Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, December 2010

Two important strands of international concern converge in this debate. These are the struggle to empower women and the constant endeavour of the United Nations to preserve peace and international security.

The struggle to empower women has moved forward from declaratory resolutions. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Commission on the Status of Women have been milestones in that journey.

The proceedings of the Council today will add to the edifice created by resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009) and 1888 (2009). Those and other decisions of the Security Council on, inter alia, sexual violence, children and the protection of civilians have led to a significant addition to the corpus of international law.

At the outset, let me thank the United States for leading the Council's work in its efforts to address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to the health and lives of the victims and of their communities. And let me be clear: sexual violence is a serious impediment to peace, security and development. Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) — the latter adopted today — complement in important and concrete ways the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security by recognizing sexual violence as a security issue and a possible war crime and in adding provisions on protection, monitoring and enforcement tools. The Nordic countries fully support the resolutions and the Council's work.

"My delegation would also wish to underscore the fact that peace, justice and security are interdependent. There can be no peace without the peace of mind that enables women to undertake their daily tasks, no justice without a national capacity to deliver justice, and no security without women's security. For this reason, the issue that we are addressing today — women and peace and security — is important and deserves the absolute and unrelenting support of the international community."

Canada's long-standing support for the rights and well-being of women and girls in situations of conflict is reflected through our continuing active implementation of Council resolutions, including through strong advocacy work, significant international programming addressing sexual violence, support for civil society and efforts to strengthen international criminal justice mechanisms. Canada's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, adopted in October, will help us to focus and coordinate implementation of our commitments and increase the effectiveness of Canada's response.

Less than two months ago, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Unfortunately, progress towards the implementation of cross-cutting gender commitments, especially those aimed at curbing, punishing perpetrators of and protecting against sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, has not been satisfactory. In that respect, we welcome the progress made on Ms. Wallström's five-point priority agenda as a step forward in the process.

Colombia, in its capacity as one of the Friends of 1325, will continue to closely monitor developments in the area of women and peace and security and reiterates its commitment to the implementation of policies, plans and programmes that expand and strengthen the role of women in peacebuilding.

All the United Nations world conferences on women have recognized the interlinkage between gender equality, development and peace. In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Member States devoted a section of the Beijing Platform for Action to women and armed conflict, noting that women and girls were particularly affected by armed conflict because of their status in society and their sex. Member States also highlighted particular forms of violence against women in situations of armed conflict.

I conclude by thanking the presidency of the Council for this month, the United States, for having convened this debate, and by calling on the Council to engage decisively in the implementation of the resolutions, which Chile supported together with the mother resolution 1325 (2000), for which we already have a national plan. In our opinion, such implementation will be concrete only if we commit ourselves to concerted action and accountability as regards prevention, participation and protection, taking into account all the stakeholders involved.

The appointment of Ms. Wallström in February this year was an important signal that increased and focused action would be undertaken in the fight against the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. No one can deny that sexual violence in armed conflict is an abhorrent crime that in some conflict areas is systematically used to destabilize whole societies, and thus constitutes a serious security problem requiring a systematic response, including by the Security Council. With the adoption of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), the Council gave this issue the comprehensive and global attention it deserves. We therefore strongly welcome the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) and its recommendations, which are reflected in the new resolution 1960 (2010) adopted by the Security Council today. It is a good resolution. We commend all Security Council members for agreeing on this important document in such a short period of time. This underlines the urgency of the problem and shows that the Council is sincerely committed to tackling this issue.

Luxembourg will continue to pay close attention to the needs of women and children in conflict situations. We encourage the Security Council not to relent in its efforts to achieve concrete progress and reduce the suffering of women and children in conflict
situations.

In the context of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) and of the third year of the Dutch national action plan, the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence jointly produced a publication entitled The Dutch Do's on Women, Peace and Security —
Diplomacy, Defence and Development in Partnership. The publication describes the implementation of the Dutch integrated approach towards women, peace and security at the country level — for instance, by supporting the political participation of women in Afghanistan and by integrating gender training with security-sector development in Burundi and sexual violence issues in the Dutch support to the Congolese security sector.

Despite some achievements and the fact that the issue of women's rights and peace and security has been on the agenda of the Security Council and other relevant United Nations institutions for a decade, we all recognize that serious challenges remain in transforming those positive developments into tangible results. Indeed, women and children are the worst-affected segment of populations in modern conflicts, in which they are influenced by the degradation of their living conditions and fundamental rights.

The violation of the rights of women is one of the principal characteristics of various conflicts across the world in both conflict and post-conflict situations. Unfortunately, 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the plight of women and girls in armed conflict is still dire. Regrettably, the war in Georgia in August 2008 was no exception in that sense. It resulted in the gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including violence against women.

Thanks to the resolve of the international community the operational and peacekeeping activities of the United Nations has been oriented towards recognizing the plight of women and children in conflict areas and being proactive in working towards preventing violence against them. India supports those developments.

The Secretariat and the funds and programmes can do more. We believe that greater participation by women in the areas of conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction is an essential prerequisite for lasting peace and security.

Let me also thank and give further encouragement to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Margot Wallström and to United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. Special Representative Wallström's briefing to the Council and the insightful report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604) show that all possible synergies and joint efforts are needed for the United Nations to support national Governments in their efforts to fulfil their responsibilities to prevent and effectively respond to sexual violence.

Preventing sexual violence should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, in many conflict situations, national Governments and the United Nations alike have failed to protect civilians from violence. Widespread impunity in conflict situations has led to a culture of impunity and the “normalization” of sexual violence after the conflict has ended.

Better monitoring and reporting, effective measures against impunity and comprehensive reparations for victims all contribute to prevention, and that is why I am focusing on these aspects today.

Investigating and prosecuting all acts of conflict- related sexual violence are both legal obligations and powerful deterrents. This includes holding commanders accountable for ordering, condoning or failing to prevent acts of sexual violence committed by troops under their control. We must find ways to strengthen national judicial systems and processes, including through the deployment of the teams of experts on the rule of law. In some instances it may be necessary to refer cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We also encourage the Council to use other mechanisms at its disposal, such as fact-finding commissions and commissions of inquiry.

The Nordic countries promote women's participation at all stages of conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding processes. Sexual violence should always be addressed in peace and ceasefire agreements, and no amnesty should be granted for such abuses.

"The lifelong negative effects on victims and perpetrators alike of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, buttress the call for prevention of conflict and, where conflict exists, for expedient action in ending the conflict. While recognizing that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with each State, the implementation of (2008) and 1888 (2009) would be better realized through genuine partnerships between nation States and other international efforts."

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

The prevention of and response to sexual violence should also be included in the mandates of all United Nations peacekeeping missions. To that end, the Council must design and implement mandates to support peace efforts that better respond to all forms of violence against civilians, and ensure that strategies for combating sexual violence in conflict are integrated into the work of United Nations country teams. Local organizations devoted to protecting women often assess the ongoing threat of sexual violence in their communities.

To conclude, we are encouraged by the additional measures proposed in the Secretary-General's report. Canada calls on the Security Council to take action today to respond to the report's recommendations so that the international community can undertake active and coordinated efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence.

Sexual violence against women and girls is simultaneously a war crime, a crime against humanity and a grave threat to peace and security. In spite of the enormous efforts made by the international community on the ground to bring it to an end — in implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) — too many women and girls continue to be victims of rape, sexual slavery and every other sort of sexual violence. Basing myself on the report of the Secretary-General, I should like to refer to three aspects, namely, improving protection for vulnerable populations on the ground, especially women and girls; strengthening legal provisions to better combat impunity; and strengthening the means for preventing outbreaks of sexual violence during conflicts.

In the same vein, we are convinced that the Secretary-General' proposal to annex to his reports on this issue a list of the names of those who carry out sexual violence should serve as a effective instrument for deterrence. However, as we noted during the last debate on the protection of civilians (S/PV.6427), combating impunity is chiefly the responsibility of States. That is why my delegation highlights the need to help countries emerging from conflict to develop reliable judicial structures.

The fight against sexual violence in armed conflicts requires prevention first and foremost. From that angle, the Member States, the United Nations, donors and civil society must resolutely take that approach. Raising awareness regarding the serious danger that sexual violence can create in society should guide their actions. Early warning mechanisms that can detect indicator signs in due time are also essential pillars for actions aimed at eradicating sexual violence in armed conflicts.

The United Nations and the international community have demonstrated their firm commitment and political will to prevent sexual violence against women, combat impunity and enforce accountability. On the other hand, it is equally crucial that national authorities make every effort to ensure that perpetrators of sexual crimes be brought to justice and not go unpunished. In that context, international assistance is of vital importance as post-conflict countries' rebuild their justice systems and prosecute the perpetrators of sexual violence.

We reiterate the need for adequate capabilities and clear and appropriate guidelines to enable peacekeeping missions to carry out their mandated tasks, including preventing and responding to sexual violence. Recruiting women in civil, military and police components of peacekeeping missions can encourage local women to report incidents of sexual violence. Deployment of a greater number of female police and military personnel with adequate training in gender-based violence is vital for better addressing issues related to sexual violence on the ground. It can also contribute to establishing better communication with local communities.

Finally, we would like to point out that the international community has taken noteworthy steps, including the adoption of relevant resolutions, to tackle the issue of sexual violence. But, more importantly, the time has come to start converting commitments and promises into real actions on the ground to prevent violence, protect individuals, punish perpetrators and provide redress to victims. Bosnia and Herzegovina stands ready to contribute to those effort

The Commission on the Status of Women, too, has contributed to advancing global policy on women, peace and security. At its forty-eighth session in 2004, the Commission considered women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution and in post-conflict peacebuilding. In its agreed conclusions, the Commission recognized that women and girls were often subject to particular forms of violence and deprivation in armed conflict, and called for measures to prevent gender-based violence arising from armed conflict and in post-conflict situations, including sexual violence against women and girls. The agreed conclusions also urged Governments to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes.

When the Council takes up issues such as sexual violence, the challenge is how to address in political, and even operational, terms an issue that is deeply moral in nature. In other words, the Council is called upon to help to translate our sorrow and outrage at such horrific violence into practical action capable of bringing about real change. To that end, we need an integrated approach that combines prevention, combating impunity and providing support to victims.

Support to national awareness-raising activities and information campaigns that seek to break taboos and misperceptions around the issue are particularly important to preventive efforts. For example, as the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) highlights, the myth that rape is an inevitable by-product of war is persistent and dangerously self-fulfilling. The stigma and silence that already hamper addressing sexual violence in peacetime can never be allowed to prevail, especially when such violence becomes a tactic of war.

In situations where peacekeeping operations are deployed, the United Nations role in prevention becomes one of particular relevance, as the enhanced resources at its disposal create higher expectations among local populations and in international public opinion. In order to live up to such expectations, we must ensure that the prevention of sexual violence is truly made a mission-wide endeavour that involves not only troops and police but all mission components.

Chile attaches great importance to the issue of conflict-related sexual violence, which usually affects highly vulnerable groups and which represents a threat to security and a persistent obstacle to peacebuilding, including in situations addressed by the Council. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which my country has ratified, defines six types of sexual violence as crimes against humanity. Accordingly — and in the belief that such violence should be a priority for those dealing with establishing, maintaining and building peace, as well as for humanitarian workers — Chile co-sponsored resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Those resolutions enable the international community to focus on prevention and real-time responses, not merely on the necessary corrective measures.

Believing as we do in the merit of the principles underpinning those resolutions, we welcome the Secretary-General's comprehensive report (S/2010/604) on this subject. We also wish to highlight the role played by Ms. Margot Wallström's in fulfilling her mandate as the Secretary-General's Special Representative. We urge her to continue to work actively and collaboratively while avoiding duplication of efforts addressed in other mandates. We also thank her for the field missions she has undertaken, which have borne eloquent witness to the horrors of this scourge. In that regard, we were outraged at the large- scale violations committed in July and August. We acknowledge the crucial need to address this scourge in exemplary, timely and sustainable ways. We also take note of the important work of the network of 13 entities involved in the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. We hope that it will receive the support it needs to continue to improve prevention and early warning mechanisms.

I conclude by thanking the presidency of the Council for this month, the United States, for having convened this debate, and by calling on the Council to engage decisively in the implementation of the resolutions, which Chile supported together with the mother resolution 1325 (2000), for which we already have a national plan. In our opinion, such implementation will be concrete only if we commit ourselves to concerted action and accountability as regards prevention, participation and protection, taking into account all the stakeholders involved.

We recognize that the Security Council has taken determined steps to eliminate the problem of sexual violence in armed conflict. It must continue its work pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009) based on the following four pillars: the fight against impunity; the prevention of new cases and protection of vulnerable groups; security sector reform; and comprehensive care and reparations for victims.

The Security Council faces significant challenges. It must ensure the functioning and impact of the monitoring system and the presentation of reports on sexual violence in conflict, and systematically include components on gender and on prevention of sexual violence in the terms of reference of its field visits and the mandates for its peacekeeping operations. My delegation hopes that the Security Council will step up its efforts to combat this problem more effectively

As the nature of conflict evolves, not only are civilians more frequently targeted, but we are also witnessing a disturbing trend in the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. The international community is rightly appalled by such trends, and it is also our responsibility to take action to protect civilians and prevent such incidents.

Secondly, preventing and responding to sexual violence require a more coherent and coordinated approach within the United Nations system. For example, a more integrated strategic framework between peacekeeping missions and United Nations country teams should be established to formulate mission objectives targeted at women and peace and security, as well as to evaluate their implementation. We hope that UN Women, which will come into operation in January 2011, will play a leading role in coordinating various activities related to the work on women and peace and security among United Nations entities.

At the regional level, the Great Lakes region has taken important steps to address sexual violence. On 18 June 2008, just one day before the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008), member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) committed themselves under what became known as the Goma Declaration to eradicate all forms of gender-based violence. The Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region has a specific protocol on the prevention and suppression of sexual violence against women and children and model legislation on the suppression of sexual violence against women and children.

Early warning signs of conflict-related sexual violence are often received. But as the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August sadly demonstrated, our coordinated and comprehensive analysis of those signs must be strengthened in order to improve the prospects for preventing attacks on civilians. Sexual violence is not unique in that regard. We encourage all relevant parts of the United Nations system to collaborate in identifying a comprehensive matrix of early warning signs and recommended responses. As we know, the Special Advisers on the prevention of genocide and on the responsibility to protect are also undertaking relevant and important work in this field. A coordinated and comprehensive approach to early warning will enhance the response capacity of peacekeepers on the ground.

Thirdly, sexual violence is never a by-product of conflict and it can be prevented. As the SecretaryGeneral's report underlines, we need to focus not only on collecting timely and reliable information, but also on analysis of trends and patterns of sexual violence. Engaging all stakeholders — including national institutions, humanitarian actors and civil society — in the process of such analysis would contribute to the prevention of sexual violence.

One of the lessons learned from the mass rape in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August this year is the need for communication between United Nations missions and the local community. I would like to stress that such communication could also provide early warning of imminent problems. The set of indicators for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) will likewise be an important tool for providing early warning of sexual violence, and we hope that they will be operational at the earliest possible date. We also look forward to seeing an early warning matrix of risk factors developed by Special Representative Wallström.

Thus the fight against sexual violence is not only a matter of human rights but is, and should be, at the heart of our efforts to stop and resolve conflicts. For that reason, we completely share the SecretaryGeneral's assessment that sexual violence should be a priority consideration not only for humanitarian actors but also for peacemakers, peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

The international community cannot remain indifferent to such atrocities, nor accept the myth that rape is an inevitable by-product of war. Doing so would paralyse any attempt to eradicate such actions. Sexual violence must be considered a violation of the victims' human rights; that being the case, the perpetrators must be prosecuted, judged and punished. At the same time, we must step-up awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the civilian population vis-à-vis preventing such crimes. And we must urge States to strengthen protection for girls and women in conflicts.

