Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2014

In the event that we fail to prevent wars or conflicts, we must combine our efforts, capacities, means and resources to protect those who are most vulnerable, namely, women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities. Those groups are always the easiest targets in conflict situations and the most likely victims. But we should ask ourselves: can we take immediate and well-focused action to ease suffering and provide effective assistance? Can we protect volunteers, United Nations employees and other dedicated women and men who are providing or trying to provide humanitarian assistance and relief, often putting their own lives in danger? What is the price of overcoming political divergences, national interests and global objectives in situations where we see millions of people suffering, when they are internally displaced, forced to flee their homes or killed in military action? How do we protect children recruited to fight, women used as human shields, girls who are being sexually abused?

In today's debate, my delegation would like to call attention to three very special situations concerning the protection of civilians: first, the use of cluster bombs and explosives in urban centres; secondly, the severe impact of conflicts on the elderly, women and persons with disabilities, but especially children; and, thirdly, attacks against medical facilities and personnel and humanitarian personnel.

While the increased use of sexual and gender-based violence as a war tactic has already been addressed in the Security Council, most notably through its resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), it is undeniable that this kind of violence continues to occur at an alarming rate. It is therefore necessary for United Nations peacekeeping operations to effectively address the impact of armed conflict on women and children and to support women's participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding as much as possible. Women should also play an important role in peacekeeping missions in order to enhance confidence-building with the targeted communities.

Furthermore, as peacekeeping has grown to encompass the broader humanitarian approach, it is worth underlining the importance of strengthening our efforts to increase the number of female peacekeepers in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Their role and presence in United Nations peacekeeping missions have been critical, including in supporting peacebuilding and protecting civilians.

Afghan civilians are targeted with guns and bombs by enemies who measure success in terms of the blood spilled and life lost. Women, children, Government officials, journalists, religious leaders and judicial authorities are at risk as they go about their daily lives, shopping at a bazaar, visiting a friend or commuting to work. They are attacked in villages, on public roads, in restaurants, Government offices, courthouses and mosques.

The brutal campaign opened a murderous era in Afghanistan's history — devastating in terms both of its acute impact on the Afghan people and of its savagery. Terrorists' tactics are a horrific manifestation of man's inhumanity to man, of which graphic video footage of beheadings posted on Taliban websites, the recent heinous attack on a popular restaurant in Kabul and the cold-blooded murders and violence against women and children are but a few harrowing examples.

With regard to the composition of missions, there needs to be an appropriate structure and the staffing that is required to protect women and children from violence, in particular sexual and gender-based violence. We recognize the United Nations policy of due diligence in the area of human rights, which should continue to be part of mandates for peacekeeping operations.

We share the concerns raised in this Chamber regarding the innocent civilians who, sadly, often constitute an overwhelming majority of the victims in armed conflict. In particular, women and children continue to be the most vulnerable groups, subjected to various forms of extreme violence, resulting in grave humanitarian crises with huge population displacement in various parts of the world.

Over the years, Canada has sought to encourage and facilitate serious work on improving how the United Nations prevents and responds to situations of armed conflict. We are principally concerned with addressing the protection needs of the most vulnerable in these contexts — including women, religious communities and children.

The protection of civilians in armed conflicts is a treaty obligation under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which States have the responsibility to respect and observe. But few treaty-based obligations are as abused and overlooked as the obligation to protect civilians in armed conflicts. That is a real tragedy, and it highlights how much we have failed as an international community. There can be no higher obligation than protecting civilians — women, the young and the old — during times of armed conflict.

On Red Hand Day, let me recall that those who are traditionally the most vulnerable members of society, women and children, deserve our special attention and protection.

We therefore welcome actions such as taken by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to break the cycle of violence, rape and death affecting thousands of civilians and in particular women and children. While the situation on the ground remains volatile, we also commend the role of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in providing shelter and protection to more than 70,000 internally displaced persons in South Sudan. It is essential that we build on those examples.

This year we are marking the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. It is also 15 years since the adoption of resolution 1265 (1999). During this period, we have seen a number of positive developments relating to the role of United Nations peacekeepers in protecting civilians. These include the increased integration of protection of civilians into the mandates for United Nations peacekeeping missions; improvements in the capacity of these missions, including the establishment of women's protection advisers and of mobile human rights teams; and the increased role played by regional organizations in relation to preventing and limiting violations of international humanitarian law.

