of conflicts and produces a fertile ground for sexual violence. Girls must be empowered within the family and at school with regard to boys; women must be empowered with equity with regard to men and the whole society.

We in Ireland firmly believe that the role of civil society at the grassroots level is essential for empowering women in conflict prevention

We believe that greater representation of women in governance, especially those from rural communities, would raise the profile of these issues, and facilitate positive change. In addition to this, we also support community mobilization campaigns through community and religious leaders, aimed at shifting the stigma of sexual violence from victims to perpetrators.

It is key to promote the participation of women in peace, security and development processes, and to include in the agreements specific content on the inclusion of women, the fight against sexual violence and the elimination of impunity. The political empowerment of women should be promoted by States through concrete measures that transform the conditions of abuse and discrimination in which women, minorities and rural populations live.

Another vital issue we should address is care for and protection of survivors of sexual violence. Sexual violence affects entire generations, with stigma on women and their children having lasting repercussions. Public, religious, and community leaders can personally engage in helping to shift the stigma from the victims of sexual abuse to the perpetrators of those heinous crimes. Victims must have access to justice, accountability and redress mechanisms in order to assure their reintegration into respective societies.

Survivors must be at the center of our comprehensive efforts. Medical and psychological care, opportunities for economic participation and legal protection are some key aspects. Germany has received a large number of women and children who suffered traumatic experiences in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and we are funding projects in Iraq to provide comprehensive assistance. This includes a joint program with the Iraqi government to train health professionals to deal with the specific traumata endured by survivors. A survivor-centered approach needs to link accountability with psychosocial and livelihood support, and should not ignore one of these two pillars at the expense of the other.

We have also set up One Stop Women Support Centers (OSWSC) throughout the country to support women and girls who had experienced violence. The Centers provide physical, legal, psychological and social support. Moreover, national gender based hotlines have been established since 2016 to help the victims of violence to report and get counseling. We are also revising the Child Law to include the provision on conflict-related sexual violence against children.

Furthermore, it is up to Member States to guarantee survivors’ access to all legal, psychosocial as well as medical services, including safe abortion, emergency contraception and HIV treatment.

Persons belonging to minorities encounter a high risk of being targets of violence. This was exemplified to us today by the testimony of Razia Sultana from the Rohingya community of Myanmar. Equally appalling is the fact that Da'esh continues to traffic Iraqi Yezidi women and girls into and across Syria as part of their campaign targeting minorities. The patterns of violence against women and girls belonging to minorities are embedded in underlying structural conditions, including inequality, gender-based discrimination and the neglect of the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

Ireland is particularly concerned to hear reports of the targeting of high profile female human rights defenders through crimes of sexual violence. Today we urge Member States to take measures to ensure the adequate protection of women in the civil society space. Ireland also urges the Security Council to assume its own responsibility in this, and to be consistent and timely in its use of sanctions against perpetrators of conflictrelated sexual violence.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are key tenets of the UAE’s worldview. This is why “Women’s Protection and Empowerment” form one of the three pillars on which our entire Foreign Assistance Strategy rests. It is through the mainstreaming of these ideals in our global engagement that we can prevent sexual violence in conflict by creating stable, tolerant, and prosperous societies.

We note with deep concern that sexual violence has become a routine tactical element of war in many conflicts. Rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage and sexual torture constitute abhorrent violations of human rights and human dignity. In some instances, they surpass the level of war crimes and reach the scale of crimes against humanity or a genocidal slaughter.

For far too long, sexual violence has remained a grim and inevitable reality of armed conflicts, which has often been employed systematically and with impunity, to coerce, punish, humiliate and instill fear in the targeted civilian population. Even as the international community has come together to collectively condemn such acts of unimaginable horror, sexual abuse of women and girls continues to be used as a tactic of war in conflicts around the world.

The Maldives strongly condemns how sexual violence is being "weaponized" through targeting victims based on ethnic, religious, or political affiliation, which destroys social cohesion, leading to forced displacement, and deprivation from economic resources. We note with concern that the failure to address these issues has led to desperate recourse of more harmful magnitudes, including child marriage, withdrawal from educational and employment opportunities, and resorting to commercial sexual exploitation.