The Netherlands is committed to strengthening the protection against and the prevention of conflict related sexual violations and violence. We provide financial support to scenario-based training on sexual violence for United Nations peacekeepers, which is referred to both in the Secretary-General's report and in the new resolution. We believe that operational readiness with regard to sexual violence can increase effectiveness in the overall protection of civilians.

Finally, let me reassure the Council that Georgia supports the efforts of the entire United Nations family to prevent, and eventually eradicate, violence against women.

The Secretariat and the funds and programmes can do more. We believe that greater participation by women in the areas of conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction is an essential prerequisite for lasting peace and security.

The Nordic countries promote women's participation at all stages of conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding processes. Sexual violence should always be addressed in peace and ceasefire agreements, and no amnesty should be granted for such abuses.

The Nordic countries support the efforts of UN Women and the Department of Political Affairs in developing guidance for mediators on addressing sexual violence in peace negotiations. We also welcome and support their Joint Strategy on Gender and Mediation. We believe that it will be an effective tool for strengthening women's participation in peace processes and for providing expertise and guidance to the parties and the mediators. Leaving sexual violence unaddressed undermines the very purpose of a peace agreement: peace and security for all.

"My delegation would also wish to underscore the fact that peace, justice and security are interdependent. There can be no peace without the peace of mind that enables women to undertake their daily tasks, no justice without a national capacity to deliver justice, and no security without women's security. For this reason, the issue that we are addressing today — women and peace and security — is important and deserves the absolute and unrelenting support of the international community."

"More women should be involved in peace mediation and peacebuilding processes. Decisions should not be made for women. Women must be part and parcel of a process that affects them. In that regard, Kenya's new constitutional requirement that no more than two-thirds of the members of elected or appointed bodies shall be of the same gender is a principle that can be emulated in order to mainstream women into such processes."

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

Canada welcomes today's presentation by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Wallström, and strongly supports her efforts to provide strategic leadership and strengthen United Nations coordination mechanisms in order to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. Addressing sexual violence demands a double focus: ensuring women's empowerment and participation, while also focusing on matters of accountability and justice.

Women's full enjoyment of all human rights has been a priority of the Human Security Network since its inception. While it is crucial to this agenda that we maintain momentum in the fight against sexual violence, we also underline the importance of women's empowerment as part of the solution. Sustainable peace is not possible without the participation of women; and without the participation of women in laying the foundations for sustainable peace, sustainable development may also be hindered in the future.

However, our efforts will not produce the desired results without more sustained dialogue with all parties to a conflict. Among other things, such a dialogue come about by providing psychological support for victims and carrying out awareness-raising efforts among those involved. It is our belief that women themselves could play such roles.

It is equally vital in that exercise that a privileged place be given to women themselves. As we have seen from experience, their perceptions and commitment are undeniable and unparalleled. Not to take that fact into account would mean to deprive ourselves of an advantage in the fight against the discrimination and violence of which women and girls are the chief victims. That is particularly true in the context of the truth and reconciliation processes, which are a proven means to help battered societies and peoples recover from the agony of war and violence.

We reiterate the need for adequate capabilities and clear and appropriate guidelines to enable peacekeeping missions to carry out their mandated tasks, including preventing and responding to sexual violence. Recruiting women in civil, military and police components of peacekeeping missions can encourage local women to report incidents of sexual violence. Deployment of a greater number of female police and military personnel with adequate training in gender-based violence is vital for better addressing issues related to sexual violence on the ground. It can also contribute to establishing better communication with local communities.

Allow me first to emphasize the importance of the role of the United Nations in promoting the participation of women in achieving peace, security and development, as well as in the initiatives undertaken in response to the problem of sexual violence in conflicts.

Resolution 1888 (2009) includes provisions for increasing the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. We agree that their participation in that regard contributes to creating an atmosphere of trust in which women and children can expose the abuses to which they are subjected. We also believe that their inclusion can generate greater participation by women in law enforcement, militaries and police agencies in countries in which they are deployed.

Strengthening the role and capacity of women, as well as justice and the enforcement of their rights, is of utmost importance for the Government of Colombia. In that effort, the contribution of the United Nations system and the international community is essential.

The Commission on the Status of Women, too, has contributed to advancing global policy on women, peace and security. At its forty-eighth session in 2004, the Commission considered women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution and in post-conflict peacebuilding. In its agreed conclusions, the Commission recognized that women and girls were often subject to particular forms of violence and deprivation in armed conflict, and called for measures to prevent gender-based violence arising from armed conflict and in post-conflict situations, including sexual violence against women and girls. The agreed conclusions also urged Governments to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes.

In 2008, the Commission evaluated progress in the implementation of the 2004 agreed conclusions through an interactive dialogue. Many participants reported on initiatives to address sexual violence in armed conflict and to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping and security forces. They also highlighted the need to strengthen efforts at the national and international levels to address sexual violence in armed conflict as a threat to peace and security.

I conclude by thanking the presidency of the Council for this month, the United States, for having convened this debate, and by calling on the Council to engage decisively in the implementation of the resolutions, which Chile supported together with the mother resolution 1325 (2000), for which we already have a national plan. In our opinion, such implementation will be concrete only if we commit ourselves to concerted action and accountability as regards prevention, participation and protection, taking into account all the stakeholders involved.

Thirdly, we need to increase the participation of women in peace processes and to strengthen their capacity. The full participation of women, particularly local women, in such efforts is essential to creating inclusive and sustainable peace. Research conducted
by the United Nations Development Fund for Women demonstrates that, since 1992, women have, on average, made up less than 8 per cent of the participants in official delegations to peace processes. Where women have participated in peace negotiations, the resulting peace agreements are more likely to reflect women's experiences of conflict and to contain elements of judicial, economic, social and political remedies for the abuses that they have suffered.

On its part, the Republic of Korea has been active in implementing resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) by mainstreaming a gender-sensitive approach in all its policies and activities and by increasing women's participation at all levels. In that regard, we recently deployed a gender adviser as a member of an Afghanistan provincial reconstruction team. We will remain committed to the complete and successful implementation of the resolutions.

In conclusion, I would like emphasize that sexual violence poses an obstacle to peace and security. It impedes women from participating in peace and democratic processes and in post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. As a tool of war it can become a way of life: once entrenched in the fabric of society, it lingers long after the guns have fallen silent. Many women lose their health, livelihoods, husbands, families and support networks as a result of rape. This, in turn, can shatter the structures that anchor community values, and with that disrupt their transmission to future generations. Children accustomed to acts of rape can grow into adults who accept such acts as the norm. This vicious cycle must stop, as we cannot accept a selective zero-tolerance policy. Today's adoption of resolution 1960 (2010), on sexual violence, is an important step in that direction. It is for that reason that Slovenia joined in co-sponsoring it.

We also welcome the inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions in civil, military and police functions. Ugandan women, and particularly those in military and police forces, are currently engaged in peacekeeping missions in the region and around the world. We are convinced that, wherever they are based, their presence has a positive influence and may encourage women from local communities to report all acts of sexual violence.

Female peacekeepers and women protection advisors are crucial in this sense. Where they have been present, local populations have more readily reported on instances of sexual violence. Today's resolution unequivocally supports their presence and the need to mainstream them. Furthermore, we welcome the development by the Secretariat of scenario-based training materials on combating sexual violence for peacekeepers, and we encourage Member States to use them.

Despite some small progress achieved so far, we cannot fail to note that much remains to be done. Many structural and institutional impediments remain, which we should overcome in order to meet the challenges before us. Likewise, equally strong measures are needed to increase the participation of women in the work of peace, including post-conflict recovery efforts and peace processes, since that will help overcome the negative consequences of sexual violence, such as shame and stigma.

At the same time, in a broader context, Luxembourg has just decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening the leadership and participation of women in peacebuilding activities in countries
emerging from conflict. That project includes the organization of several meetings at national and regional levels — one on West Africa, the other the Great Lakes region — to facilitate the exchange of good practices in that regard. The protection of women and girls against sexual violence will also be discussed in that context.

In the context of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) and of the third year of the Dutch national action plan, the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence jointly produced a publication entitled The Dutch Do's on Women, Peace and Security —
Diplomacy, Defence and Development in Partnership. The publication describes the implementation of the Dutch integrated approach towards women, peace and security at the country level — for instance, by supporting the political participation of women in Afghanistan and by integrating gender training with security-sector development in Burundi and sexual violence issues in the Dutch support to the Congolese security sector.

Finally, we are pleased to announce bilateral collaboration between the Netherlands and Spain in the development of more civilian and military gender capacity so as to increase operational readiness. We have a responsibility to arrive well prepared at our
respective missions, be they peacekeeping, military or civilian. That commitment resulted from a recent Spanish-Dutch seminar with troop-contributing countries on the subject of gender in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. One conclusion of the seminar was that sustainable peace and reconstruction could only be achieved by involving local communities and by supporting active roles for women.

The Secretariat and the funds and programmes can do more. We believe that greater participation by women in the areas of conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction is an essential prerequisite for lasting peace and security.

The Nordic countries promote women's participation at all stages of conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding processes. Sexual violence should always be addressed in peace and ceasefire agreements, and no amnesty should be granted for such abuses.

The Nordic countries support the efforts of UN Women and the Department of Political Affairs in developing guidance for mediators on addressing sexual violence in peace negotiations. We also welcome and support their Joint Strategy on Gender and Mediation. We believe that it will be an effective tool for strengthening women's participation in peace processes and for providing expertise and guidance to the parties and the mediators. Leaving sexual violence unaddressed undermines the very purpose of a peace agreement: peace and security for all.

"More women should be involved in peace mediation and peacebuilding processes. Decisions should not be made for women. Women must be part and parcel of a process that affects them. In that regard, Kenya's new constitutional requirement that no more than two-thirds of the members of elected or appointed bodies shall be of the same gender is a principle that can be emulated in order to mainstream women into such processes."

The extremely negative effect of sexual violence on peace processes, reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction clearly makes that crime a security threat. Sexual violence is not a mere by-product of war; it is more often than not a deliberate tactic of warfare. The Council, alongside affected States, has a clear responsibility to use all tools at its disposal to put an end to this scourge. Listing parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence; establishing monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements; and monitoring the implementation of commitments by parties to armed conflict would significantly enhance a systematic consideration by the Council, and thus the Council's capacities to act.

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

The Human Security Network also takes note of the recommendation regarding the adoption by relevant sanctions committees of sanctions and other targeted measures against individuals and entities. In this regard, the exchange of information among United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Security Council sanctions committees will be of great importance.

In the 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), we have seen some positive steps to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Unfortunately, overall progress is slow. Israel joined the list of sponsors of resolution 1960 (2010), recognizing the urgent need for collective action on this pressing issue. As a co-sponsor of the previous resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), Israel remains deeply committed to their full implementation. We welcome the increased deployment of gender advisers, the routine inclusion of provisions in peacekeeping mandates that protect women and girls from sexual violence, and the growing awareness of the need to include women in any peacemaking process.

Thirdly, we need to increase the participation of women in peace processes and to strengthen their capacity. The full participation of women, particularly local women, in such efforts is essential to creating inclusive and sustainable peace. Research conducted
by the United Nations Development Fund for Women demonstrates that, since 1992, women have, on average, made up less than 8 per cent of the participants in official delegations to peace processes. Where women have participated in peace negotiations, the resulting peace agreements are more likely to reflect women's experiences of conflict and to contain elements of judicial, economic, social and political remedies for the abuses that they have suffered.

We take great pride in the stellar record of our peacekeepers, both men and women, in the protection of women, children and the weak. Indian troops have apprehended some of the principal culprits behind the recent sexual violence in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We can do much more if more resources are made available.

We believe that women's protection advisers have a key role to play in implementation, and we would be happy to contribute such personnel. We value the contributions of civil society in that arena.

At the outset, let me thank the United States for leading the Council's work in its efforts to address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to the health and lives of the victims and of their communities. And let me be clear: sexual violence is a serious impediment to peace, security and development. Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) — the latter adopted today — complement in important and concrete ways the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security by recognizing sexual violence as a security issue and a possible war crime and in adding provisions on protection, monitoring and enforcement tools. The Nordic countries fully support the resolutions and the Council's work.

Preventing sexual violence should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, in many conflict situations, national Governments and the United Nations alike have failed to protect civilians from violence. Widespread impunity in conflict situations has led to a culture of impunity and the “normalization” of sexual violence after the conflict has ended.

"In his report, the Secretary-General brings to light how conflict-related sexual violence has become a threat to human security, especially for women and girls. The report also highlights how such violence is an impediment to socio-economic development and peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict situations. The continued use of sexual violence as a tactic of war serves as a wake-up call to all of us that more needs to be done to protect women and girls from sexual violence."

"My delegation appreciates the very important role that women's protection advisers will play in protecting women and girls from sexual violence. Their support for the monitoring, analysis and reporting system on sexual violence and their facilitation of dialogue with parties to conflict are welcome. The development and implementation of strategies to combat sexual violence and the mainstreaming of the elimination of sexual violence into policies and operations of peacekeeping and political missions are also welcome."

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

Madame President, please rest assured that my delegation will remain closely engaged in issues of protection of civilians, among them in particular the protection from and prevention of sexual violence, after our membership in this body ends. We are looking forward to continuing our work with interested delegations and the United Nations system.

All necessary steps, including targeted measures, must be taken to protect individuals, hold perpetrators accountable and provide remedy to victims. Ending impunity for perpetrators and those responsible in chains of command, including United Nations personnel, is imperative. The Rome Statute's qualification of sexual-related crimes as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity constituted a major achievement in the fight against impunity. In this connection, we urge the Security Council to refer relevant cases to the International Criminal Court.

Sexual violence against women and girls is simultaneously a war crime, a crime against humanity and a grave threat to peace and security. In spite of the enormous efforts made by the international community on the ground to bring it to an end — in implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) — too many women and girls continue to be victims of rape, sexual slavery and every other sort of sexual violence. Basing myself on the report of the Secretary-General, I should like to refer to three aspects, namely, improving protection for vulnerable populations on the ground, especially women and girls; strengthening legal provisions to better combat impunity; and strengthening the means for preventing outbreaks of sexual violence during conflicts.

With regard to improving protection for vulnerable populations, Gabon would like to underscore the importance of ensuring better protection for women and girls in the field. In that regard, we would like to highlight the enormous efforts made by peacekeeping missions, which too often operate in difficult situations and in places that severely challenge their efforts to ensure effective protection for those at risk.

In addition, we must use this opportunity to underscore the responsibilities of States and parties to conflict to observe and uphold their international obligations and respect international humanitarian law, which grants special protection to women and children. We are of the opinion that United Nations bodies and donors should extend more support to national Governments in building capacities and developing gender-sensitive programmes for survivors of sexual violence, with services ranging from access to justice to provision of psychological care. The role of non-governmental organizations is particularly relevant in this process.

Finally, we would like to point out that the international community has taken noteworthy steps, including the adoption of relevant resolutions, to tackle the issue of sexual violence. But, more importantly, the time has come to start converting commitments and promises into real actions on the ground to prevent violence, protect individuals, punish perpetrators and provide redress to victims. Bosnia and Herzegovina stands ready to contribute to those effort

Recent events have shown that contacts with local populations are critical to ensuring protection. The role of civil affairs and public information components is therefore key. They should have the necessary resources — especially guidance and trained personnel — to be able to help avoid outrageous violence such as that witnessed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are encouraged by the measures being taken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to mainstream the prevention of sexual violence in peacekeeping missions.