Nowhere, finally, is the need for protection of civilians more apparent than in Syria, where more than 3 million people remain trapped in areas of heavy fighting which are besieged by Government or opposition forces. Under-Secretary-General Amos has spoken frequently and eloquently of the humanitarian plight of ordinary Syrian men, women and children.

We believe that protection mandates should involve a broad range of activities, including, but not limited to, ensuring respect for international human rights and humanitarian law, facilitating humanitarian access, the return of refugees and displaced persons, human rights monitoring, the protection of women and children, and addressing sexual violence in conflict.

The picture painted in the tenth report of the Secretary-General shows that the current state of the protection of civilians “does not give much cause for optimism” (S/2013/689, para. 8). Civilians in many parts of the world continue to suffer the tragic and devastating consequences of armed conflict and are regularly targeted during attacks and indiscriminate reprisals committed in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The tragic events in the Central African Republic are the most recent reminder of the heavy toll paid by civilians, in particular women and children, in the armed conflicts imposed on them. To avoid violence and vengeful acts, civilians are often obliged to flee or seek refuge in neighbouring countries, with all the consequences that can have for the physical and mental health of those vulnerable people.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of wars and conflicts. What is euphemistically called “collateral damage” results in civilian deaths, injury and displacement. Women and children become the primary victims of violence and brutalization during conflicts.

Drone strikes have violated Pakistan's sovereignty, killed hundreds of civilians — men, women and children — and radicalized more people. The use of drones has therefore been counterproductive. In the past month or so, there has been a pause in drone strikes. That has given some respite to civilians in the areas affected. What we have called for and continue to call for is a cessation in the use of armed drones.

As the concept note puts it, the experience of the past 15 years offers many challenges and opportunities for modern peacekeeping operations with protection-of-civilians mandates. We believe that such protection can be achieved only through the concerted efforts of integrated civil, military and police components with peacekeeping operations. Those efforts take into account the special protection needs of women and children through the deployment of senior women and children protection advisers.

In the event that we fail to prevent wars or conflicts, we must combine our efforts, capacities, means and resources to protect those who are most vulnerable, namely, women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities. Those groups are always the easiest targets in conflict situations and the most likely victims. But we should ask ourselves: can we take immediate and well-focused action to ease suffering and provide effective assistance? Can we protect volunteers, United Nations employees and other dedicated women and men who are providing or trying to provide humanitarian assistance and relief, often putting their own lives in danger? What is the price of overcoming political divergences, national interests and global objectives in situations where we see millions of people suffering, when they are internally displaced, forced to flee their homes or killed in military action? How do we protect children recruited to fight, women used as human shields, girls who are being sexually abused?

Seven, we should concentrate on the elimination of post-conflict effects on the mortality rate of children and women as an indirect cause of war. In ongoing conflicts, men die more frequently in direct armed actions, whereas women die more frequently in the post-conflict period.

In today's debate, my delegation would like to call attention to three very special situations concerning the protection of civilians: first, the use of cluster bombs and explosives in urban centres; secondly, the severe impact of conflicts on the elderly, women and persons with disabilities, but especially children; and, thirdly, attacks against medical facilities and personnel and humanitarian personnel.

Confronting the root causes of conflicts and pushing for comprehensive and lasting political settlements are the best guarantee for the protection of civilians. The concept note is quite right when it says that the vast majority of victims in armed conflicts are civilians. But it is necessary in that respect to draw attention to an important truth, namely, that civilians in very many conflict zones are victims primarily of rebel movements that take up weapons in order to victimize civilians, women and children, to the point where the international community becomes indignant and seeks to intervene in an armed conflict zone. The best example in that regard — those who are responsible — are the rebel movements that are undermining the peace process in Darfur.

The Group of Friends welcomes the latest report of the Secretary-General under review today (S/2013/689). In the past couple of months, crises have emerged, re-emerged or have been amplified in many different places, and it is with great concern that we observe that the number of civilians affected by armed conflict has significantly increased over the period covered by the report in almost all of the countries reviewed. While all civilians may be victims of conflict in various ways, women and children are particularly exposed during all stages of armed conflict. The full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions is crucial in that regard.

For a number of years, we have discussed in this Chamber the subject of the protection of civilians in armed conflict. A number of Security Council resolutions and presidential statements on the issue have been adopted. Yet, regrettably, we still see today an alarming number of civilian casualties, including, unfortunately, women and children, in many areas plagued with armed conflict.