Separately, peacekeeping operations need to be equipped with appropriate gender-responsive conflict analysis and expertise. We are deeply concerned that cutting, downgrading, and under-resourcing gender advisors and women protection advisors positions may cripple the ability of peace operations to fulfill these critical tasks. We must also ensure that UN peacekeepers themselves are not part of the problem and condemn cases of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping operations. We welcome recent initiatives by the Secretary-General,  including the conclusion of sexual exploitation and abuse Voluntary Compact with Member States, the establishment of a Circle of Leadership, and the appointment of a SEA Victims’ Rights Advocate. Still much more needs to be done to tackle this scourge, ensure accountability, and fundamentally reconfigure our collective approach to make it victim-centered.

The prevention of every form of violence against women in conflict and the protection of their legitimate rights and interests should be an integral part of peacekeeping operations. The importance of integrating women in peacekeeping missions can also be seen from this perspective. Host countries should be helped to prioritize the prevention of violence against women during conflict, ensuring the inclusion and active participation of women in all stages of peace processes.

As one of the world’s leading troop contributing countries, Pakistan has set the highest standards in fulfilling peacekeeping mandates, including protection of vulnerable segments of population especially women and children from violence. We fully support the Secretary General’s policy of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. Pakistan was among the first group of countries to sign the Secretary General’s voluntary compact on the subject. We have also contributed to the Trust Fund for the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. To share our experience and promote best practices in peacekeeping, we have established a UN Peacekeeping Training Institute in Pakistan, offering specially designed modules to help peacekeepers respond effectively and protect innocent civilians from sexual violence. We also believe increased participation of female peacekeepers and encouraging more women to take up mediation roles will help in the stabilization and reconstruction phase of post-conflict rehabilitation.

While the report looks primarily at sexual violence inflicted by armed groups and state actors, we cannot ignore cases of sexual exploitation and abuse or sexual harassment committed by those working for, or associated with the United Nations. The Kingdom of the Netherlands reaffirms its total commitment to the UN’s zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and on sexual harassment. It is rightfully gaining the attention and visibility it deserves.

Mexico joined the Secretary General’s Voluntary Compact to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel in the field. In this regard, we must remember that the privileges and immunities of the UN cannot and should not be understood as a trait to act impunity.

Reports on sexual exploitation and abuse by personnel in UN peacekeeping missions, both military and civilian, in recent years have increasingly tainted the reputation of the UN and undermined its credibility. Austria condemns such behaviour and welcomes the focus of the Secretary-General on this important issue and his initiatives in this regard.

We wish to underscore the responsibilities that armed forces and peacekeeping operations have in preventing sexual violence in conflict. It is important not only to ensure training in international humanitarian and human rights law in the specific context of sexual exploitation, but also establish strict monitoring and accountability within these systems to prevent abuse by these actors themselves. In this regard, we are pleased to note that all UN peacekeeping operations with mandates on protection of civilians have established monitoring arrangements and incorporated early-warning indicators of conflict-related sexual violence.

The Council should also continue to attach the utmost importance to preventing and addressing the root causes of conflict. Furthermore, measures aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities of civilians, including by enhancing the capacity of peacekeeping missions, as well as the Council’s using all the available tools at its disposal, will be critical. In this regard, the Council could explore the recommendation of the SecretaryGeneral to include sexual violence as part of the designation criteria on a case-by-case basis, particularly in the context of the use of mass rape and other forms of sexual violence by extremist and terrorist groups.

The number of internally displaced persons and refugees continues to rise to unprecedented levels. In his report, the Secretary-General points to sexual violence as a driver of displacement and highlights the increased risks faced by displaced women and girls, who make up the majority of displaced persons.

We observe how sexual violence is sometimes a factor in forced displacements in situations such as Colombia, Iraq or Syria; the risk does not disappear in refugee camps; and the fear of being sexually assaulted inhibits many displaced people from returning to their communities. The case of the Rohingya is particularly worrisome. We are convinced that the global compact refugee negotiations provide a good opportunity to address sexual violence in these contexts.

Myanmar strongly objects the use of such words as "ethnic cleansing" or "genocide" in reference to the situation in Rakhine State. Such irresponsible accusations based on unsubstantiated, one-sided allegations, fake news and tempered reports for political purpose, will only exacerbate the current situation and will lead to further polarization of different communities in the region.