I conclude by thanking the presidency of the Council for this month, the United States, for having convened this debate, and by calling on the Council to engage decisively in the implementation of the resolutions, which Chile supported together with the mother resolution 1325 (2000), for which we already have a national plan. In our opinion, such implementation will be concrete only if we commit ourselves to concerted action and accountability as regards prevention, participation and protection, taking into account all the stakeholders involved.

In the 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), we have seen some positive steps to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Unfortunately, overall progress is slow. Israel joined the list of sponsors of resolution 1960 (2010), recognizing the urgent need for collective action on this pressing issue. As a co-sponsor of the previous resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), Israel remains deeply committed to their full implementation. We welcome the increased deployment of gender advisers, the routine inclusion of provisions in peacekeeping mandates that protect women and girls from sexual violence, and the growing awareness of the need to include women in any peacemaking process.

During its membership of the Security Council, Mexico has sought to promote a broad agenda of the protection of civilians in armed conflict, pursuant to the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law. In these past two years, significant steps have been taken to ensure that women and children will no longer be the principal victims of the violence to which armed conflict give rise.

My delegation is particularly satisfied by the coordination that Ms. Wallström has maintained with the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy. It seems to us that, concerning the particularities and special focus of each mechanism, there are clear synergies and areas of cooperation that can further optimize the impact of the two agendas of protection for civilians in general and women and children in particular.

We recognize that the Security Council has taken determined steps to eliminate the problem of sexual violence in armed conflict. It must continue its work pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009) based on the following four pillars: the fight against impunity; the prevention of new cases and protection of vulnerable groups; security sector reform; and comprehensive care and reparations for victims.

As the nature of conflict evolves, not only are civilians more frequently targeted, but we are also witnessing a disturbing trend in the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. The international community is rightly appalled by such trends, and it is also our responsibility to take action to protect civilians and prevent such incidents.

Resolution 1960 (2010), which we have just adopted, also speaks to the need for our peacekeepers to be fully equipped and trained to carry out mandated tasks relating to the prevention of and response to sexual violence. In that regard, Nigeria welcomes the Secretary-General's development of operational tools for the implementation of mandates for peacekeepers with regard to the protection of civilians.

The proposed monitoring and reporting mechanism on sexual violence in conflict is a welcome innovation, building upon that already in place under the children and armed conflict agenda. It is our hope that that tool will encourage accountability and produce timely, reliable information and trend analysis, which the Security Council can use to carry out its responsibility to promote the protection of civilians from conflict-related sexual violence. We also believe that there is scope for the Council to make greater use of Special Representative Wallström as a resource, given that her role brings her closer to situations on the ground. Such realities can help ensure the effectiveness of our decisions and actions.

We look forward to the strategic framework on civilian protection and the series of scenario-based training modules, which will also address sexual violence, that are being finalized by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support. We support the recent United Nations activities on this issue aimed at finalizing training materials for United Nations and national police, including the development of gender guidelines for military personnel in peacekeeping operations that also address the protection of women and girls from sexual violence.

We were very pleased to support the joint analytical inventory developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Fund for Women under the auspices of the inter-agency network United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. This is a key tool for the Organization to use in improving its ability to protect civilians from conflict-related sexual violence as part of peacekeeping operations. We are supporting our United Nations partners in fully operationalizing this tool, including by incorporating it into predeployment training for peacekeepers. That is the scenario-based training referred to in the Secretary- General's report.

It is critical to protect women from all forms of violence and to empower them within their society. For this reason, Japan has decided to make a contribution of $4.5 million to UN Women for its project in Afghanistan. It is also vital to strengthen the comprehensive response that is the responsibility of United Nations peacekeeping missions. We expect more women's protection advisors to be designated in the missions. And we welcome the Secretary-General's efforts to provide peacekeepers with clearer guidance, in line with good practice, regarding the response to sexual violence. In general, the Security Council needs to further strengthen the comprehensive response of peacekeeping missions through its country-specific resolutions.

Female peacekeepers and women protection advisors are crucial in this sense. Where they have been present, local populations have more readily reported on instances of sexual violence. Today's resolution unequivocally supports their presence and the need to mainstream them. Furthermore, we welcome the development by the Secretariat of scenario-based training materials on combating sexual violence for peacekeepers, and we encourage Member States to use them.

Although the tools we have formalized today through resolution 1960 (2010) will undoubtedly make a difference in our efforts to end conflicts through a fair and lasting peace, the accompanying establishment of functional governmental institutions and the rule of law remain the international community's best bet for providing populations with the protection they deserve, for ending impunity and for enabling victims and communities to begin their painstaking recovery.

The international community cannot remain indifferent to such atrocities, nor accept the myth that rape is an inevitable by-product of war. Doing so would paralyse any attempt to eradicate such actions. Sexual violence must be considered a violation of the victims' human rights; that being the case, the perpetrators must be prosecuted, judged and punished. At the same time, we must step-up awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the civilian population vis-à-vis preventing such crimes. And we must urge States to strengthen protection for girls and women in conflicts.

Moreover, we must strive to find better ways of guaranteeing the safety and physical integrity of women and children during armed conflict. This includes early warning mechanisms, as well as more awareness-raising campaigns and pertinent training, including the training of peacekeepers. Germany supports several training programmes and awareness- raising campaigns on sexual violence, in close cooperation with United Nations entities.

Finally, victims of sexual violence and abuse need help to treat the physical and mental scars left on them and their families and to enable them once again to actively participate in communal life. States must therefore provide adequate protection services and find prompt and non-bureaucratic ways to support victims, where appropriate with the help of the United Nations system. Germany commends the United Nations organizations on their valuable work in this field, including the important activities of the Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, which Germany has actively supported in the past.

We must all redouble our efforts to contribute to better protection of women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Let me dwell for a moment on some initiatives that my Government has decided to support since our debate on women and peace and security in
October (6411th meeting).

The mass rapes in Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this summer were a brutal reminder of how sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war. In that context, Luxembourg has just decided to make a voluntary contribution to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the financing of a training programme for 120 trainers and thus help to professionalize the Congolese national police. That training will also raise awareness among the members of the Congolese police with regard to sexual violence and will give them the ability to better protect women and children against acts of sexual violence.

The Netherlands is committed to strengthening the protection against and the prevention of conflict related sexual violations and violence. We provide financial support to scenario-based training on sexual violence for United Nations peacekeepers, which is referred to both in the Secretary-General's report and in the new resolution. We believe that operational readiness with regard to sexual violence can increase effectiveness in the overall protection of civilians.

"In addition, the Netherlands supports a training initiative on the protection of human rights and the prevention of sexual violence with the Congolese Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo. That innovative project makes use of footage from the award-winning documentary Weapon of War, about the perpetrators of sexual violence."

The weakest are the biggest victims of conflict and, as the Secretary-General points out in his report (S/2010/604), women continue to suffer appallingly in conflicts. Sexual violence is, according to the report, not merely a consequence of conflict but a driver. It perpetuates conflict and locks its victims into a vicious cycle of violence and oppression. The international community has not just the responsibility, but also the obligation to do its utmost to ensure the security of women and children.

No country can be absolved from the responsibility of acting against sexual violence, one of the more abhorrent forms of violence against women. My delegation is committed to international regimes that further those objectives.

The proceedings of the Council today will add to the edifice created by resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009) and 1888 (2009). Those and other decisions of the Security Council on, inter alia, sexual violence, children and the protection of civilians have led to a significant addition to the corpus of international law.

We welcome the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström.

Thanks to the resolve of the international community the operational and peacekeeping activities of the United Nations has been oriented towards recognizing the plight of women and children in conflict areas and being proactive in working towards preventing violence against them. India supports those developments.

We take great pride in the stellar record of our peacekeepers, both men and women, in the protection of women, children and the weak. Indian troops have apprehended some of the principal culprits behind the recent sexual violence in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We can do much more if more resources are made available.

Martin Luther King once said that injustice anywhere diminishes justice everywhere. We believe that the perpetrators of those crimes must be brought to justice. Relevant national capacities must be strengthened.

At the outset, let me thank the United States for leading the Council's work in its efforts to address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to the health and lives of the victims and of their communities. And let me be clear: sexual violence is a serious impediment to peace, security and development. Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) — the latter adopted today — complement in important and concrete ways the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security by recognizing sexual violence as a security issue and a possible war crime and in adding provisions on protection, monitoring and enforcement tools. The Nordic countries fully support the resolutions and the Council's work.

Let me also thank and give further encouragement to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Margot Wallström and to United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. Special Representative Wallström's briefing to the Council and the insightful report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604) show that all possible synergies and joint efforts are needed for the United Nations to support national Governments in their efforts to fulfil their responsibilities to prevent and effectively respond to sexual violence.

Preventing sexual violence should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, in many conflict situations, national Governments and the United Nations alike have failed to protect civilians from violence. Widespread impunity in conflict situations has led to a culture of impunity and the “normalization” of sexual violence after the conflict has ended.

Better monitoring and reporting, effective measures against impunity and comprehensive reparations for victims all contribute to prevention, and that is why I am focusing on these aspects today.

We fully support the Secretary-General's recommendations to establish monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, including the listing of those parties who commit sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. We further support the Secretary-General's call for a coherent and coordinated approach at the field level. We are therefore very pleased that the resolution adopted by the Council today endorses those recommendations in full.

All of those provisions together build a long-awaited mechanism for accountability for sexual violence, and we congratulate the Council for its decision.

Investigating and prosecuting all acts of conflict- related sexual violence are both legal obligations and powerful deterrents. This includes holding commanders accountable for ordering, condoning or failing to prevent acts of sexual violence committed by troops under their control. We must find ways to strengthen national judicial systems and processes, including through the deployment of the teams of experts on the rule of law. In some instances it may be necessary to refer cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We also encourage the Council to use other mechanisms at its disposal, such as fact-finding commissions and commissions of inquiry.

Justice should always be sought with the perspective of survivors in mind. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recently convened a panel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where survivors of sexual violence gave their views on justice and reparations. The findings support a holistic approach encompassing not only access to justice, judicial remedies and financial reparations, but also attention to the security, health, education and economic needs of the affected communities.

Nordic countries contribute to the ICC's Trust Fund for Victims and support the work of United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. We also support a large number of local and international organizations engaged in rehabilitation for survivors of sexual violence.

The Nordic countries promote women's participation at all stages of conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding processes. Sexual violence should always be addressed in peace and ceasefire agreements, and no amnesty should be granted for such abuses.

The Nordic countries support the efforts of UN Women and the Department of Political Affairs in developing guidance for mediators on addressing sexual violence in peace negotiations. We also welcome and support their Joint Strategy on Gender and Mediation. We believe that it will be an effective tool for strengthening women's participation in peace processes and for providing expertise and guidance to the parties and the mediators. Leaving sexual violence unaddressed undermines the very purpose of a peace agreement: peace and security for all.

Kenya welcomes the leadership shown by the United States in convening this debate during its presidency of the Council. My delegation also welcomes the report of the Secretary General (S/2010/604) on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), and supports the progress described therein while taking note of the remaining challenges. Kenya further welcomes the adoption of resolution 1960 (2010) yesterday to strengthen responses to sexual violence through the establishment of monitoring and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence.

"In his report, the Secretary-General brings to light how conflict-related sexual violence has become a threat to human security, especially for women and girls. The report also highlights how such violence is an impediment to socio-economic development and peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict situations. The continued use of sexual violence as a tactic of war serves as a wake-up call to all of us that more needs to be done to protect women and girls from sexual violence."

"My delegation welcomes the appointment of Margot Wallström as the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to provide coherent and strategic leadership in the fight against this vice. We wish her the very best in executing her mandate. The international attention and the priority that the diplomatic community ascribes to her Office are already being demonstrated in the countries where she has conducted field visits. Her recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo following the mass rapes of over 300 women and girls in Walikale contributed to the arrest of “Lieutenant Colonel” Mayele, a suspect in the mass rapes. Kenya believes that her leadership will further serve to bolster efforts geared towards the fight against sexual violence in armed conflict."

"In armed conflicts, civilian casualties far out-number those of armed combatants. While women and men alike suffer human rights violations in conflicts, women and girls are more likely to be the targets of sexual violence, especially rape. Women face additional and sometimes insurmountable obstacles to obtaining justice because of the stigma attached to survivors of sexual violence, their disadvantaged position in society and cultural challenges."

"My delegation appreciates the very important role that women's protection advisers will play in protecting women and girls from sexual violence. Their support for the monitoring, analysis and reporting system on sexual violence and their facilitation of dialogue with parties to conflict are welcome. The development and implementation of strategies to combat sexual violence and the mainstreaming of the elimination of sexual violence into policies and operations of peacekeeping and political missions are also welcome."

"The lifelong negative effects on victims and perpetrators alike of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, buttress the call for prevention of conflict and, where conflict exists, for expedient action in ending the conflict. While recognizing that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with each State, the implementation of (2008) and 1888 (2009) would be better realized through genuine partnerships between nation States and other international efforts."

"Kenya condemns all forms of violence against women, including sexual violence, and has always urged compliance with humanitarian and human rights law during times of conflict. The appalling situation regarding the atrocities of sexual violence meted out against women and girls in conflict situations, especially in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, have to be looked at seriously. As a community of States, we must rigorously implement the United Nations zero tolerance policy against sexual abuse and exploitation."

"We must also provide protection for women and ensure that putting a stop to war-related sexual violence is prioritized at the international level. We laud the crucial work being carried out by agencies such as UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF to deal with such issues. Similarly, we need to galvanize support to put in place the necessary infrastructure to ensure that victims of sexual violence receive quality legal and medical assistance."

"I wish to conclude by reiterating my country's commitment to the full and timely implementation of all Security Council resolutions against sexual violence, including resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Beyond that, we call on all parties to conflicts to make specific and time-bound commitments to ceasing all acts of sexual violence."

Let me first of all thank you, Madame, and your delegation for your outstanding work, which led to the adoption by consensus of resolution 1960 (2010) before us today. The resolution brings significant added value to the fight against sexual violence in armed conflict. We greatly appreciate the Secretary-General's unwavering commitment to this cause.

The past two years have seen progress in the fight against sexual violence, in particular through the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. At the same time, the levels of sexual violence in many conflicts around the world remain alarmingly high. Women and children continue to fall victim to sexual violence used as a deliberate means of warfare on a daily basis. Some groups with specific vulnerabilities, such as persons with disabilities, have not yet received the necessary attention.

The extremely negative effect of sexual violence on peace processes, reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction clearly makes that crime a security threat. Sexual violence is not a mere by-product of war; it is more often than not a deliberate tactic of warfare. The Council, alongside affected States, has a clear responsibility to use all tools at its disposal to put an end to this scourge. Listing parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence; establishing monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements; and monitoring the implementation of commitments by parties to armed conflict would significantly enhance a systematic consideration by the Council, and thus the Council's capacities to act.

We welcome the recent arrests and extraditions of persons responsible for sexual violence and would like to encourage all countries concerned to take the necessary steps to bring them to justice. Furthermore, sanctions regimes need to include designation criteria pertaining to acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence, and sanctions committees need to receive relevant information to this end, including through exchanges with other subsidiary bodies of the Security Council and peacekeeping operations. We encourage the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to build on emerging practice, brief sanctions committees and share relevant information on individuals committing sexual violence. No perpetrator of sexual violence should go unpunished. Equally transitional justice mechanisms need to document sexual violence in a comprehensive way and provide assistance and redress to the victims.

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

Canada strongly supports the Security Council's recognition of the need to take effective measures to address conflict-related sexual violence and welcomes the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604) pursuant to resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), including their recommendations. The systemic acts of sexual violence recently perpetrated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo starkly demonstrate the urgent need for serious action.