Furthermore, the United Nations, its missions and its agencies could play a valuable coordinating role among the many actors involved, which could contribute towards realizing protection-of-civilians mandates. For United Nations missions and peacekeeping operations to achieve those goals, it is essential that they be provided with necessary support, equipment and resources. Disadvantaged categories of the population, such as women, children, people with disabilities and older persons, should be given special attention in the process of the design of protection-of-civilians mandates and strategies, as well as in the training programmes of military, police and civilian personnel. The prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, as well as the provision of services to those suffering from such violence, should be a particular area of focus.

In contemporary armed conflicts, innocent civilians often constitute an overwhelming majority of victims and have at times been deliberately targeted. The most vulnerable populations at risk include women and children, who are often killed, raped and sexually abused or forced to become soldiers. Survivors are often displaced, taking refuge in camps where they are often defenceless against armed attacks and harassment.

I would like to emphasize that special attention needs to be given to vulnerable groups in society, including children, women and elder persons; national, ethnic, religious and other minorities; and displaced populations, when defining and implementing the relevant activities in peacekeeping operations and when identifying security needs.

In addition, peacekeeping forces have implemented training programmes for police to investigate crimes of sexual violence and other crimes and have contributed to building domestic institutional capacity. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a special paradigm in that regard, where the Security Council decided to reconfigure the mandate to authorize a peacekeeping mission to carry out offensive operations against armed groups via an intervention brigade.

With regard to the composition of missions, there needs to be an appropriate structure and the staffing that is required to protect women and children from violence, in particular sexual and gender-based violence. We recognize the United Nations policy of due diligence in the area of human rights, which should continue to be part of mandates for peacekeeping operations.

In conflict situations, women and girls, men and boys, can become victims of abuse. Women and girls in particular continue to face increased risks of sexual violence, including rape and early and forced marriage. Canada remains at the forefront of efforts to prevent and address violence against those most vulnerable, and in promoting their empowerment.

We must continue to work closely to strengthen efforts and coordination to prevent and respond to sexual violence, such as rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion and enforced sterilizations. Even in times of conflict, the promotion of accountability, including by increasing the capacity to prosecute perpetrators of such acts, is important.

International humanitarian law stipulates a whole array of rules regarding the protection of civilians, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Under those rules, the parties to a conflict are prohibited from withholding water and food supplies from civilians, from attacking facilities liable to release hazardous substances, and from massive and indiscriminate bombing of cities or any urban centres. Besides those general provisions, women are entitled to special treatment to protect their specific vulnerability. They are therefore protected from rape, sexual slavery and all discriminatory or degrading practices linked to their gender, such as forced prostitution, forced artificial insimination and so forth. However, we regret to note that in conflicts under way throughout the world those obligations are rarely observed. In fact, they are routinely violated.

Many other relevant resolutions were also adopted on the protection of civilian populations, including resolution 1612 (2005), on children and armed conflict, which established a monitoring and reporting mechanism for parties to conflict; as well as resolution 1820 (2008), on sexual violence in armed conflict, adopted 19 June 2008, which provides for the possibility of targeted sanctions being imposed on those responsible for such crimes and gives the Secretary-General and peacekeeping operations a mandate to address the various aspects of these questions.

Croatia, remembering too well the horrors of war, strongly condemns the continued widespread, systematic and gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Syria, including targeted killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and the use and recruitment of children to participate in hostilities.

We are appalled by reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence that are being used as weapons of war, targeting in particular women and girls. That is not isolated to a single conflict, nor can it be regarded as collateral damage of war. It is of the utmost importance that rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict be recognized as war crimes and crimes against humanity and fall under the competence of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Against that background, we fully welcome the further institutional dialogue between the ICC and the Security Council.

While the increased use of sexual and gender-based violence as a war tactic has already been addressed in the Security Council, most notably through its resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), it is undeniable that this kind of violence continues to occur at an alarming rate. It is therefore necessary for United Nations peacekeeping operations to effectively address the impact of armed conflict on women and children and to support women's participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding as much as possible. Women should also play an important role in peacekeeping missions in order to enhance confidence-building with the targeted communities.

With all the aforesaid in mind, Croatia joined the United Kingdom's initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict and supported the elaboration of an international protocol on the investigation and documentation of rape and sexual violence in conflict.