Having strong national institutions and adequate judiciary and penal framework to this end is essential, as is making sure that national civilian and military justice systems don’t lack national capacity and expertise to prevent, investigate and prosecute sexual violence. With political will and professional assistance, national governments can halt sexual violence in conflict by holding perpetrators to account and delivering justice to victims.

Women and men are affected differently during conflict. Because of this, women and men provide different information to investigations on invisible crimes such as sexual violence. Women and men also have different needs when it comes to victim assistance such as the compensation process, establishment of safe spaces, and support for war widows. To address the complex issues around accountability, a gender-responsive rule of law and justice should be ensured in conflict and post-conflict settings. Japan has been financially supporting the work of the Team of Experts in the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict since 2014. The Team is deployed effectively in some of the world’s most challenging contexts and is delivering practical results.

To end impunity, perpetrators must be brought to justice, and victims and survivors must be assisted in a comprehensive manner in order to fully recover from these violations and be able to reintegrate in their societies. We are also appalled by acts of sexual violence, including rape, child, early and forced marriage, and enslavement, including those committed by terrorist groups such as Daesh. In this regard, we welcome the recent adoption of Security Council Resolution 2379 on accountability for the acts committed by Daesh in Iraq. It is our hope that this is the first step in a process to ensure more comprehensive accountability. 

The widespread fear of reprisals and stigma discourages people subjected to sexual violence from coming forward. Law enforcement agencies are therefore important partners in dealing with violence. Therefore, Switzerland supports police and armed forces by training them about compliance with existing legislation and how to take a victim-centred approach when handling cases of sexual violence. Often the first step is to increase public trust in the police. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have been supporting police ‘Open Door’ days for local people. In Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, Switzerland has worked with local police forces.

States should maximize their efforts on both the national and international levels to ensure prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes. The International Criminal Court plays a key role in this regard by judging crimes that have been recognized by the Rome Statute as war crimes and crimes against humanity, including those that may constitute crimes of genocide.

In Syria, sexual violence has been used as tactic of war and as part of an attack against the civilian population, committed by various parties to the conflict, with rampant impunity. It is shocking in particular that not a single member of ISIL has been prosecuted for sexual violence offenses as of yet. The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), created by the General Assembly in light of the paralysis in the Security Council, has made sexual and gender-based violence a priority of its work. We call on all States to cooperate with the IIIM, by sharing relevant information and through financial support. Accountability is an essential part of the fight against conflict-related sexual violence. International criminal justice mechanisms have done groundbreaking work.

The International Criminal Court plays a central role in the fight against impunity, but states have the primary duty to prevent and investigate cases, and to prosecute the perpetrators. Strengthening the capacity of national institutions to prevent, investigate and respond to sexual-and gender based violence during peacetime and conflict, is therefore critical for accountability [...] We work with SRSG Patten, the Team of Experts, UN Action and Justice Rapid Response. Justice Rapid Response and UN Women are doing valuable work for example in training experts in investigating SGBV crimes.

We should step up our effort to put an end to the atmosphere of impunity. Initiatives on high political level should be translated to concrete actions to ensure the accountability concept is fully implemented on the ground [...] In terms of enforcing accountability, the Czech Republic continues to support the International Criminal Court and ad hoc international tribunals.

If there is concrete evidence, we are ready to take action against any perpetrator in accordance with the law without impunity. The recent sentencing of seven military personnel to 10 years in prison with hard labour who were involved in the Inn Din incident, is a clear demonstration of the Government’s strong commitment to the rule of law. My delegation categorically rejects the groundless accusatio

In order to combat impunity for these crimes, and protect women and girls from systematic abuse, the international community needs to recalibrate its response. Let me make four specific points in this regard: One, the Security Council, as the primary body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security, should focus on addressing the root causes of conflict to remove the grounds where such crimes breed; Two, mechanisms to independently investigate and verify reports emerging from conflict situations where sexual violence is taking place are critical to dealing with the issue; Three, we must also take concrete steps to enhance the capacity of national institutions and improve criminal justice systems in countries facing armed conflict; and four, justice does not only mean punishment for the perpetrators. It also means redress for the survivors. Victim protection and rehabilitation should remain a top priority. The stigma attached to victimhood must be redirected towards the perpetrators. They are the ones who should be made an example of, not just as retribution, but also as a preventive measure.