Canada welcomes today's presentation by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Wallström, and strongly supports her efforts to provide strategic leadership and strengthen United Nations coordination mechanisms in order to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. Addressing sexual violence demands a double focus: ensuring women's empowerment and participation, while also focusing on matters of accountability and justice.

In this sense, preventing, addressing and eliminating sexual violence requires cultural, societal and institutional changes. Canada calls on Member States and the United Nations system to ensure that Ms. Wallström's Office is adequately resourced and capable of timely action to support such changes. We also suggest to the Council that it request regular briefings by the Special Representative following her visits to countries on its agenda.

Canada's long-standing support for the rights and well-being of women and girls in situations of conflict is reflected through our continuing active implementation of Council resolutions, including through strong advocacy work, significant international programming addressing sexual violence, support for civil society and efforts to strengthen international criminal justice mechanisms. Canada's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, adopted in October, will help us to focus and coordinate implementation of our commitments and increase the effectiveness of Canada's response.

In addition, as recognized in resolution 1820 (2008), we also strongly support the exclusion of crimes of sexual violence from amnesty provisions in the context of peace processes. Furthermore, Canada calls on all parties to conflict to make specific commitments to ceasing all acts of sexual violence, and urges the Council to support the efforts of United Nations officials to engage in dialogue with parties to elicit commitments to that effect.

Canada also calls on the Council to increase pressure on States to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account through adoption of sanctions and other targeted measures against individuals and entities that have perpetrated sexual violence. This must, of course, be done in accordance with standards of due process. We also support the Secretary-General's recommendation to make public in his annual reports he names of parties who engage in patterns of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict.

Systematic data collection on grave violations of women's and girls' human rights, including on sexual violence, is of the utmost importance in effective monitoring and response. In order to tailor the international response to specific contexts, it is also important that all relevant country reports to the Security Council include information on the situation that pertains to all aspects of the resolutions on women, peace and security, in addition to information on sexual violence. United Nations reporting on the movement and activities of armed groups, for example, should systematically include information on the threat of sexual violence. With this in mind, Canada supports the recommendation to establish monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence.

The prevention of and response to sexual violence should also be included in the mandates of all United Nations peacekeeping missions. To that end, the Council must design and implement mandates to support peace efforts that better respond to all forms of violence against civilians, and ensure that strategies for combating sexual violence in conflict are integrated into the work of United Nations country teams. Local organizations devoted to protecting women often assess the ongoing threat of sexual violence in their communities.

To conclude, we are encouraged by the additional measures proposed in the Secretary-General's report. Canada calls on the Security Council to take action today to respond to the report's recommendations so that the international community can undertake active and coordinated efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence.

The Human Security Network stresses the need to provide coherent and strategic leadership in the United Nations on the issue of sexual violence in conflict, including through the allocation of appropriate resources in implementing the mandate conferred on Ms. Wallström by the Security Council in its resolution 1888 (2009). We would like to express our support to Ms. Wallström and encourage her to build strong synergies with the United Nations operational system.

Less than two months ago, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Unfortunately, progress towards the implementation of cross-cutting gender commitments, especially those aimed at curbing, punishing perpetrators of and protecting against sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, has not been satisfactory. In that respect, we welcome the progress made on Ms. Wallström's five-point priority agenda as a step forward in the process.

The report highlights, inter alia, the challenges posed by inaccurate information about sexual violence, inadequate preventive measures and the failure to end impunity. In the light of such challenges, we strongly support the efforts of the United Nations system to establish monitoring, reporting and analysis arrangements with regard to conflict-related sexual violence.

Timely, objective, accurate and reliable information, verified by the United Nations system, on conflict-related sexual violence is crucial to addressing this issue in a comprehensive and systematic manner. It must be the basis for further action by the Security Council, including the adoption of sanctions and other targeted measures, and for including in the Secretary- General's annual reports to the Council detailed information on parties to armed conflict who are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for acts of rape or other forms of sexual violence.

As suggested in the report, the arrangements should take into account experiences gained and practices developed through the monitoring and reporting mechanism established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009) on children and armed conflict.

Sexual violence, including by parties to armed conflicts, is unacceptable at any time. We call on all of them to cease such acts and to make concrete commitments in this regard, as called for in resolution 1960 (2010), adopted yesterday.

Women's full enjoyment of all human rights has been a priority of the Human Security Network since its inception. While it is crucial to this agenda that we maintain momentum in the fight against sexual violence, we also underline the importance of women's empowerment as part of the solution. Sustainable peace is not possible without the participation of women; and without the participation of women in laying the foundations for sustainable peace, sustainable development may also be hindered in the future.

We particularly welcome the adoption of a new resolution on sexual violence in conflict. We express our hope that efforts to combat sexual violence in situations of armed conflict and its aftermath will be strengthened in a manner that will support a coherent and comprehensive United Nations response consistent with the conceptualization of the newly-created UN Women.

My delegation welcomes the holding of this meeting under your presidency Madam, devoted to sexual violence in armed conflict. We also welcome the participation in this debate of His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whom we thank for his introduction of his report (S/2010/604) on the follow-up to the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009). We reiterate to him Gabon's full support in the fight he has carried out since 2008 as part of the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign, along with the participation of all the partners involved in this cause. We also thank Ms. Margot Wallström, Mr. Alain Le Roy and Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye for their respective briefings. I would like here to reiterate to Ms. Wallström Gabon's strong support in her work.

Sexual violence against women and girls is simultaneously a war crime, a crime against humanity and a grave threat to peace and security. In spite of the enormous efforts made by the international community on the ground to bring it to an end — in implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) — too many women and girls continue to be victims of rape, sexual slavery and every other sort of sexual violence. Basing myself on the report of the Secretary-General, I should like to refer to three aspects, namely, improving protection for vulnerable populations on the ground, especially women and girls; strengthening legal provisions to better combat impunity; and strengthening the means for preventing outbreaks of sexual violence during conflicts.

However, the incidents of widespread systematic rape in the Walikale region in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo illustrate both the limits of our ability and the scope of the challenge to overcome. This is a huge and complicated undertaking that demands that we bolster our monitoring and communications capabilities in order to provide better information about reality on the ground.

In that regard, we support the Secretary-General's recommendation underscoring the need for better analysis of information and reporting of sexual violence committed during armed conflict, with a view to better coordination in the field. We should also improve our rapid-deployment capacity in affected regions, as recommended in paragraph 26 of resolution 1888 (2009).

However, our efforts will not produce the desired results without more sustained dialogue with all parties to a conflict. Among other things, such a dialogue come about by providing psychological support for victims and carrying out awareness-raising efforts among those involved. It is our belief that women themselves could play such roles.

With regard to strengthening provisions to combat impunity, my delegation believes that it is essential to make that concern part of the system for comprehensive protection against sexual violence in armed conflict. In that regard, we should welcome the progress made in international criminal law in this area. The International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda were the first to announce indictments for the use of rape as a weapon of war. Likewise the Tribunal for Sierra Leone has for the first time issued a guilty verdict for sexual slavery.

In the same vein, we are convinced that the Secretary-General' proposal to annex to his reports on this issue a list of the names of those who carry out sexual violence should serve as a effective instrument for deterrence. However, as we noted during the last debate on the protection of civilians (S/PV.6427), combating impunity is chiefly the responsibility of States. That is why my delegation highlights the need to help countries emerging from conflict to develop reliable judicial structures.

The fight against sexual violence in armed conflicts requires prevention first and foremost. From that angle, the Member States, the United Nations, donors and civil society must resolutely take that approach. Raising awareness regarding the serious danger that sexual violence can create in society should guide their actions. Early warning mechanisms that can detect indicator signs in due time are also essential pillars for actions aimed at eradicating sexual violence in armed conflicts.

Liechtenstein co-sponsored resolution 1960 (2010) because it contains numerous valuable elements that enable the Council to address the alarming increase in sexual violence around the world. We agree with the analysis of the Secretary-General in his report (S/2010/604) that gender constructs are a critical but insufficient tool to understand the full complexity of sexual violence. We therefore welcome the approach detailed in the report to widen the analytical lens and to define sexual violence in accordance with the definitions used in international law, in particular the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Earlier resolutions and resolution 1960 (2010) emphasize the primary responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for crimes, including acts of sexual violence. Nevertheless, national justice systems often lack the willingness or the capacity necessary for effective prosecutions. We thus welcome the progress made with regard to the establishment of a Team of Experts that can be deployed rapidly to assist national justice systems. This is consistent with the principle of complementarity, which stipulates that international criminal justice mechanisms are activated only when States are unable or unwilling to prosecute at the national level.

As a particularly positive element, we welcome the inclusion in future reports of the Secretary-General of information on parties that are credibly suspected of being responsible for acts of sexual violence. This should provide a basis for the Council to formulate more focused responses, including, where necessary, the application of targeted measures and the consideration of accountability mechanisms.

Liechtenstein also supports the establishment of monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence as another essential element of resolution 1960 (2010). The Council requires timely, accurate and reliable information in order to respond effectively to conflict-related sexual violence.

These are important achievements and we congratulate you, Madame President, on having forged a consensus on this text. At the same time, we also wish to place on record that we consider the resolution to be a missed opportunity. The Special Representative stated in her remarks that she has made the fight against impunity her priority since she took office. And indeed, this was corroborated by the substance of her briefing.

The Council, however, chose not to reflect that in the text adopted today. In fact, the operative part of resolution 1960 (2010) does not include any statement on the Council's commitment to end impunity, let alone on any concrete measures to that end. The resolution is also silent on the importance of the work carried out by the ad hoc tribunals established by the Council itself and by the International Criminal Court, to which the Council itself has referred a situation where sexual violence is prevalent.

This seems particularly ironic at a time when the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have gained sad notoriety in any discussion on sexual violence in armed conflict, and when much of the recent work of the International Criminal Court has been dedicated to that situation, most prominently through the arrest of the militia leader Callixte Mbarushimana earlier this year. I also wish to recall that this was a situation referred to the Court by the country affected itself.

We thank the Secretary-General and the Special Representative for their clear reference to the importance of the work of the International Criminal Court with respect to combating sexual violence. We hope that, in future deliberations, the Council will be able to acknowledge the most concrete international efforts to fight impunity for sexual violence, and thus to be less disconnected from reality than the resolution makes it appear in this respect.

In his report (S/2010/604), the Secretary-General provides a relevant analysis of sexual violence committed in the course of conflicts. We welcome the follow-up that the Council has devoted to the report, in particular to the Secretary-General's recommendation to create a monitoring, analysis and reporting system that will allow the Council and the United Nations system as a whole to receive timely, objective, accurate and reliable information on which to base their interventions. This system will also help to improve efforts in the field of prevention, since trends and early warning indicators will be better known.

As the Secretary-General notes in his report, impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence remains the norm in the vast majority of countries where it occurs. This impunity risks undermining public confidence in the nascent justice and security sectors and eroding the whole process of peacebuilding. It is therefore essential for the Security Council to step up pressure on the perpetrators of sexual violence. We welcome the Council's intention to consider sexual violence as a criterion for applying sanctions against individuals. The recommendations made in that regard by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict will be most important.

Bosnia and Herzegovina attaches the utmost importance to confronting the grave issue of sexual violence and is particularly encouraged by the commitment of the Security Council to keep the matter on its agenda. That commitment was unequivocally demonstrated by the adoption of resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1894 (2009), which have paved the way for concrete action aimed at preventing sexual violence. The appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence and the creation of UN Women were significant steps towards ensuring the coherence of United Nations activities. We also welcome cooperation between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral on Sexual Violence in Conflict

The United Nations and the international community have demonstrated their firm commitment and political will to prevent sexual violence against women, combat impunity and enforce accountability. On the other hand, it is equally crucial that national authorities make every effort to ensure that perpetrators of sexual crimes be brought to justice and not go unpunished. In that context, international assistance is of vital importance as post-conflict countries' rebuild their justice systems and prosecute the perpetrators of sexual violence.

We reiterate the need for adequate capabilities and clear and appropriate guidelines to enable peacekeeping missions to carry out their mandated tasks, including preventing and responding to sexual violence. Recruiting women in civil, military and police components of peacekeeping missions can encourage local women to report incidents of sexual violence. Deployment of a greater number of female police and military personnel with adequate training in gender-based violence is vital for better addressing issues related to sexual violence on the ground. It can also contribute to establishing better communication with local communities.

Furthermore, we consider it crucial that the Security Council continue the practice of including, where applicable, designation criteria pertaining to acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence when adopting or renewing targeted sanctions pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009). We also strongly encourage the flow of information about sexual violence between United Nations peacekeeping missions or other United Nations missions or bodies and the corresponding Security Council sanctions committees

Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the establishment of arrangements for monitoring, analyzing and reporting sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. Such a mechanism is necessary for data collection so that the use of systematic sexual violence in conflict situations on the Council's agenda can be tracked. In order to halt incidents of sexual violence, those who are credibly suspected of being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence should be listed in the annexes of the reports. Listing and de-listing of persons responsible for those horrendous acts must be performed according to verifiable data and clear benchmarks.

Finally, we would like to point out that the international community has taken noteworthy steps, including the adoption of relevant resolutions, to tackle the issue of sexual violence. But, more importantly, the time has come to start converting commitments and promises into real actions on the ground to prevent violence, protect individuals, punish perpetrators and provide redress to victims. Bosnia and Herzegovina stands ready to contribute to those effort

Allow me first to emphasize the importance of the role of the United Nations in promoting the participation of women in achieving peace, security and development, as well as in the initiatives undertaken in response to the problem of sexual violence in conflicts.

Colombia endorses the repeated statements issued by the Security Council in connection with all acts of sexual violence and other violence against civilians in armed conflict, in particular against women and children. We regret the fact that, despite those statements, various armed groups continue to commit such acts.

International efforts by the Organization, in particular the establishment of UN Women, contribute to strengthening coordination and cooperation in the implementation of mandates on women peace and security. Broad and inclusive intergovernmental consultations to assess the gender architecture and the advancement of women, as well as agreement among States as to the models and practices to be adopted on this topic, are fundamental to making progress in enhancing national capacities to eliminate sexual violence in conflict.

Resolution 1888 (2009) includes provisions for increasing the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. We agree that their participation in that regard contributes to creating an atmosphere of trust in which women and children can expose the abuses to which they are subjected. We also believe that their inclusion can generate greater participation by women in law enforcement, militaries and police agencies in countries in which they are deployed.

For several months, therefore, Colombia has been a contributor to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, providing two female police officers with a strong background in human rights and the protection of children and adolescents. Colombia would like to reiterate its willingness to step up its contribution in that regard. We hope that, in implementing resolution 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), mechanisms for cooperation, constructive dialogue and effective support to countries will be promoted. We also highlight the role that the General Assembly can play in strengthening cooperation with States in the complex tasks that have been set out.

This is an urgent and necessary debate. Amid the glow of the holiday season, it is all the more difficult for our imaginations to comprehend the horror and brutality of sexual violence on the scale to which the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) attests. The contrast could not be more shocking between the civility of our lives here and the depravity of sexual violence so widely associated with conflict. The report and resolution 1960 (2010) connect the two worlds. They signal the determination of the international community to stand with the victims and to deal with the perpetrators.

Conflict and sexual violence feed off one another. The poisonous interrelationship is fully demonstrated in the Secretary-General's report. This is an excellent report, clear and dispassionate in its analysis and incisive in its recommendations. Ireland strongly supports the full range of recommendations and welcomes the extent to which they have been reflected in the resolution. Each of the operative paragraphs of the resolution must be followed up with vigour. In her compelling opening address today, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Wallström spelled out the standards to which we must hold ourselves. I wish to make a few comments that draw on Ireland's experience in United Nations peacekeeping and on our involvement in cross-learning processes.