The Secretary-General notes in his latest report (S/2013/689) that the current state of the protection of civilians leaves little room for optimism. Estonia strongly condemns all forms of violence against civilian populations and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. We hear with great concern about children being killed and maimed in Syria and women being raped in the Central African Republic. The outbreak of armed conflict should be avoided to the extent possible by using all available measures.

Estonia is particularly concerned about the implications of armed conflicts for the most vulnerable groups. There is growing understanding that women and children are impacted uniquely and disproportionately by the effects of conflict and its aftermath. I should like to encourage the Council to include in the mandates of peacekeeping missions provisions on human rights monitoring, with special focus on the rights of children and women. We also urge the further and timely deployment of gender advisers, women's protection advisers and child protection advisers to peacekeeping missions. In addition, I should like to stress that the predeployment training must cover the subjects of sexual and gender-based violence and the protection of children. Bearing that in mind, I welcome the Secretary General's “Rights up front” initiative to make the United Nations more accountable for its responsibilities. That is an awaited move forward in acknowledging the crucial need to respond as early as possible to human rights violations.

We therefore welcome actions such as taken by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to break the cycle of violence, rape and death affecting thousands of civilians and in particular women and children. While the situation on the ground remains volatile, we also commend the role of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in providing shelter and protection to more than 70,000 internally displaced persons in South Sudan. It is essential that we build on those examples.

We believe that protection mandates should involve a broad range of activities, including, but not limited to, ensuring respect for international human rights and humanitarian law, facilitating humanitarian access, the return of refugees and displaced persons, human rights monitoring, the protection of women and children, and addressing sexual violence in conflict.

When it comes to protection, international humanitarian law should be respected by all parties to a conflict. That is why, in January in Kenya, the Netherlands organized a training course for military and civilian representatives from 11 African countries on gender awareness and the prevention of sexual violence in peacekeeping.

The third challenge is accountability. States have the obligation to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law and to investigate and prosecute any serious crime committed within its borders. In that regard, we condemn sexual and gender-based violence, including the use of sexual violence as a military tactic. Impunity is not an option. It encourages perpetrators to continue their atrocious acts. The fight against impunity should be a common effort, in which the affected State delivers and ensures the conditions to bring about justice and the international community provides technical assistance and resources to such States. The Network stresses the importance of commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions, which can substantiate alleged violations, thus opening the way to a possible referral to the International Criminal Court or cooperation with the Court or similar mechanisms.

In contemporary armed conflicts, innocent civilians often constitute an overwhelming majority of victims and have at times been deliberately targeted. The most vulnerable populations at risk include women and children, who are often killed, raped and sexually abused or forced to become soldiers. Survivors are often displaced, taking refuge in camps where they are often defenceless against armed attacks and harassment.

Ukraine has always been an active supporter of United Nations efforts aimed at protecting women and girls in armed conflicts. Our Government strongly supports all Security Council resolutions on women. We welcome the commitments of the Group of Eight on enhancing efforts to address impunity for sexual violence in conflicts, including its endorsement of the development of an international protocol on the investigation and documentation of sexual violence in conflict. In September 2013, Ukraine signed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.

In addition, peacekeeping forces have implemented training programmes for police to investigate crimes of sexual violence and other crimes and have contributed to building domestic institutional capacity. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a special paradigm in that regard, where the Security Council decided to reconfigure the mandate to authorize a peacekeeping mission to carry out offensive operations against armed groups via an intervention brigade.

With regard to the composition of missions, there needs to be an appropriate structure and the staffing that is required to protect women and children from violence, in particular sexual and gender-based violence. We recognize the United Nations policy of due diligence in the area of human rights, which should continue to be part of mandates for peacekeeping operations.

As a friend and supporter of the International Criminal Court, we have a commitment to upholding the rule of law, and we have strong faith in the institution as an international court of last resort. We remain concerned that hundreds of human rights abusers remain at large, frustrating the course of justice and endangering innocent women and children. We call for collaboration and coordination between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, through its peacekeeping missions ,to hunt down, arrest and investigate perpetrators of human rights abuse. We believe that this synergy will go a long way in strengthening the international criminal justice system and putting a human face on the victim. We believe that the international community, as a peace-loving world, has a moral obligation and responsibility to intensify efforts to protect innocent civilians, especially women and children, who are often victims of torture and rape and other sexual abuse.