Impunity is met with mechanisms that improve the preservation of evidence, as well as mechanisms that require specialized knowledge. The prosecution of two emblematic cases in the DRC, as well as the judgement by the ICC in the case of Bosco Ntaganda not only contribute to victims having greater confidence in justice, but are also a way to dissuade possible perpetrators.

Survivors should always be provided with the option to document their cases for future accountability processes. In this regard, the role of the International Criminal Courtensuring the effective investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes cannot be highlighted enough.  Also, the work of UN Women and Justice Rapid Response is important, as its joint Expert Roaster has provided an effective tool for deploying experts that investigate and document sexual violence in conflict-driven zones.

For those conflict-affected countries for which no specific UN sanctions regime exist yet, we urge the Council to consider the adoption of targeted sanctions regimes that would allow for the inclusion of a specific designation criterion on sexual violence. Ultimately, sanctions cannot be an alternative to prosecution of crimes that are punishable under international law. It is first and foremost up to Member States to ensure the prosecution of perpetrators and to facilitate reparations under international humanitarian law. Strengthening the capacity of national institutions is critical to ensure accountability for past crimes, as well as prevention and deterrence for the future.  In this context, we recognize the work of the Team of Experts in building national capacities to enhance accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. If, however, national governments prove to be unable or unwilling, this Council should revert to other means and channels  such as the International Criminal Court to make sure both state and non-stated parties comply with their obligations under international law.

Crises are not indifferent to gender, and armed conflicts affect mostly women and girls in particular. Mexico acknowledges the importance of including them in the mediation, peacebuilding and peace consolidation processes, and sustainability of peace, and considers its participation essential when implementing prevention actions, and advancing in national reconstruction and reconciliation. Their access to justice is fundamental. Therefore, the design of mechanisms to protect women and girls should be the rule in every legal system

Austria wants to see all perpetrators, including Da’esh and Boko Haram fighters, held accountable for their repulsive acts of violence against women and girls. As SRSG Patten said today, only by truly fighting impunity will we achieve a deterrence effect. In order to help establish accountability, Austria has supported and contributed financially to the creation of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed in Syria. We also expect that the Investigative Team to support domestic efforts to hold Da’esh accountable by collecting evidence in Iraq will soon generate actionable results.

Increased awareness about the nature of the crime, changes in taboo social perceptions, and having an efficient and reliable framework to identify sexual exploitation are necessary to establish the first step to end impunity and ensure accountability. We also note that there are commonalities in the recommendations for these countries, including strengthening legal frameworks, provision of access to justice as well as socioeconomic support for victims, strict screening and training of armed and security forces, and strengthening frameworks to enhance cooperation with the United Nations to enhance prevention and response measures. Most of the victims are women and girls from marginalized rural communities, who do not always benefit from full legal protections, and often have cultural taboos regarding sexual violence. Therefore, not only should Member States strive to extend the reach of the rule of law to all communities, but also ensure that the law itself provides protection to the victims through alignment with international human rights standards on sexual violence and abuse.

In post-conflict situations, the Council could further strengthen its peacebuilding efforts aimed at rebuilding national capacity and institutions, particularly the capacity of security and judiciary services to prevent and punish conflict-related sexual violence and addressing its root causes. That will enable the Council to fight impunity and bring perpetrators to justice, as well as to ensure the non-occurrence of such grave crimes.

Based on resolutions 2231 (2015) and 2253 (2015), and taking into the account the Council’s acknowledgement that sexual violence in conflict is a war tactic and a tool used by some terrorist and extremist groups, such violence also constitutes an element of the political economy of terrorism that is used in recruitment and financing. The Security Council should hold accountable all perpetrators of such crimes and end their impunity. It should also further include in the mandates of peacekeeping and political missions tasks related to the empowerment of women in conflict and on holding the perpetrators of crimes of sexual violence accountable following the end of conflict, including referring such crimes, which amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, to appropriate tribunals.

It is imperative that the Security Council be resolute in the implementation of its resolutions on combating sexual violence in conflict by promoting accountability and implementing the zero-tolerance policy

The great reluctance of many men and boys to report sexual violence makes it very difficult to accurately assess its scope. Almost certainly, the limited statistics that exist vastly understate the number of male victims. For male survivors, sexual violence remains hidden owing to cultural taboos. The hesitancy of male survivors to speak about sexual violence makes impunity for such crimes even more likely. We urge States to remove all structural and legal obstacles that prevent the investigation and prosecution of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against men and boys.