Our extensive engagement in United Nations peacekeeping has taught us that the triggers for sexual violence and the entry points for influence are different from one case to another. But there are some common points. In all situations, active monitoring and timely reporting are critical. Without them, early warnings will be missed, policymaking will not be properly founded, and perpetrators will slip through the cracks. Almost always, too, there are groups that are particularly vulnerable and need specific and special protection. Again and again, one sees the pattern of preying on refugees and internally displaced persons, especially those — mostly women — who have to venture outside villages and camps in search of water andfirewood.

The recent deployment of Irish defence forces with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad has left us with some reflections. Our experience of that deployment was that, by raising awareness of human rights, of the unacceptability of sexual and gender-based violence and of the responsibilities of Government and other parties, the Mission helped to foster a climate in which communities were less likely to tolerate and more likely to report acts of sexual violence. That was certainly a positive lesson that a peacekeeping mission, operating as intended, can raise consciousness and change tolerance standards in communities.

But helping to change attitudes and standards brings a follow-up responsibility. It cannot be right that communities are left with new ways of looking at things but — with the international presence gone — no means to ensure that new standards are implemented. This is where the continuum between peacekeeping and peacebuilding really matters. In many peacekeeping contexts, an effectively functioning domestic judicial or penal system is lacking. Although international peacekeepers can temporarily fulfil a very important role, tackling sexual violence ultimately necessitates support for a wide range of capacity-building, training and infrastructural development activities. This may not be quick or easy, but only such an integrated approach will ensure that the scourge of sexual violence in conflict is dealt with in a sustainable and lasting way.

Among the particular priorities stressed throughout this initiative were the need to fight against the culture of impunity in relation to sexual violence, to exclude sex crimes from amnesties, to improve women's access to formal, traditional and transitional justice, to increase awareness among family members and community leaders of issues surrounding sexual and gender-based violence, to enhance capacity to prosecute sex crimes, and to incorporate reporting on sexual and gender-based violence into early warning systems.

Ireland is already seeking to take these recommendations forward. For example, sexual and gender-based violence has been incorporated as an indicator into an Irish Government-funded early warning/early response system in Timor-Leste.

Let me conclude by reiterating our unequivocal support for Special Representative of the Secretary- General Wallström and her Office, as well as our appreciation for the incremental steps that are being taken by the Security Council on this issue. The perpetrators of crimes of sexual violence now know that they are caught in the headlamps of Security Council attention. Slowly but surely, the darkness in which they took refuge is being dissipated. In this season that reminds us all of our common humanity, I can think of no more appropriate message from the Security Council than today's expression of support for and solidarity with victims of sexual violence in conflict.

The Commission on the Status of Women, too, has contributed to advancing global policy on women, peace and security. At its forty-eighth session in 2004, the Commission considered women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution and in post-conflict peacebuilding. In its agreed conclusions, the Commission recognized that women and girls were often subject to particular forms of violence and deprivation in armed conflict, and called for measures to prevent gender-based violence arising from armed conflict and in post-conflict situations, including sexual violence against women and girls. The agreed conclusions also urged Governments to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes.

In 2008, the Commission evaluated progress in the implementation of the 2004 agreed conclusions through an interactive dialogue. Many participants reported on initiatives to address sexual violence in armed conflict and to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping and security forces. They also highlighted the need to strengthen efforts at the national and international levels to address sexual violence in armed conflict as a threat to peace and security.

Efforts to address violence against women are often not comprehensive, consistent or sustained, and there continues to be insufficient coordination among relevant sectors. Knowledge regarding the scope, prevalence, impact and cost of violence against women remains inadequate, and capacities for collecting such data are insufficient. Greater efforts are necessary to collect more and better-quality information and data on violence against women to support policymakers in undertaking effective legislative and policy reforms, ensure the adequate provision of targeted and effective services, monitor trends and progress in addressing and eliminating violence against women, and assess the impact of measures taken.

The Commission on the Status of Women plays a central role in monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action, including with respect to women in armed conflict. I recognize and welcome the key role and critical efforts of the Security Council in preventing sexual violence and combating impunity in conflict and post-conflict situations. I encourages continuing action by the Council, including the development of effective measures to put an end to sexual violence in armed conflict.

When the Council takes up issues such as sexual violence, the challenge is how to address in political, and even operational, terms an issue that is deeply moral in nature. In other words, the Council is called upon to help to translate our sorrow and outrage at such horrific violence into practical action capable of bringing about real change. To that end, we need an integrated approach that combines prevention, combating impunity and providing support to victims.

Support to national awareness-raising activities and information campaigns that seek to break taboos and misperceptions around the issue are particularly important to preventive efforts. For example, as the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) highlights, the myth that rape is an inevitable by-product of war is persistent and dangerously self-fulfilling. The stigma and silence that already hamper addressing sexual violence in peacetime can never be allowed to prevail, especially when such violence becomes a tactic of war.

In situations where peacekeeping operations are deployed, the United Nations role in prevention becomes one of particular relevance, as the enhanced resources at its disposal create higher expectations among local populations and in international public opinion. In order to live up to such expectations, we must ensure that the prevention of sexual violence is truly made a mission-wide endeavour that involves not only troops and police but all mission components.

Recent events have shown that contacts with local populations are critical to ensuring protection. The role of civil affairs and public information components is therefore key. They should have the necessary resources — especially guidance and trained personnel — to be able to help avoid outrageous violence such as that witnessed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are encouraged by the measures being taken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to mainstream the prevention of sexual violence in peacekeeping missions.

The adoption of resolution 1960 (2010) today, which Brazil is pleased to have co-sponsored, sends a clear message that the Council is ready to continue to fight impunity by focusing on parties that engage in conflict-related sexual violence. It has strengthened the tools and arrangements available to the Council and to the United Nations as a whole. It is a significant and concrete step towards ensuring accountability, thus contributing to a decrease in the incidence of the problem.

As we focus on bringing perpetrators to justice or to face opprobrium, we cannot shirk our duty to ensure proper support to victims. While this is fundamentally the responsibility of States, there are several ways by which the international community can support national efforts in that regard. Brazil recently contributed $1 million to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in support of programmes to fight sexual violence and facilitate victims' access to justice and compensation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dealing with sexual violence requires different parts of the United Nations system to act on many fronts. Today we have made progress in that direction and concluded, on a very high note, a remarkable effort that we began his year to provide an effective response by the Security Council to the scourge of sexual violence. There is certainly more to be done, but we now have the tools and a clear road map to make further progress in the future.

Chile attaches great importance to the issue of conflict-related sexual violence, which usually affects highly vulnerable groups and which represents a threat to security and a persistent obstacle to peacebuilding, including in situations addressed by the Council. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which my country has ratified, defines six types of sexual violence as crimes against humanity. Accordingly — and in the belief that such violence should be a priority for those dealing with establishing, maintaining and building peace, as well as for humanitarian workers — Chile co-sponsored resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Those resolutions enable the international community to focus on prevention and real-time responses, not merely on the necessary corrective measures.

Believing as we do in the merit of the principles underpinning those resolutions, we welcome the Secretary-General's comprehensive report (S/2010/604) on this subject. We also wish to highlight the role played by Ms. Margot Wallström's in fulfilling her mandate as the Secretary-General's Special Representative. We urge her to continue to work actively and collaboratively while avoiding duplication of efforts addressed in other mandates. We also thank her for the field missions she has undertaken, which have borne eloquent witness to the horrors of this scourge. In that regard, we were outraged at the large- scale violations committed in July and August. We acknowledge the crucial need to address this scourge in exemplary, timely and sustainable ways. We also take note of the important work of the network of 13 entities involved in the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. We hope that it will receive the support it needs to continue to improve prevention and early warning mechanisms.

Chile takes a positive view of the following recommendations in the report. The first is to invite the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to exchange pertinent information with the Council and its relevant sanctions committees.

The second is to assess the advisability of adopting sanctions and other measures by the relevant Security Council sanctions committees, as provided in resolution 1888 (2009), taking into consideration their short-, medium- and long-term impacts.

Third is to closely assess the usefulness of including in the annexes to the annual reports lists of parties responsible for sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the Security Council agenda as a basis for more focused engagement on the parties. In that connection, we believe that the Council's work on children and armed conflict could serve as a guide.

Fourth is to call on parties in situations of armed conflict on the Council's agenda to make specific and time-bound commitments to put an end to all acts of sexual violence, including clear orders through the chain of command.

Fifth is to support the efforts of the United Nations system to establish monitoring and reporting arrangements with regard to conflict-related sexual violence; to promote the participation of all concerned in the analysis of information, including on trends, patterns and early warning indicators; and to evaluate and identify targeted actions against perpetrators and programmatic responses for survivors.

In the 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), we have seen some positive steps to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Unfortunately, overall progress is slow. Israel joined the list of sponsors of resolution 1960 (2010), recognizing the urgent need for collective action on this pressing issue. As a co-sponsor of the previous resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), Israel remains deeply committed to their full implementation. We welcome the increased deployment of gender advisers, the routine inclusion of provisions in peacekeeping mandates that protect women and girls from sexual violence, and the growing awareness of the need to include women in any peacemaking process.

Israel welcomes the Secretary-General's report of 24 November (S/2010/604) and commends him for his efforts and leadership on this issue. The report documents how widespread acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence — too often committed with impunity — continue to plague many zones of conflict. As Special Representative Wallström has made clear in various forums, including the Security Council, sexual violence in conflict is neither cultural nor sexual; it is criminal.

“Depending on the circumstances of the offence, sexual violence can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, an act of torture or a constituent act of genocide” (S/2010/604, para. 4).

Acts of sexual violence are horrific crimes against individuals. Women, girls and boys who are raped are not only heartlessly robbed of their basic dignity during the time of the crime, but also bear the scars of those appalling acts long after hostilities have ceased. No amount of compensation can heal those wounds. The sad reality is that most victims are forgotten, and the perpetrators of the unspeakable crimes against them are never brought to justice. When committed in armed conflict and employed deliberately and systematically, such acts constitute a weapon of war designed to inflict suffering, instill fear and destroy the social fabric of communities and families. As is rightly emphasized in the Secretary-General's report,

The Secretary-General's report provides a number of important recommendations for improving the international community's efforts on this issue. There is a growing consensus about the need for timely, objective and accurate monitoring and reporting arrangements for incidents of sexual violence to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach to addressing violations and enforcing accountability. We support the listing of perpetrators of sexual violence, as encouraged by resolution 1960 (2010). This can serve as a means for advancing more focused measures for combating such atrocities when they occur.

Israel strongly supports the mandate that created the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and recognizes that Special Representative Wallström will play a pivotal role in addressing the issue. The newly formed UN Women, led by Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, also has a central role to play and is well positioned to work with the entire United Nations system.

The impact of sexual violence in conflict can be measured in the overwhelming pain it has inflicted on women and men, in the devastation it has wrought in communities and in the instability it continues to foster throughout entire regions. Israel believes that Member States, individually and collectively, must take firm action to curb this serious threat to human dignity and peace.

Together, we must make clear that the international community has zero tolerance for the perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflict and will bring them to justice wherever they carry out their appalling and destructive crimes.

One aspect of particular concern is sexual violence in armed conflict or post-conflict situations, as that subject cannot be approached simply from a gender perspective. The impact on society of sexual violence used as a tactic of war is so great that addressing it must be an integral part of any strategy for peace and security. Sexual violence encourages the perpetuation of conflicts, promotes the displacement of populations and limits development opportunities. Certain groups, such as displaced persons, refugees and persons with disabilities, are particularly vulnerable to such crimes and require special attention.

Mexico believes that it is not enough to recall that crimes of sexual violence against women have been criminalized. It is necessary to act on our support for strengthening the International Criminal Court (ICC) in order to prosecute the perpetrators of sexual violence in the context of armed conflict. For that reason, we are closely following the work of the ICC in the case brought against Jean-Pierre Bemba, and we reiterate our firm support for the Court.

The atrocities committed against women and children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and other regions of the world are permanent reminders of the fact that existing norms are flagrantly flouted. Ensuring respect for international law is an ongoing challenge, for which the primary responsibility falls to States. Mexico reiterates its call on States to fully meet their obligations under international humanitarian law and the norms of human rights and refugee law.

With the establishment of the mandate of the Special Representative, an important step was taken to address this phenomenon, and in the short time that she has held that post Ms. Wallström has made it clear that, while there are broad challenges, it is possible to provide a comprehensive and effective response to victims of sexual violence and to make that issue a priority of our strategies for peace and reconciliation. Through resolution 1960 (2010), adopted today, the Security Council has strengthened the mechanisms for the collection and analysis of information on the ground. It gives the Special Representative an additional tool by asking her to include, in the annex to her reports, the names of parties to an armed conflict on the agenda of the Security Council who systematically commit rape or other forms of sexual violence.

We recognize that the Security Council has taken determined steps to eliminate the problem of sexual violence in armed conflict. It must continue its work pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009) based on the following four pillars: the fight against impunity; the prevention of new cases and protection of vulnerable groups; security sector reform; and comprehensive care and reparations for victims.

The Security Council faces significant challenges. It must ensure the functioning and impact of the monitoring system and the presentation of reports on sexual violence in conflict, and systematically include components on gender and on prevention of sexual violence in the terms of reference of its field visits and the mandates for its peacekeeping operations. My delegation hopes that the Security Council will step up its efforts to combat this problem more effectively

First, allow me to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his report (S/2010/604) and his additional remarks here today. It is my firm belief that the work of the Security Council will be greatly enhanced by the report, which contextualizes our understanding of the causes and effects of conflict-related sexual violence. I would also like to thank Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy, Military Adviser Babacar Gaye and Special Representative of the Secretary-General Margot Wallström for their briefings.

As the nature of conflict evolves, not only are civilians more frequently targeted, but we are also witnessing a disturbing trend in the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. The international community is rightly appalled by such trends, and it is also our responsibility to take action to protect civilians and prevent such incidents.

Conflict-related sexual violence can disenfranchize and displace entire communities. Such outcomes are only the beginning of a spiral of social decline triggered by armed conflict. That chain reaction was recognized in resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), and our efforts to combat impunity, instill cultures of accountability, tackle deep-rooted attitudes and ultimately protect the vulnerable must now be intensified.

All persons of good conscience should be appalled by the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, visited upon the most vulnerable members of society. Although only recently appointed, Ms. Wallström has already brought sexual violence in conflict firmly into the foreground of the international peace and security landscape. The new momentum she has generated has, we believe, contributed to the arrests of Lieutenant Colonel Mayele and Callixte Mbarushimana in connection with this past summer's mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

While Special Representative Wallström's fivepoint priority agenda recognizes the cultural and political aspects of the problem, we share her conclusion that sexual violence in conflict is likely to occur where the rule of law is weak and where adequate legal mechanisms and institutions are lacking. Consequently, legal mechanisms to deter the use of systematic sexual violence in conflict situations must be put in place. It is therefore vital that the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law receive sustainable funding to develop institutional safeguards and paths for redress in partnership with Government actors.

The proposed monitoring and reporting mechanism on sexual violence in conflict is a welcome innovation, building upon that already in place under the children and armed conflict agenda. It is our hope that that tool will encourage accountability and produce timely, reliable information and trend analysis, which the Security Council can use to carry out its responsibility to promote the protection of civilians from conflict-related sexual violence. We also believe that there is scope for the Council to make greater use of Special Representative Wallström as a resource, given that her role brings her closer to situations on the ground. Such realities can help ensure the effectiveness of our decisions and actions.

The damage caused by the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war is far reaching. It goes beyond the immediate impact experienced by the individual. It goes beyond the families fragmented by such acts. The scars are deep and are borne by society as a whole. Such acts manifest abhorrent attitudes to women, threaten the progress made toward socioeconomic equality and impede women's participation in peace and democratic processes. An attack involving sexual violence is indeed an attack on peace, stability and development. If we do not arrest that trend, we risk the normalization of sexual violence as a method of war. Such an outcome cannot be countenanced, and Nigeria is accordingly committed to the resolution we have just adopted as the next step towards ending sexual violence in conflict.