Estonia is particularly concerned about the implications of armed conflicts for the most vulnerable groups. There is growing understanding that women and children are impacted uniquely and disproportionately by the effects of conflict and its aftermath. I should like to encourage the Council to include in the mandates of peacekeeping missions provisions on human rights monitoring, with special focus on the rights of children and women. We also urge the further and timely deployment of gender advisers, women's protection advisers and child protection advisers to peacekeeping missions. In addition, I should like to stress that the predeployment training must cover the subjects of sexual and gender-based violence and the protection of children. Bearing that in mind, I welcome the Secretary General's “Rights up front” initiative to make the United Nations more accountable for its responsibilities. That is an awaited move forward in acknowledging the crucial need to respond as early as possible to human rights violations.

We therefore welcome actions such as taken by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to break the cycle of violence, rape and death affecting thousands of civilians and in particular women and children. While the situation on the ground remains volatile, we also commend the role of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in providing shelter and protection to more than 70,000 internally displaced persons in South Sudan. It is essential that we build on those examples.

We strongly support the Secretary-General's “Rights up front” initiative and call for its swift implementation. The initiative, if taken seriously, has the potential not only to help peacekeeping missions to better protect civilians, but also to place the overall goal of protecting people at the centre of the Organization's policies throughout the system. The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions, particularly concerning the need for protection against sexual violence in conflict, is equally important in this context.

In the past two years, we have had the privilege of having contributed to the development of the evolving conceptual framework behind the protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict. It was during our membership of the Council that the Security Council adopted resolutions 2086 (2013) — the first to recognize the importance of the protection of civilians as part of the multidimensional mandate of a peacekeeping operation — and 2106 (2013), which also established the practice for staff of peacekeeping operations — military and civilian alike — to be given extensive training in gender issues, including on sexual violence and gender-based violence, all of this in the framework of the protection of civilians.

Furthermore, as peacekeeping has grown to encompass the broader humanitarian approach, it is worth underlining the importance of strengthening our efforts to increase the number of female peacekeepers in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Their role and presence in United Nations peacekeeping missions have been critical, including in supporting peacebuilding and protecting civilians.

This year we are marking the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. It is also 15 years since the adoption of resolution 1265 (1999). During this period, we have seen a number of positive developments relating to the role of United Nations peacekeepers in protecting civilians. These include the increased integration of protection of civilians into the mandates for United Nations peacekeeping missions; improvements in the capacity of these missions, including the establishment of women's protection advisers and of mobile human rights teams; and the increased role played by regional organizations in relation to preventing and limiting violations of international humanitarian law.

When it comes to protection, international humanitarian law should be respected by all parties to a conflict. That is why, in January in Kenya, the Netherlands organized a training course for military and civilian representatives from 11 African countries on gender awareness and the prevention of sexual violence in peacekeeping.

Peacekeeping missions must be better prepared and outfitted for that part of their mandate, and we must all chip in. The Netherlands is sending a peacekeeping unit to Mali, and we deploy experts in the protection of civilians and sexual and gender-based violence in various United Nations missions

As the concept note puts it, the experience of the past 15 years offers many challenges and opportunities for modern peacekeeping operations with protection-of-civilians mandates. We believe that such protection can be achieved only through the concerted efforts of integrated civil, military and police components with peacekeeping operations. Those efforts take into account the special protection needs of women and children through the deployment of senior women and children protection advisers.

Appropriate training for armed forces is another fundamental aspect in the protection of civilians in armed conflict. In that context, I would highlight that Spain warmly welcomed the adoption of resolution 2106 (2013), which underscores the importance of training regarding gender-based violence and the deployment of protection advisers.

Thirdly, intensive predeployment and periodic in-mission training, both on operational tasks and other protection-related elements, is vital. Those elements include, inter alia, international law, gender-based issues and cultural sensitivity. Tailor-made training courses for military, police and civilian personnel in response to different situations on the ground also need to be developed through close consultations and collaboration between the United Nations and the contributing countries.

