Canada
Canada strongly supports the Security Council's recognition of the need to ta...
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 Secreta...
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 require...
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 gir...
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.
Canada welcomes the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals confi...
Canada welcomes the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals confirming that rape and sexual violence can be war crimes and crimes against humanity. Individuals responsible for these crimes must be brought to justice; that includes those responsible by virtue of command responsibility. Canada calls on Member States to ensure that these crimes are investigated and that those responsible for committing serious crimes are held to account.
In addition, as recognized in resolution 1820 (2008), we also strongly suppor...
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 perpe...
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 ri...
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 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 inte...
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.
To conclude, we are encouraged by the additional measures proposed in the Sec...
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.