At the outset, allow me to thank you, Madame President, for convening an open debate on this important issue. My appreciation also goes to Ms. Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, for her comprehensive and informative presentation of the Secretary-General's report on this issue (S/2010/604).

As the Secretary-General's report states, over the past year, there has been much progress at the policy level on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009). In particular, we would like to commend the measures that it outlines to improve the collection of information on sexual violence that would lead to better monitoring, deeper analysis and more systematic reporting.

Despite that progress, the impact of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) has yet to be fully realized on the ground. Women and children continue to suffer disproportionately in areas of armed conflict. The use of sexual violence and brutality as weapons of
war still prevails. The horrifying mass rapes that occurred in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August were a stark reminder of how much remains to be done.

We must redouble our efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict. In that regard, the Republic of Korea supports the strong leadership of the Security Council and welcomes the package of measures that the Secretary-General suggests to accelerate the full implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009). Among others, my delegation would like to highlight the following three points.

First, it is essential to grasp the reality of sexual violence committed in armed conflict through reliable, timely and objective information, as well as to ensure that, in turn, perpetrators are identified and brought to justice. In that respect, we strongly support the Secretary-General's call for the Security Council to mandate that the Secretary-General's annual reports list those parties that have engaged in patterns of sexual violence in armed conflict. We believe that this measure would contribute to halting impunity by providing a basis for more focused approaches and targeted measures towards those parties.

Secondly, preventing and responding to sexual violence require a more coherent and coordinated approach within the United Nations system. For example, a more integrated strategic framework between peacekeeping missions and United Nations country teams should be established to formulate mission objectives targeted at women and peace and security, as well as to evaluate their implementation. We hope that UN Women, which will come into operation in January 2011, will play a leading role in coordinating various activities related to the work on women and peace and security among United Nations entities.

On its part, the Republic of Korea has been active in implementing resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) by mainstreaming a gender-sensitive approach in all its policies and activities and by increasing women's participation at all levels. In that regard, we recently deployed a gender adviser as a member of an Afghanistan provincial reconstruction team. We will remain committed to the complete and successful implementation of the resolutions.

In contemporary conflicts, sexual violence is not a side effect but, rather, a front line consideration. Civilians, mostly women and girls, are often the deliberate targets of such violence. Sexual violence in conflict situations is frequently invisible but rarely non-existent. The international community was shocked by the reported mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo in July and August this year. However, alarming news on sexual violence is also coming from other conflict and post-conflict situations.

Sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations takes many forms, not just rape. Under international law, sexual violence constitutes different forms of crimes and acts. Although the victims of sexual violence are predominantly women and girls, we should not forget that sexual violence is also committed against boys and men. The current report (S/2010/604) of the Secretary-General gives a very good overview of the issue of conflict-related sexual violence in general, and specifically about the situations in countries on the Security Council's agenda. Slovenia welcomes the progress made in carrying out the five-point priority agenda of the Special Representative. We also welcome the recommendations in Secretary-General's report.

It is of the utmost importance to prevent the continuing sexual violence by fighting impunity. In that regard, the role of international criminal justice should be recognized, in particular that of the International Criminal Court. Slovenia supports the recommendation to increase pressure on the perpetrators of sexual violence, as well as those in the chain of command responsible for such acts, through the adoption of sanctions and other targeted measures against individuals and entities by the relevant sanctions committees.

There is yet much to be done in the area of victim assistance. Disabled women face heightened vulnerability to sexual violence and exploitation. It is commendable that, in recognition of the risk faced by women maimed or wounded by antipersonnel landmines, sexual violence has been specifically included in the 2010 gender guidelines for mine action programmes that have been developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Council that, a month ago, Slovenia adopted its 2010- 2015 national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008). One of the three main objectives of the plan is to prevent sexual violence against women and girls and to protect them during and after armed conflict. Furthermore, the action plan includes measures to strengthen the role of women in conflict resolution and conflict prevention, as well as in peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

In conclusion, I would like emphasize that sexual violence poses an obstacle to peace and security. It impedes women from participating in peace and democratic processes and in post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. As a tool of war it can become a way of life: once entrenched in the fabric of society, it lingers long after the guns have fallen silent. Many women lose their health, livelihoods, husbands, families and support networks as a result of rape. This, in turn, can shatter the structures that anchor community values, and with that disrupt their transmission to future generations. Children accustomed to acts of rape can grow into adults who accept such acts as the norm. This vicious cycle must stop, as we cannot accept a selective zero-tolerance policy. Today's adoption of resolution 1960 (2010), on sexual violence, is an important step in that direction. It is for that reason that Slovenia joined in co-sponsoring it.

We are here today to concretize the strategic lines of action developed in resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) to fight conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls. We therefore thank you, Madame, for organizing today's open debate. We welcome the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604), which provides an excellent basis for today's discussion, and wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Margot Wallström, for her excellent work. Her mandate is important and challenging. We assure her of our full support and encourage her to build strong synergies with the United Nations operational system.

First, Switzerland supports the establishment of a systematic sexual violence in conflict situations on its agenda. monitoring, analysis and reporting mechanism, as provided for in resolution 1960 (2010), adopted yesterday. The mechanism will collect timely, objective, accurate and reliable information about conflict-related sexual violence, for example on incidents, trends and patterns. Such information should be provided by competent and well-coordinated sources on the field and serve as a basis for concerted action by the Security Council. The mechanism should take into consideration the experience of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on the six grave violations against children in armed conflict identified in resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009). With a separate mechanism for women and girls, the Council would assure consistency in countering the use of systematic sexual violence in conflict situations on its agenda.

Thirdly, we support the idea that all parties to conflict should prepare specific plans of action for ending acts of sexual violence in conflict situations on the Council's agenda. This would enable the international community to provide specific support to the actors concerned in fulfilling their obligations. Further, it would contribute to a transparent and objective follow-up by the Security Council. The deployment of rapid response teams on the rule of law, as provided for in resolution 1888 (2009), is an example of such support. In this context, we would like to mention the Justice Rapid Response initiative, initiated by Canada and supported by my country. The initiative provides, for example, rapidly deployable criminal justice professionals who collect information in cases of sexual violence in a timely fashion.

Fourthly, we encourage United Nations agencies to continue efforts to increase the capacity of their personnel in matters of conflict-related sexual violence. This is particularly important with a view to the establishment of a monitoring and reporting arrangement. Resolution 1888 (2009) introduced the mandate for women's protection advisors who, once operational, will provide additional, important points of reference for the women-protection efforts.

Finally, we invite the Council to systematically link thematic and geographical issues. When considering a conflict situation, it is crucial to include a thematic perspective, because the thematic issues on the Council's agenda are cross-cutting issues. To link that to today's subject — as deplorable as it is, sexual violence has become characteristic of many conflicts. It therefore calls for a consistent approach by the Council.

The issue discussed in this open debate is high among our priorities. We remain committed to contributing to achieving the goals of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009).

Uganda considers sexual violence as a serious health, human rights and development problem. There can be no peace, security or sustainable economic development in societies that deny human rights, including the human rights of women. We are concerned that, despite the existence of regional and international instruments on women's human rights, sexual violence continues to be committed at an alarming rate, both in times of peace and during armed conflicts, thus undermining the right of women to fulfil their potential. Uganda abhors sexual violence and condemns it unreservedly. The use of sexual violence as a tactic of war has been documented in many parts of the world that have experienced armed conflict, including our region. Armed groups, such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and the Lord's Resistance Army, have terrorized the population, leaving mayhem, pain and death in their wake.

Many formerly abducted women and girls still suffer from the devastating consequences of their period of sexual slavery, and a high number of them have given birth to children in captivity. That has impacted severely on the mental and physical health of survivors, in both the short and the long term. However, while the spotlight has focused on the situation in the African Great Lakes region, all forms of sexual violence have been and continue to be documented in situations of armed conflict the world over. Indeed, we agree with the Secretary-General, who has stated in his report that sexual violence is not specific to any era, culture or continent, but traverses all of history and geography.

At the regional level, the Great Lakes region has taken important steps to address sexual violence. On 18 June 2008, just one day before the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008), member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) committed themselves under what became known as the Goma Declaration to eradicate all forms of gender-based violence. The Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region has a specific protocol on the prevention and suppression of sexual violence against women and children and model legislation on the suppression of sexual violence against women and children.

Those instruments complement other national, regional and global policy and legal frameworks to which Uganda is a party. They serve to emphasize that such sexual violence is not a new or unknown phenomenon that has been ignored, but that the region is determined to put an end to such cowardly acts. The ICGLR secretariat has, in recent times and in collaboration with the United Nations, undertaken activities to draw the attention of member countries to the seriousness of the problem and to come to agreement on commitments to end violence against women and children. We welcome and encourage that collaborative effort.

The Government of Uganda is committed to the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), and 1889 (2009), as well as the Goma Declaration on Eradicating Sexual Violence and Ending Impunity in the Great Lakes Region (2008). Uganda welcomes the progress made in rendering operational the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law to assist national authorities to strengthen the rule of law in accordance with resolution 1888 (2009).

We also welcome the inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions in civil, military and police functions. Ugandan women, and particularly those in military and police forces, are currently engaged in peacekeeping missions in the region and around the world. We are convinced that, wherever they are based, their presence has a positive influence and may encourage women from local communities to report all acts of sexual violence.

Uganda also welcomes the idea of establishing monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, including rape in situations of armed conflict and post-conflict, and other situations relevant to the implementation of resolution 1888 (2009). We are confident that that will assist the Council's consideration of appropriate actions, including targeted and graduated measures levelled at parties to armed conflict that are listed in the annexes to the Secretary-General's annual reports on sexual violence in conflict.

Early warning signs of conflict-related sexual violence are often received. But as the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August sadly demonstrated, our coordinated and comprehensive analysis of those signs must be strengthened in order to improve the prospects for preventing attacks on civilians. Sexual violence is not unique in that regard. We encourage all relevant parts of the United Nations system to collaborate in identifying a comprehensive matrix of early warning signs and recommended responses. As we know, the Special Advisers on the prevention of genocide and on the responsibility to protect are also undertaking relevant and important work in this field. A coordinated and comprehensive approach to early warning will enhance the response capacity of peacekeepers on the ground.

We were very pleased to support the joint analytical inventory developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Fund for Women under the auspices of the inter-agency network United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. This is a key tool for the Organization to use in improving its ability to protect civilians from conflict-related sexual violence as part of peacekeeping operations. We are supporting our United Nations partners in fully operationalizing this tool, including by incorporating it into predeployment training for peacekeepers. That is the scenario-based training referred to in the Secretary- General's report.

First of all, Japan supports the recent report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604), including its recommendations to strengthen efforts to end impunity with regard to sexual violence as a tactic of war and terror. Among those recommendations, we strongly support the establishment of monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements and the listing of perpetrators in an annex to the Secretary-General's annual reports, which are essential tools that the Security Council can use to take action, including targeted measures, against perpetrators.

As most here know, a number of child soldiers have been released in the five years since the establishment of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict under resolution 1612 (2005). Monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements to be established under today's resolution should build on that good practice. We expect that the arrangements and the mechanism will work synergistically with each other and will strengthen the response of the entire United Nations system to the challenge of how to protect women and children from sexual violence in conflict.

Thirdly, sexual violence is never a by-product of conflict and it can be prevented. As the SecretaryGeneral's report underlines, we need to focus not only on collecting timely and reliable information, but also on analysis of trends and patterns of sexual violence. Engaging all stakeholders — including national institutions, humanitarian actors and civil society — in the process of such analysis would contribute to the prevention of sexual violence.

One of the lessons learned from the mass rape in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August this year is the need for communication between United Nations missions and the local community. I would like to stress that such communication could also provide early warning of imminent problems. The set of indicators for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) will likewise be an important tool for providing early warning of sexual violence, and we hope that they will be operational at the earliest possible date. We also look forward to seeing an early warning matrix of risk factors developed by Special Representative Wallström.

Wartime sexual violence has been the subject of one of history's greatest silences for long enough. While the Security Council has adopted landmark resolutions to try to combat what has been termed a weapon of war, United Nations actors on the ground still lack the necessary tools to fight this war crime.

Resolution 1960 (2010), adopted by the Council today, provides them with some of these needed tools. The Council has requested the Secretary-General to list, in an annex to his annual report, parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the Security Council's agenda. Hence, the Council is not only signalling to rapists in conflict zones around the world that their acts will no longer go unchecked, but also opening the way for more direct and constructive United Nations engagement with those parties, upon whom we call to make specific and time-bound commitments to combating sexual violence.

Sexual violence is not inevitable. It is not cultural and should not be considered as collateral damage. When used systematically as a weapon of war, its purpose is to break the will of people by dominating them in humiliating and dehumanizing ways. It has dire consequences not only on the populations against whom it is perpetrated, but also on international peace and security, as it poses enduring challenges to durable stability and social cohesion. It is therefore our collective responsibility to put an end to it.

It is my Government's hope that today's resolution will establish formal monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, and generate insightful analysis of trends and patterns to better protect affected populations and inform targeted measures. It is also important to further reinforce trust between local communities and United Nations peacekeeping missions on the ground and to establish effective channels of communication that would provide timely and accurate information in the event of rapes.

Female peacekeepers and women protection advisors are crucial in this sense. Where they have been present, local populations have more readily reported on instances of sexual violence. Today's resolution unequivocally supports their presence and the need to mainstream them. Furthermore, we welcome the development by the Secretariat of scenario-based training materials on combating sexual violence for peacekeepers, and we encourage Member States to use them.

My country welcomes the adoption of resolution 1960 (2010) today and the clear signal it sends from the international community to perpetrators of the savage crimes of sexual violence around the world that we will not stand idly by as the bodies of women are turned into battlegrounds and that those perpetrators will be held accountable for their acts.

"I would like to thank you, Madame President, and the United States of America, for your initiative to convene this important open debate. I would also like to thank Margot Wallström, the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, for presenting the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/604). I commend all Council members for the adoption of resolution 1960 (2010), which Portugal had the honour to co-sponsor. That action-oriented resolution is already a landmark, and I am convinced that it will indeed make a difference, especially for women and girls, in so many parts of the world."

"Portugal obviously shares the views that were expressed by the European Union regarding the implementation of the resolution, but let me underline some aspects of particular significance to my country. The excellent report before us today provides us with a clear analytical framework for understanding sexual violence in conflict as a threat to security and an impediment to peacebuilding in situations on the Council's agenda. It also examines the causes and consequences of sexual violence in local communities, as well as its consequences for the conflict and the peace process itself. Moreover, the report provides us with very useful information on the significant progress made in implementing resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) with the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as with the establishment of a Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, in order to assist national authorities in reinforcing judicial systems weakened by conflict."

"We must recognize that much has been done. The legal framework exists. Under international law, the definition of sexual violence is clear and, depending on the circumstances, can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, an act of torture or a constituent act of genocide. These crimes may entail individual criminal responsibility, including that of commanders. "

"With the appointment of Special Representative Wallström and, subsequently, of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, with the presence of United Nations agencies and peacekeeping missions in the field, the Council should have the tools necessary to obtain reliable and accurate information on sexual violence. This is an issue of particular importance to helping the Council discharge its responsibilities."