Furthermore, the United Nations, its missions and its agencies could play a valuable coordinating role among the many actors involved, which could contribute towards realizing protection-of-civilians mandates. For United Nations missions and peacekeeping operations to achieve those goals, it is essential that they be provided with necessary support, equipment and resources. Disadvantaged categories of the population, such as women, children, people with disabilities and older persons, should be given special attention in the process of the design of protection-of-civilians mandates and strategies, as well as in the training programmes of military, police and civilian personnel. The prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, as well as the provision of services to those suffering from such violence, should be a particular area of focus.

I would like to emphasize that special attention needs to be given to vulnerable groups in society, including children, women and elder persons; national, ethnic, religious and other minorities; and displaced populations, when defining and implementing the relevant activities in peacekeeping operations and when identifying security needs.

We share the concerns raised in this Chamber regarding the innocent civilians who, sadly, often constitute an overwhelming majority of the victims in armed conflict. In particular, women and children continue to be the most vulnerable groups, subjected to various forms of extreme violence, resulting in grave humanitarian crises with huge population displacement in various parts of the world.

The picture painted in the tenth report of the Secretary-General shows that the current state of the protection of civilians “does not give much cause for optimism” (S/2013/689, para. 8). Civilians in many parts of the world continue to suffer the tragic and devastating consequences of armed conflict and are regularly targeted during attacks and indiscriminate reprisals committed in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The tragic events in the Central African Republic are the most recent reminder of the heavy toll paid by civilians, in particular women and children, in the armed conflicts imposed on them. To avoid violence and vengeful acts, civilians are often obliged to flee or seek refuge in neighbouring countries, with all the consequences that can have for the physical and mental health of those vulnerable people.

In contemporary armed conflicts, innocent civilians often constitute an overwhelming majority of victims and have at times been deliberately targeted. The most vulnerable populations at risk include women and children, who are often killed, raped and sexually abused or forced to become soldiers. Survivors are often displaced, taking refuge in camps where they are often defenceless against armed attacks and harassment.

Moreover, besides the agreement concluded for the evacuation of women and children from the city of Homs, the parties must allow humanitarian relief to reach the entire civilian population, guarantee the security of humanitarian convoys and remove administrative obstacles. The parties must guarantee humanitarian access to the civilian population.

As a friend and supporter of the International Criminal Court, we have a commitment to upholding the rule of law, and we have strong faith in the institution as an international court of last resort. We remain concerned that hundreds of human rights abusers remain at large, frustrating the course of justice and endangering innocent women and children. We call for collaboration and coordination between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, through its peacekeeping missions ,to hunt down, arrest and investigate perpetrators of human rights abuse. We believe that this synergy will go a long way in strengthening the international criminal justice system and putting a human face on the victim. We believe that the international community, as a peace-loving world, has a moral obligation and responsibility to intensify efforts to protect innocent civilians, especially women and children, who are often victims of torture and rape and other sexual abuse.

International humanitarian law stipulates a whole array of rules regarding the protection of civilians, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Under those rules, the parties to a conflict are prohibited from withholding water and food supplies from civilians, from attacking facilities liable to release hazardous substances, and from massive and indiscriminate bombing of cities or any urban centres. Besides those general provisions, women are entitled to special treatment to protect their specific vulnerability. They are therefore protected from rape, sexual slavery and all discriminatory or degrading practices linked to their gender, such as forced prostitution, forced artificial insimination and so forth. However, we regret to note that in conflicts under way throughout the world those obligations are rarely observed. In fact, they are routinely violated.

Croatia, remembering too well the horrors of war, strongly condemns the continued widespread, systematic and gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Syria, including targeted killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and the use and recruitment of children to participate in hostilities.

The Secretary-General notes in his latest report (S/2013/689) that the current state of the protection of civilians leaves little room for optimism. Estonia strongly condemns all forms of violence against civilian populations and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. We hear with great concern about children being killed and maimed in Syria and women being raped in the Central African Republic. The outbreak of armed conflict should be avoided to the extent possible by using all available measures.

Estonia is particularly concerned about the implications of armed conflicts for the most vulnerable groups. There is growing understanding that women and children are impacted uniquely and disproportionately by the effects of conflict and its aftermath. I should like to encourage the Council to include in the mandates of peacekeeping missions provisions on human rights monitoring, with special focus on the rights of children and women. We also urge the further and timely deployment of gender advisers, women's protection advisers and child protection advisers to peacekeeping missions. In addition, I should like to stress that the predeployment training must cover the subjects of sexual and gender-based violence and the protection of children. Bearing that in mind, I welcome the Secretary General's “Rights up front” initiative to make the United Nations more accountable for its responsibilities. That is an awaited move forward in acknowledging the crucial need to respond as early as possible to human rights violations.