We are not only talking about women’s empowerment. Men also need empowerment and education in order to transform traditional gender-relations and put an end to harmful behavioural patterns. Including men and boys as allies, as potential victims or perpetrators, and as champions for gender-equality – is crucial in any conflict and violence prevention strategy.

On the one hand, rehabilitation and reintegration programs tend to focus only on men associated with armed groups; on the other, there are usually no programs that cover the needs of men and boys who have been victims of sexual violence. Nor can we forget children born as a result of rape. We propose to include this perspective in cooperation projects and in humanitarian assistance. This has been one of the themes addressed at the recent meeting in Berlin of the Women, Peace and Security National Focal Points Network– a Network that my country created in 2016 and is now chaired by Germany, in which a specific session was held on accountability for crimes of sexual violence, as a central aspect in preventing conflicts.

Crises are not indifferent to gender, and armed conflicts affect mostly women and girls in particular. Mexico acknowledges the importance of including them in the mediation, peacebuilding and peace consolidation processes, and sustainability of peace, and considers its participation essential when implementing prevention actions, and advancing in national reconstruction and reconciliation. Their access to justice is fundamental. Therefore, the design of mechanisms to protect women and girls should be the rule in every legal system

Sexual violence in conflict has a significant detrimental impact on individuals and communities. In too many settings, victims and their children are stigmatized, discriminated against and rejected by their communities. An example of determined efforts to support the reintegration of survivors of sexual violence is the case of northern Uganda where in the time of the conflict with the LRA, many serious crimes, including various forms of sexual and gender-based violence, were committed. The Austrian Development Agency together with the International Centre for Transitional Justice has since 2008 implemented four consecutive projects with a focus on supporting ongoing work on transitional justice in Uganda with the aim to reintegrate victims into their communities.

In post-conflict situations, the Council could further strengthen its peacebuilding efforts aimed at rebuilding national capacity and institutions, particularly the capacity of security and judiciary services to prevent and punish conflict-related sexual violence and addressing its root causes. That will enable the Council to fight impunity and bring perpetrators to justice, as well as to ensure the non-occurrence of such grave crimes.

At the regional level, the State of Kuwait hosted the International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq, where it announced its contribution of $1 billion in the form of loans and investments. We did so because we believe that the areas liberated from the terrorist Da’esh organization must be rehabilitated and provided support for comprehensive development in order to achieve sustainable development for women and girls, as well as national reconciliation and social justice.

Beyond the immediate cruelty of sexual violence and its consequences, victims are still all too often stigmatized and rejected by their families and communities. In their desire to avoid stigma and discrimination, the majority of victims do not report rape or other forms of sexual violence. That not only contributes to a culture of impunity, it also prevents survivors of sexual violence from accessing medical care and legal assistance. We support the Secretary-General’s call to traditional, religious and community leaders to address harmful social norms and help to redirect the stigma of rape from the victims to the perpetrators. In particular, we want to draw attention to the social stigma experienced by children conceived through rape. Women with children born of sexual violence are the most marginalized of all. Children born of rape are often ostracized by their families and communities.

All Member States should redouble their efforts to implement SDG 5, in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls to become actors rather than victims in their societies. All countries should review and revoke any discriminatory laws and practices as well as challenge stereotypes that hinder women’s empowerment.

Despite an increasingly robust normative framework on women, peace, and security, we emphasize that real, tangible progress lies in implementation. In this regard, much remains to be done. We applaud those countries which have established or renewed national action plans in the past year. We reiterate that such plans must be coupled with sufficient resources to deliver results. Such implementation will also directly contribute to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agreed to by all Member States.

The resolutions adopted by the Security Council on Women, Peace and Security have contributed to the normative strengthening of this agenda, but the challenge is achieving its effective, coherent and transversal application throughout the United Nations System and by the Member States, in order to eliminate the still existing marginalization of women in the decision-making on peace and security.

The Council should encourage or pressure, as appropriate, all parties to an armed conflict to fully comply with international humanitarian law, particularly in relation to the protection of civilians. The implementation by Member States of relevant regional and international legal instruments for the prevention, punishment and eradication of all forms of violence against women would also contribute to the national, regional and international response to victims of sexual violence.