"Concerning the Council's action on this issue, we believe that the Council has been quite successful but that it still needs to reinforce its effectiveness. The mass rapes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August emphasize the need for further action by the international community. We can certainly consolidate and make full use of existing tools by ensuring adequate funding for the Office of the Special Representative and for the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, and by assessing the need for women's protection advisers in relevant peacekeeping operations. "

"I would underline two aspects where the Council could become more effective. The first aspect is the need to improve the Council's access to timely, objective, accurate and reliable information on sexual violence in situations on its agenda. In this regard, Portugal strongly supports the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General and the decision taken yesterday by the Council to establish a monitoring and reporting system on sexual violence in conflict in order to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach at the field level and at Headquarters. The good practices of the mechanisms created by the Council to monitor the situation of children in armed conflicts should guide our action, and we hope that these mechanisms will enjoy the same level of success to combat sexual violence in armed conflicts. "

"The second aspect is the Council's action. Indeed, a Council that is better informed is also in a better position to take action. With sufficient information, the Council will be able to take, in a timely manner, further steps to influence parties to conflict to comply with international law and to make specific commitments regarding the prevention of sexual violence or the investigation of alleged abuses. However, if these measures do not restrain the perpetration of sexual violence, the Council needs to follow-up on resolution 1888 (2009). In this regard, Portugal welcomes the decision of the Council to use information available in the reports of the SecretaryGeneral as a basis for a more focused United Nations engagement with those responsible for such acts. This should be understood as sending a clear message to perpetrators of sexual violence that the Council is ready to apply sanctions to perpetrators who have been identified or who are credibly suspected of committing sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on its agenda."

Sexual violence in situations of conflict, like gender-based violence in the home, has remained in the private sphere for far too long. In his report (S/2010/604) on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), the Secretary-General affirms that sexual violence used as a weapon of war can become a way of life that continues once the conflict has ended. All too often, such violence is invisible and thereby protected because it is considered a private aspect of interpersonal relationships. However, we cannot forget that it is a crime of war, a crime against humanity and a flagrant breach of human rights.

The body of standards established by resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009), as well as 1960 (2010), adopted yesterday by the Council, is the main tool for combating sexual violence in conflict. The institutional structure being set up, and led by Special Representative Ms. Margot Wallström, is also essential. However, as became obvious at the thematic debate held by the Security Council (see S/PV.6411) on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), a body of standards will not be enough if measures are not applied and implemented. The new resolution should lead the United Nations as a whole to combat sexual violence in situations of conflict even more decisively, ensuring the perfect coordination of the activities of the various bodies and relevant entities, including, of course, the new entity UN Women.

My Government is completing the second review of our national action plan on women and peace and security, bringing it into line with the provisions of recent Security Council resolutions and broadening its provisions on sexual violence in conflict. In that regard, I am pleased to report three actions that we have recently undertaken.

First, in cooperation with the Government of the Netherlands, we have launched a joint civilian-military training exercise on gender-based violence and the protection of civilians, as mentioned yesterday by the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands in his statement. Secondly, Spanish cooperation funds activities promoted by civil society to combat sexual violence in situations of conflict in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. Finally, in June, the Spanish criminal code was amended to include a specific penalty for those violating the sexual freedom of a protected person in the context of armed conflict.

The international community must continue to combat sexual violence in conflict at the national, regional and global levels. We must end the impunity of perpetrators and provide appropriate compensation to victims, ensuring that they become agents of change and peace. The international community can count on the cooperation of my Government in that undertaking.

Today, with this follow-up resolution, 1960 (2010), we are sending yet another strong message to the world that sexual violence, especially against women and children and particularly in situations of armed conflict, is not acceptable and that such acts will not be tolerated. As shown in the report of the Secretary-General, sexual violence is not a by-product or a side issue; it is deeply interconnected with the root causes of conflict, is used widely as a tactic of war and, sadly, continues even after the conflict has ended.

Thus the fight against sexual violence is not only a matter of human rights but is, and should be, at the heart of our efforts to stop and resolve conflicts. For that reason, we completely share the SecretaryGeneral's assessment that sexual violence should be a priority consideration not only for humanitarian actors but also for peacemakers, peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

Despite some small progress achieved so far, we cannot fail to note that much remains to be done. Many structural and institutional impediments remain, which we should overcome in order to meet the challenges before us. Likewise, equally strong measures are needed to increase the participation of women in the work of peace, including post-conflict recovery efforts and peace processes, since that will help overcome the negative consequences of sexual violence, such as shame and stigma.

We have to redouble our efforts in the fight against impunity, and targeted measures should be imposed against the perpetrators of sexual violence and rape. In that regard, the most significant added value of the resolution we have just adopted derives from its action-oriented nature. It not only condemns those who perpetrate acts of violence against women but also calls for action against them. In that vein, we believe that when it comes to tackling conflicts and promoting peace and security, resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009) should all become a regular part of the work of this Council.

The international community cannot remain indifferent to such atrocities, nor accept the myth that rape is an inevitable by-product of war. Doing so would paralyse any attempt to eradicate such actions. Sexual violence must be considered a violation of the victims' human rights; that being the case, the perpetrators must be prosecuted, judged and punished. At the same time, we must step-up awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the civilian population vis-à-vis preventing such crimes. And we must urge States to strengthen protection for girls and women in conflicts.

Regrettably, sexual violence is a constant at all stages of armed conflict. Often, it is not a matter of isolated incidents, but instead includes related crimes such as kidnapping, indiscriminate killing, torture, looting and forced displacement. The international community must continue to urge armed groups to end such abhorrent practices and to work with States to end the impunity surrounding them.

My country would like to congratulate the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Margot Wallström, on her appointment and the work she is doing. We also support the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report, in particular the following: first, including in the Secretary-General's annual reports lists of those parties who have committed acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, as a basis for more focused engagement with the parties and, where necessary, for the application of targeted measures; secondly, calling on all parties to a conflict to make specific and time-bound commitments to cease all acts of sexual violence; thirdly, establishing a monitoring, analysis and reporting system; and, lastly, that the Security Council systematically consider the issue of sexual violence when it authorizes or renews the mandates of peacekeeping and special political missions.

I would like to conclude by reaffirming my country's unshakable commitment to combating sexual violence in situations of conflict. As a demonstration of that commitment, we were proud to join the co-sponsors of the resolution 1960 (2010), which the Council adopted yesterday.

The appointment of Ms. Wallström in February this year was an important signal that increased and focused action would be undertaken in the fight against the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. No one can deny that sexual violence in armed conflict is an abhorrent crime that in some conflict areas is systematically used to destabilize whole societies, and thus constitutes a serious security problem requiring a systematic response, including by the Security Council. With the adoption of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), the Council gave this issue the comprehensive and global attention it deserves. We therefore strongly welcome the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) and its recommendations, which are reflected in the new resolution 1960 (2010) adopted by the Security Council today. It is a good resolution. We commend all Security Council members for agreeing on this important document in such a short period of time. This underlines the urgency of the problem and shows that the Council is sincerely committed to tackling this issue.

As exact data is indispensable to taking timely and concrete action to prevent and react to sexual violence, Germany fully supports the creation of a new mechanism that may help to collect relevant data. This mechanism should work similarly to and in close cooperation with the one already existing on children and armed conflict, and also take into account the indicators endorsed by the Security Council in October during its open debate (see S/PV.6411) on resolution 1325 (2000).

Collecting data is not enough, but it is a much- needed first step in the fight against impunity. Perpetrators have to be brought to justice. Bearing in mind the main responsibility of States to investigate and prosecute those abominable crimes, international cooperation and the continued leadership of the Security Council are also of utmost importance. We therefore support the Secretary General's proposal to set up a listing and de-listing mechanism, such as that for sexual violence against children. Moreover, the Council must make full use of all existing instruments at its disposal, such as relevant sanctions committees, to address sexual violence, including by referring relevant cases to the International Criminal Court.

Moreover, we must strive to find better ways of guaranteeing the safety and physical integrity of women and children during armed conflict. This includes early warning mechanisms, as well as more awareness-raising campaigns and pertinent training, including the training of peacekeepers. Germany supports several training programmes and awareness- raising campaigns on sexual violence, in close cooperation with United Nations entities.

Finally, victims of sexual violence and abuse need help to treat the physical and mental scars left on them and their families and to enable them once again to actively participate in communal life. States must therefore provide adequate protection services and find prompt and non-bureaucratic ways to support victims, where appropriate with the help of the United Nations system. Germany commends the United Nations organizations on their valuable work in this field, including the important activities of the Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, which Germany has actively supported in the past.

Luxembourg congratulates the United States presidency of the Council on organizing this open debate, which gives us an opportunity to review the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) and the challenges still to be addressed in order to fight effectively against sexual violence in conflict situations. We welcome the Council's adoption of resolution 1960 (2010), which we had the honour of co-sponsoring, as we did for resolution 1888 (2009) a year ago also under your presidency, Madame. We hope that the Council will proceed with determination to ensure the use of these new mechanisms and implementation of the new resolution.

We warmly welcome the fact that the Council also encourages the Secretary-General to list in an annex to his annual reports the parties that have systematically engaged in acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the Council agenda. However, we would have preferred that the SecretaryGeneral could also have been invited to provide information on perpetrators of sexual violence in other conflicts and situations, which should not escape the attention of the international community.

We must all redouble our efforts to contribute to better protection of women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Let me dwell for a moment on some initiatives that my Government has decided to support since our debate on women and peace and security in
October (6411th meeting).

At the same time, in a broader context, Luxembourg has just decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening the leadership and participation of women in peacebuilding activities in countries
emerging from conflict. That project includes the organization of several meetings at national and regional levels — one on West Africa, the other the Great Lakes region — to facilitate the exchange of good practices in that regard. The protection of women and girls against sexual violence will also be discussed in that context.

The mass rapes in Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this summer were a brutal reminder of how sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war. In that context, Luxembourg has just decided to make a voluntary contribution to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the financing of a training programme for 120 trainers and thus help to professionalize the Congolese national police. That training will also raise awareness among the members of the Congolese police with regard to sexual violence and will give them the ability to better protect women and children against acts of sexual violence.

The Netherlands would like to congratulate the Secretary-General on his excellent report (S/2010/604) and on its recommendations. We also wholeheartedly co-sponsored resolution 1960 (2010), which was introduced by the United States in its capacity as the current President of the Security Council. We agree with the emphasis on applying listing and de-listing criteria with regard to parties to armed conflict. The resolution provides concrete measures to define, implement and monitor specific and time-bound commitments — indispensable commitments, I would like to add.

The Netherlands is committed to strengthening the protection against and the prevention of conflict related sexual violations and violence. We provide financial support to scenario-based training on sexual violence for United Nations peacekeepers, which is referred to both in the Secretary-General's report and in the new resolution. We believe that operational readiness with regard to sexual violence can increase effectiveness in the overall protection of civilians.

"In addition, the Netherlands supports a training initiative on the protection of human rights and the prevention of sexual violence with the Congolese Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo. That innovative project makes use of footage from the award-winning documentary Weapon of War, about the perpetrators of sexual violence."

In the context of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) and of the third year of the Dutch national action plan, the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence jointly produced a publication entitled The Dutch Do's on Women, Peace and Security —
Diplomacy, Defence and Development in Partnership. The publication describes the implementation of the Dutch integrated approach towards women, peace and security at the country level — for instance, by supporting the political participation of women in Afghanistan and by integrating gender training with security-sector development in Burundi and sexual violence issues in the Dutch support to the Congolese security sector.

The violation of the rights of women is one of the principal characteristics of various conflicts across the world in both conflict and post-conflict situations. Unfortunately, 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the plight of women and girls in armed conflict is still dire. Regrettably, the war in Georgia in August 2008 was no exception in that sense. It resulted in the gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including violence against women.

Due to the sensitive nature of the crime, rapes are frequently underreported, especially in war. Nonetheless, the rape, torture and mutilation of ethnic Georgian women were by registered by various international and non-governmental organizations, including the independent fact-finding mission headed by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini. The documented cases unequivocally prove the involvement of occupying forces from a neighbouring country and its proxies in serious violations of women's rights, including sexual violence and humiliating treatment, among the other instruments of ethnic cleansing that we have witnessed on the occupied territories of Georgia since the early 1990s. Even today, the rights and freedoms of Georgian women are jeopardized in the occupied territories of Georgia. Human rights watchdogs and international missions are banned from monitoring the humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied territories. As a result, this situation, which has deteriorated, remains off the United Nations radar. The continuation of the current state of affairs cannot be tolerated by the international community.

Finally, let me reassure the Council that Georgia supports the efforts of the entire United Nations family to prevent, and eventually eradicate, violence against women.

Thanks to the resolve of the international community the operational and peacekeeping activities of the United Nations has been oriented towards recognizing the plight of women and children in conflict areas and being proactive in working towards preventing violence against them. India supports those developments.

The Security Council must ensure that the resources needed to implement its mandates are available. United Nations missions are being asked to do more with less. For example, the resolution that was just adopted will expand the mandate without expanding already inadequate resources.

Being the largest troop-contributing country in United Nations history, with more than 100,000 peacekeepers in 40 United Nations missions, India has perhaps more experience than most in implementing Security Council mandates. It is indeed Indian troops, along with the peacekeepers of fellow troop-contributing countries, who convert the intent of this Council into deed.

We take great pride in the stellar record of our peacekeepers, both men and women, in the protection of women, children and the weak. Indian troops have apprehended some of the principal culprits behind the recent sexual violence in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We can do much more if more resources are made available.

"My delegation appreciates the very important role that women's protection advisers will play in protecting women and girls from sexual violence. Their support for the monitoring, analysis and reporting system on sexual violence and their facilitation of dialogue with parties to conflict are welcome. The development and implementation of strategies to combat sexual violence and the mainstreaming of the elimination of sexual violence into policies and operations of peacekeeping and political missions are also welcome."

I would like to say a special word of welcome and thanks to Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral Wallström and her team for their extremely significant contribution to the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009). Let me also express our great appreciation to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and in particular the UnderSecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and the Military Advisor, for their efforts to strengthen protection and response in the field.

We are concerned by the high numbers of governmental security forces directly involved in sexual violence. The conditionality policy of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is an important step in the right direction and should be extended to all United Nations peacekeeping missions. In light of the incorporation of former militia members into the national police and security structures, the establishment of vetting procedures is a crucial element of any integration process

United Nations peacekeeping missions must also strengthen their prevention and protection capacities. We welcome efforts under way to develop scenariobased training materials, such as curricula based on the publication entitled “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice”. Also, the recruitment of more community liaison officers, including women, will significantly strengthen the ability of missions to interact with the local population and ensure that the voices of local women are better heard. We would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to continue its efforts in this regard. The Council should exert its influence to ensure that peace agreements refer to sexual violence, and we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General to address the underrepresentation of women in peace processes and negotiations and to enhance women's participation in all peacebuilding efforts.

The prevention of and response to sexual violence should also be included in the mandates of all United Nations peacekeeping missions. To that end, the Council must design and implement mandates to support peace efforts that better respond to all forms of violence against civilians, and ensure that strategies for combating sexual violence in conflict are integrated into the work of United Nations country teams. Local organizations devoted to protecting women often assess the ongoing threat of sexual violence in their communities.

For those reasons, networks among United Nations peacekeepers, local and international non-governmental organizations and women's networks must be strengthened to facilitate the establishment of early warning mechanisms on conflict-related sexual violence. Consequently, we welcomed the efforts made by the United Nations this year, through the Open Days on Women, Peace and Security, to engage in dialogue with local communities and women's groups. We noted at the time that the most frequent protection concern raised by participants was the level of sexual violence during and after conflict and the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of those crimes. We call on the United Nations to pursue dialogue with local communities and women's groups so that the international community can respond effectively to these issues.

The Human Security Network also takes note of the recommendation regarding the adoption by relevant sanctions committees of sanctions and other targeted measures against individuals and entities. In this regard, the exchange of information among United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Security Council sanctions committees will be of great importance.