The protection of civilians in armed conflicts is a treaty obligation under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which States have the responsibility to respect and observe. But few treaty-based obligations are as abused and overlooked as the obligation to protect civilians in armed conflicts. That is a real tragedy, and it highlights how much we have failed as an international community. There can be no higher obligation than protecting civilians — women, the young and the old — during times of armed conflict.

Nowhere, finally, is the need for protection of civilians more apparent than in Syria, where more than 3 million people remain trapped in areas of heavy fighting which are besieged by Government or opposition forces. Under-Secretary-General Amos has spoken frequently and eloquently of the humanitarian plight of ordinary Syrian men, women and children.

The protection provisions of international law, including the Geneva Conventions — in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, which includes provisions explicitly aimed at ensuring the safety of civilians in armed conflict, including specific provisions for civilians under foreign occupation — the Additional Protocols to the Conventions, the international covenants on human Rights, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the relevant United Nations resolutions are all clear and are applicable to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Nevertheless, not a day has gone by in which our situation has not been characterized as extremely volatile and in which grave transgressions of international humanitarian law and the protection provisions have been committed by the occupying Power. That includes the period covered by the Secretary-General's report, which witnessed a significant increase in Palestinian civilian causalities, including among women, children and the elderly.

As a friend and supporter of the International Criminal Court, we have a commitment to upholding the rule of law, and we have strong faith in the institution as an international court of last resort. We remain concerned that hundreds of human rights abusers remain at large, frustrating the course of justice and endangering innocent women and children. We call for collaboration and coordination between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, through its peacekeeping missions ,to hunt down, arrest and investigate perpetrators of human rights abuse. We believe that this synergy will go a long way in strengthening the international criminal justice system and putting a human face on the victim. We believe that the international community, as a peace-loving world, has a moral obligation and responsibility to intensify efforts to protect innocent civilians, especially women and children, who are often victims of torture and rape and other sexual abuse.

We must continue to work closely to strengthen efforts and coordination to prevent and respond to sexual violence, such as rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion and enforced sterilizations. Even in times of conflict, the promotion of accountability, including by increasing the capacity to prosecute perpetrators of such acts, is important.

We are appalled by reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence that are being used as weapons of war, targeting in particular women and girls. That is not isolated to a single conflict, nor can it be regarded as collateral damage of war. It is of the utmost importance that rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict be recognized as war crimes and crimes against humanity and fall under the competence of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Against that background, we fully welcome the further institutional dialogue between the ICC and the Security Council.

With all the aforesaid in mind, Croatia joined the United Kingdom's initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict and supported the elaboration of an international protocol on the investigation and documentation of rape and sexual violence in conflict.

The third challenge is accountability. States have the obligation to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law and to investigate and prosecute any serious crime committed within its borders. In that regard, we condemn sexual and gender-based violence, including the use of sexual violence as a military tactic. Impunity is not an option. It encourages perpetrators to continue their atrocious acts. The fight against impunity should be a common effort, in which the affected State delivers and ensures the conditions to bring about justice and the international community provides technical assistance and resources to such States. The Network stresses the importance of commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions, which can substantiate alleged violations, thus opening the way to a possible referral to the International Criminal Court or cooperation with the Court or similar mechanisms.

Seven, we should concentrate on the elimination of post-conflict effects on the mortality rate of children and women as an indirect cause of war. In ongoing conflicts, men die more frequently in direct armed actions, whereas women die more frequently in the post-conflict period.

In addition, peacekeeping forces have implemented training programmes for police to investigate crimes of sexual violence and other crimes and have contributed to building domestic institutional capacity. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a special paradigm in that regard, where the Security Council decided to reconfigure the mandate to authorize a peacekeeping mission to carry out offensive operations against armed groups via an intervention brigade.

With regard to the composition of missions, there needs to be an appropriate structure and the staffing that is required to protect women and children from violence, in particular sexual and gender-based violence. We recognize the United Nations policy of due diligence in the area of human rights, which should continue to be part of mandates for peacekeeping operations.

Over the years, Canada has sought to encourage and facilitate serious work on improving how the United Nations prevents and responds to situations of armed conflict. We are principally concerned with addressing the protection needs of the most vulnerable in these contexts — including women, religious communities and children.

Many other relevant resolutions were also adopted on the protection of civilian populations, including resolution 1612 (2005), on children and armed conflict, which established a monitoring and reporting mechanism for parties to conflict; as well as resolution 1820 (2008), on sexual violence in armed conflict, adopted 19 June 2008, which provides for the possibility of targeted sanctions being imposed on those responsible for such crimes and gives the Secretary-General and peacekeeping operations a mandate to address the various aspects of these questions.

While the increased use of sexual and gender-based violence as a war tactic has already been addressed in the Security Council, most notably through its resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), it is undeniable that this kind of violence continues to occur at an alarming rate. It is therefore necessary for United Nations peacekeeping operations to effectively address the impact of armed conflict on women and children and to support women's participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding as much as possible. Women should also play an important role in peacekeeping missions in order to enhance confidence-building with the targeted communities.

Estonia is particularly concerned about the implications of armed conflicts for the most vulnerable groups. There is growing understanding that women and children are impacted uniquely and disproportionately by the effects of conflict and its aftermath. I should like to encourage the Council to include in the mandates of peacekeeping missions provisions on human rights monitoring, with special focus on the rights of children and women. We also urge the further and timely deployment of gender advisers, women's protection advisers and child protection advisers to peacekeeping missions. In addition, I should like to stress that the predeployment training must cover the subjects of sexual and gender-based violence and the protection of children. Bearing that in mind, I welcome the Secretary General's “Rights up front” initiative to make the United Nations more accountable for its responsibilities. That is an awaited move forward in acknowledging the crucial need to respond as early as possible to human rights violations.

We strongly support the Secretary-General's “Rights up front” initiative and call for its swift implementation. The initiative, if taken seriously, has the potential not only to help peacekeeping missions to better protect civilians, but also to place the overall goal of protecting people at the centre of the Organization's policies throughout the system. The implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions, particularly concerning the need for protection against sexual violence in conflict, is equally important in this context.

In the past two years, we have had the privilege of having contributed to the development of the evolving conceptual framework behind the protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict. It was during our membership of the Council that the Security Council adopted resolutions 2086 (2013) — the first to recognize the importance of the protection of civilians as part of the multidimensional mandate of a peacekeeping operation — and 2106 (2013), which also established the practice for staff of peacekeeping operations — military and civilian alike — to be given extensive training in gender issues, including on sexual violence and gender-based violence, all of this in the framework of the protection of civilians.

Peacekeeping missions must be better prepared and outfitted for that part of their mandate, and we must all chip in. The Netherlands is sending a peacekeeping unit to Mali, and we deploy experts in the protection of civilians and sexual and gender-based violence in various United Nations missions

Appropriate training for armed forces is another fundamental aspect in the protection of civilians in armed conflict. In that context, I would highlight that Spain warmly welcomed the adoption of resolution 2106 (2013), which underscores the importance of training regarding gender-based violence and the deployment of protection advisers.

The Group of Friends welcomes the latest report of the Secretary-General under review today (S/2013/689). In the past couple of months, crises have emerged, re-emerged or have been amplified in many different places, and it is with great concern that we observe that the number of civilians affected by armed conflict has significantly increased over the period covered by the report in almost all of the countries reviewed. While all civilians may be victims of conflict in various ways, women and children are particularly exposed during all stages of armed conflict. The full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions is crucial in that regard.

Furthermore, the United Nations, its missions and its agencies could play a valuable coordinating role among the many actors involved, which could contribute towards realizing protection-of-civilians mandates. For United Nations missions and peacekeeping operations to achieve those goals, it is essential that they be provided with necessary support, equipment and resources. Disadvantaged categories of the population, such as women, children, people with disabilities and older persons, should be given special attention in the process of the design of protection-of-civilians mandates and strategies, as well as in the training programmes of military, police and civilian personnel. The prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, as well as the provision of services to those suffering from such violence, should be a particular area of focus.

Ukraine has always been an active supporter of United Nations efforts aimed at protecting women and girls in armed conflicts. Our Government strongly supports all Security Council resolutions on women. We welcome the commitments of the Group of Eight on enhancing efforts to address impunity for sexual violence in conflicts, including its endorsement of the development of an international protocol on the investigation and documentation of sexual violence in conflict. In September 2013, Ukraine signed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.