With regard to improving protection for vulnerable populations, Gabon would like to underscore the importance of ensuring better protection for women and girls in the field. In that regard, we would like to highlight the enormous efforts made by peacekeeping missions, which too often operate in difficult situations and in places that severely challenge their efforts to ensure effective protection for those at risk.

We reiterate the need for adequate capabilities and clear and appropriate guidelines to enable peacekeeping missions to carry out their mandated tasks, including preventing and responding to sexual violence. Recruiting women in civil, military and police components of peacekeeping missions can encourage local women to report incidents of sexual violence. Deployment of a greater number of female police and military personnel with adequate training in gender-based violence is vital for better addressing issues related to sexual violence on the ground. It can also contribute to establishing better communication with local communities.

Furthermore, we consider it crucial that the Security Council continue the practice of including, where applicable, designation criteria pertaining to acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence when adopting or renewing targeted sanctions pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009). We also strongly encourage the flow of information about sexual violence between United Nations peacekeeping missions or other United Nations missions or bodies and the corresponding Security Council sanctions committees

The work done in this area by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Development Programme has our full support.

Resolution 1888 (2009) includes provisions for increasing the participation of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. We agree that their participation in that regard contributes to creating an atmosphere of trust in which women and children can expose the abuses to which they are subjected. We also believe that their inclusion can generate greater participation by women in law enforcement, militaries and police agencies in countries in which they are deployed.

For several months, therefore, Colombia has been a contributor to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, providing two female police officers with a strong background in human rights and the protection of children and adolescents. Colombia would like to reiterate its willingness to step up its contribution in that regard. We hope that, in implementing resolution 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), mechanisms for cooperation, constructive dialogue and effective support to countries will be promoted. We also highlight the role that the General Assembly can play in strengthening cooperation with States in the complex tasks that have been set out.

Our extensive engagement in United Nations peacekeeping has taught us that the triggers for sexual violence and the entry points for influence are different from one case to another. But there are some common points. In all situations, active monitoring and timely reporting are critical. Without them, early warnings will be missed, policymaking will not be properly founded, and perpetrators will slip through the cracks. Almost always, too, there are groups that are particularly vulnerable and need specific and special protection. Again and again, one sees the pattern of preying on refugees and internally displaced persons, especially those — mostly women — who have to venture outside villages and camps in search of water andfirewood.

The recent deployment of Irish defence forces with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad has left us with some reflections. Our experience of that deployment was that, by raising awareness of human rights, of the unacceptability of sexual and gender-based violence and of the responsibilities of Government and other parties, the Mission helped to foster a climate in which communities were less likely to tolerate and more likely to report acts of sexual violence. That was certainly a positive lesson that a peacekeeping mission, operating as intended, can raise consciousness and change tolerance standards in communities.

But helping to change attitudes and standards brings a follow-up responsibility. It cannot be right that communities are left with new ways of looking at things but — with the international presence gone — no means to ensure that new standards are implemented. This is where the continuum between peacekeeping and peacebuilding really matters. In many peacekeeping contexts, an effectively functioning domestic judicial or penal system is lacking. Although international peacekeepers can temporarily fulfil a very important role, tackling sexual violence ultimately necessitates support for a wide range of capacity-building, training and infrastructural development activities. This may not be quick or easy, but only such an integrated approach will ensure that the scourge of sexual violence in conflict is dealt with in a sustainable and lasting way.

In 2008, the Commission evaluated progress in the implementation of the 2004 agreed conclusions through an interactive dialogue. Many participants reported on initiatives to address sexual violence in armed conflict and to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping and security forces. They also highlighted the need to strengthen efforts at the national and international levels to address sexual violence in armed conflict as a threat to peace and security.

In situations where peacekeeping operations are deployed, the United Nations role in prevention becomes one of particular relevance, as the enhanced resources at its disposal create higher expectations among local populations and in international public opinion. In order to live up to such expectations, we must ensure that the prevention of sexual violence is truly made a mission-wide endeavour that involves not only troops and police but all mission components.

Recent events have shown that contacts with local populations are critical to ensuring protection. The role of civil affairs and public information components is therefore key. They should have the necessary resources — especially guidance and trained personnel — to be able to help avoid outrageous violence such as that witnessed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are encouraged by the measures being taken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to mainstream the prevention of sexual violence in peacekeeping missions.

In the 10 years since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), we have seen some positive steps to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Unfortunately, overall progress is slow. Israel joined the list of sponsors of resolution 1960 (2010), recognizing the urgent need for collective action on this pressing issue. As a co-sponsor of the previous resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), Israel remains deeply committed to their full implementation. We welcome the increased deployment of gender advisers, the routine inclusion of provisions in peacekeeping mandates that protect women and girls from sexual violence, and the growing awareness of the need to include women in any peacemaking process.

The Security Council faces significant challenges. It must ensure the functioning and impact of the monitoring system and the presentation of reports on sexual violence in conflict, and systematically include components on gender and on prevention of sexual violence in the terms of reference of its field visits and the mandates for its peacekeeping operations. My delegation hopes that the Security Council will step up its efforts to combat this problem more effectively

Resolution 1960 (2010), which we have just adopted, also speaks to the need for our peacekeepers to be fully equipped and trained to carry out mandated tasks relating to the prevention of and response to sexual violence. In that regard, Nigeria welcomes the Secretary-General's development of operational tools for the implementation of mandates for peacekeepers with regard to the protection of civilians.

Secondly, preventing and responding to sexual violence require a more coherent and coordinated approach within the United Nations system. For example, a more integrated strategic framework between peacekeeping missions and United Nations country teams should be established to formulate mission objectives targeted at women and peace and security, as well as to evaluate their implementation. We hope that UN Women, which will come into operation in January 2011, will play a leading role in coordinating various activities related to the work on women and peace and security among United Nations entities.

There is yet much to be done in the area of victim assistance. Disabled women face heightened vulnerability to sexual violence and exploitation. It is commendable that, in recognition of the risk faced by women maimed or wounded by antipersonnel landmines, sexual violence has been specifically included in the 2010 gender guidelines for mine action programmes that have been developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

We look forward to the strategic framework on civilian protection and the series of scenario-based training modules, which will also address sexual violence, that are being finalized by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support. We support the recent United Nations activities on this issue aimed at finalizing training materials for United Nations and national police, including the development of gender guidelines for military personnel in peacekeeping operations that also address the protection of women and girls from sexual violence.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Council that, a month ago, Slovenia adopted its 2010- 2015 national action plan for the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008). One of the three main objectives of the plan is to prevent sexual violence against women and girls and to protect them during and after armed conflict. Furthermore, the action plan includes measures to strengthen the role of women in conflict resolution and conflict prevention, as well as in peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

We also welcome the inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions in civil, military and police functions. Ugandan women, and particularly those in military and police forces, are currently engaged in peacekeeping missions in the region and around the world. We are convinced that, wherever they are based, their presence has a positive influence and may encourage women from local communities to report all acts of sexual violence.

Early warning signs of conflict-related sexual violence are often received. But as the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August sadly demonstrated, our coordinated and comprehensive analysis of those signs must be strengthened in order to improve the prospects for preventing attacks on civilians. Sexual violence is not unique in that regard. We encourage all relevant parts of the United Nations system to collaborate in identifying a comprehensive matrix of early warning signs and recommended responses. As we know, the Special Advisers on the prevention of genocide and on the responsibility to protect are also undertaking relevant and important work in this field. A coordinated and comprehensive approach to early warning will enhance the response capacity of peacekeepers on the ground.

The Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) was particularly valuable because it identified practical, pragmatic ways in which this issue can be tackled. Australia is a firm supporter of tangible, practical solutions. There remains a gap between our collective expectations on what United Nations peacekeeping should be able to do and the actual capacity of peacekeepers on the ground. Operational guidance, training and resources must be provided to mission leadership and peacekeepers so that they are prepared to take action in response to threats against civilians during conflict, including sexual violence.

We were very pleased to support the joint analytical inventory developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Fund for Women under the auspices of the inter-agency network United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. This is a key tool for the Organization to use in improving its ability to protect civilians from conflict-related sexual violence as part of peacekeeping operations. We are supporting our United Nations partners in fully operationalizing this tool, including by incorporating it into predeployment training for peacekeepers. That is the scenario-based training referred to in the Secretary- General's report.

It is critical to protect women from all forms of violence and to empower them within their society. For this reason, Japan has decided to make a contribution of $4.5 million to UN Women for its project in Afghanistan. It is also vital to strengthen the comprehensive response that is the responsibility of United Nations peacekeeping missions. We expect more women's protection advisors to be designated in the missions. And we welcome the Secretary-General's efforts to provide peacekeepers with clearer guidance, in line with good practice, regarding the response to sexual violence. In general, the Security Council needs to further strengthen the comprehensive response of peacekeeping missions through its country-specific resolutions.

It is my Government's hope that today's resolution will establish formal monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, and generate insightful analysis of trends and patterns to better protect affected populations and inform targeted measures. It is also important to further reinforce trust between local communities and United Nations peacekeeping missions on the ground and to establish effective channels of communication that would provide timely and accurate information in the event of rapes.

Female peacekeepers and women protection advisors are crucial in this sense. Where they have been present, local populations have more readily reported on instances of sexual violence. Today's resolution unequivocally supports their presence and the need to mainstream them. Furthermore, we welcome the development by the Secretariat of scenario-based training materials on combating sexual violence for peacekeepers, and we encourage Member States to use them.

"With the appointment of Special Representative Wallström and, subsequently, of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, with the presence of United Nations agencies and peacekeeping missions in the field, the Council should have the tools necessary to obtain reliable and accurate information on sexual violence. This is an issue of particular importance to helping the Council discharge its responsibilities."

"Concerning the Council's action on this issue, we believe that the Council has been quite successful but that it still needs to reinforce its effectiveness. The mass rapes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August emphasize the need for further action by the international community. We can certainly consolidate and make full use of existing tools by ensuring adequate funding for the Office of the Special Representative and for the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, and by assessing the need for women's protection advisers in relevant peacekeeping operations. "

My delegation supports the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General, and co-sponsored the resolution submitted to the Council. My Government also supports the Special Representative's agenda of priorities and considers it very important to continue training peace contingents to combat sexual violence and to consolidate the institutional structure set out in the resolutions, ensuring that they have the necessary financing.

Thus the fight against sexual violence is not only a matter of human rights but is, and should be, at the heart of our efforts to stop and resolve conflicts. For that reason, we completely share the SecretaryGeneral's assessment that sexual violence should be a priority consideration not only for humanitarian actors but also for peacemakers, peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

In Argentina, all selection and training procedures carried out when deploying a peacekeeping operation take into account the peacekeeper code of conduct, including issues of gender, abuse, violence and sexual exploitation, as outlined in the concepts and terms established in resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008).

My country would like to congratulate the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Margot Wallström, on her appointment and the work she is doing. We also support the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report, in particular the following: first, including in the Secretary-General's annual reports lists of those parties who have committed acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, as a basis for more focused engagement with the parties and, where necessary, for the application of targeted measures; secondly, calling on all parties to a conflict to make specific and time-bound commitments to cease all acts of sexual violence; thirdly, establishing a monitoring, analysis and reporting system; and, lastly, that the Security Council systematically consider the issue of sexual violence when it authorizes or renews the mandates of peacekeeping and special political missions.

Moreover, we must strive to find better ways of guaranteeing the safety and physical integrity of women and children during armed conflict. This includes early warning mechanisms, as well as more awareness-raising campaigns and pertinent training, including the training of peacekeepers. Germany supports several training programmes and awareness- raising campaigns on sexual violence, in close cooperation with United Nations entities.

At the same time, in a broader context, Luxembourg has just decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening the leadership and participation of women in peacebuilding activities in countries
emerging from conflict. That project includes the organization of several meetings at national and regional levels — one on West Africa, the other the Great Lakes region — to facilitate the exchange of good practices in that regard. The protection of women and girls against sexual violence will also be discussed in that context.

The Netherlands is committed to strengthening the protection against and the prevention of conflict related sexual violations and violence. We provide financial support to scenario-based training on sexual violence for United Nations peacekeepers, which is referred to both in the Secretary-General's report and in the new resolution. We believe that operational readiness with regard to sexual violence can increase effectiveness in the overall protection of civilians.

Finally, we are pleased to announce bilateral collaboration between the Netherlands and Spain in the development of more civilian and military gender capacity so as to increase operational readiness. We have a responsibility to arrive well prepared at our
respective missions, be they peacekeeping, military or civilian. That commitment resulted from a recent Spanish-Dutch seminar with troop-contributing countries on the subject of gender in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. One conclusion of the seminar was that sustainable peace and reconstruction could only be achieved by involving local communities and by supporting active roles for women.

Our extensive engagement in United Nations peacekeeping has taught us that the triggers for sexual violence and the entry points for influence are different from one case to another. But there are some common points. In all situations, active monitoring and timely reporting are critical. Without them, early warnings will be missed, policymaking will not be properly founded, and perpetrators will slip through the cracks. Almost always, too, there are groups that are particularly vulnerable and need specific and special protection. Again and again, one sees the pattern of preying on refugees and internally displaced persons, especially those — mostly women — who have to venture outside villages and camps in search of water andfirewood.

One aspect of particular concern is sexual violence in armed conflict or post-conflict situations, as that subject cannot be approached simply from a gender perspective. The impact on society of sexual violence used as a tactic of war is so great that addressing it must be an integral part of any strategy for peace and security. Sexual violence encourages the perpetuation of conflicts, promotes the displacement of populations and limits development opportunities. Certain groups, such as displaced persons, refugees and persons with disabilities, are particularly vulnerable to such crimes and require special attention.

Conflict-related sexual violence can disenfranchize and displace entire communities. Such outcomes are only the beginning of a spiral of social decline triggered by armed conflict. That chain reaction was recognized in resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), and our efforts to combat impunity, instill cultures of accountability, tackle deep-rooted attitudes and ultimately protect the vulnerable must now be intensified.

We are also supporting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in implementing a strategy to combat sexual violence in communities of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North and South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNHCR's strategy of creating a common framework and actions for all those involved in combating sexual violence in that country could be applied in other situations involving IDPs.

There is a saying that all that is necessary for evil to continue is for good men to do nothing. My delegation believes that the community of nations must ensure that the human rights of all are respected. Universal respect for human rights is, in our view, the basis of the common and better future that we seek to build.

The proceedings of the Council today will add to the edifice created by resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009) and 1888 (2009). Those and other decisions of the Security Council on, inter alia, sexual violence, children and the protection of civilians have led to a significant addition to the corpus of international law.

At the outset, let me thank the United States for leading the Council's work in its efforts to address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to the health and lives of the victims and of their communities. And let me be clear: sexual violence is a serious impediment to peace, security and development. Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) — the latter adopted today — complement in important and concrete ways the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security by recognizing sexual violence as a security issue and a possible war crime and in adding provisions on protection, monitoring and enforcement tools. The Nordic countries fully support the resolutions and the Council's work.

Monitoring, reporting and sanctions are not ends in themselves. Their aim is to change behaviour and promote adherence to national and international law. We were therefore particularly happy to note that resolution 1960 (2010) also endorses the Secretary-General's proposal for a dialogue with parties to armed conflict, where verified behavioural change will lead to delisting, while sanctions will be applied against persistent violators.

Investigating and prosecuting all acts of conflict- related sexual violence are both legal obligations and powerful deterrents. This includes holding commanders accountable for ordering, condoning or failing to prevent acts of sexual violence committed by troops under their control. We must find ways to strengthen national judicial systems and processes, including through the deployment of the teams of experts on the rule of law. In some instances it may be necessary to refer cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We also encourage the Council to use other mechanisms at its disposal, such as fact-finding commissions and commissions of inquiry.