European Union
The European Union would like to thank the Secretary-General for his presence...
The European Union would like to thank the Secretary-General for his presence yesterday at the open debate. We are also grateful for the presentation of his Special Representative, Madame Wallström, and would like to express our gratitude to Under-Secretary- General Le Roy and Military Adviser Lieutenant General Gaye for all the efforts undertaken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to combat sexual violence in armed conflict and post-conflict countries.
Continuing evidence of daily sexual violence in armed conflict and fragile co...
Continuing evidence of daily sexual violence in armed conflict and fragile countries underscores the need to intensify our efforts to prevent and combat such violence. Although attention has been focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo, alarming reports have also been coming from other countries, including countries that are not on the Council's current agenda. Impunity continues to prevail for most acts of sexual violence committed in the course of recent conflicts. The European Union (EU) therefore warmly welcomes the present report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) (S/2010/604).
The EU calls on the Security Council and all States Members of the United Nat...
The EU calls on the Security Council and all States Members of the United Nations to redouble their efforts, notably in the fight against impunity. Often, amnesty is given in the name of peace to combatants who have used sexual torture or sexual violence as a tactic of war. But there can be no sustainable peace without prosecution of perpetrators and justice for victims. Targeted and appropriately tailored measures should be imposed on all parties to a conflict responsible for grave instances of sexual violence.
Perpetrators should be held accountable. Data collection and follow-up on the...
Perpetrators should be held accountable. Data collection and follow-up on the prosecution of sexual offenders requires urgent strengthening.
At the Security Council's open debate on the subject held on 26 October, the ...
At the Security Council's open debate on the subject held on 26 October, the European Union reiterated its firm call for the reinforcement of global monitoring of situations pertaining to sexual violence in armed conflict. The recommendations of the Secretary-General in the current report provide concrete suggestions in that regard, and the European Union fully endorses those recommendations. The call to establish monitoring and reporting arrangements is particularly noteworthy. Robust monitoring arrangements will enable the Council to track, deter and combat the use of systematic sexual violence in conflict situations.
The European Union warmly welcomes the adoption yesterday of resolution 1960 ...
The European Union warmly welcomes the adoption yesterday of resolution 1960 (2010) on sexual violence in situations in armed conflict. We urge the Security Council to build on its strong commitment to that issue and to ensure the full implementation of that and all other relevant resolutions.
The Security Council should adopt a zero- tolerance approach by including iss...
The Security Council should adopt a zero- tolerance approach by including issues of sexual violence as a priority element in resolutions establishing the mandates for its sanctions committees, and the mandates should explicitly include sexual violence as a criterion for the designation of political and military leaders for targeted measures.
The Security Council should also reaffirm its commitment to integrating the g...
The Security Council should also reaffirm its commitment to integrating the gender equality dimension and the protection of civilians from sexual and gender-based violence into the mandates of peacekeeping operations. The connections between violence against women and the ability of women to participate in conflict prevention and management, as well as in peacebuilding and development, must be better understood. Local populations need a focal point for reporting instances of sexual violence. Furthermore, sexual exploitation or abuse by United Nations troops or United Nations staff is totally unacceptable.
The European Union supports the United Nations in its efforts to combat viole...
The European Union supports the United Nations in its efforts to combat violence against women, including the work of the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström. The European Union also closely collaborates with the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, and has recently reiterated its support for the implementation of the monitoring mechanism set up by resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009) by revising the EU implementation strategy on children and armed conflict.
I would now like to briefly elaborate on some recent European Union activitie...
I would now like to briefly elaborate on some recent European Union activities undertaken in response to resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), and complementing individual actions by EU member States. Fighting all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls, including in armed conflict but not excluding other situations of concern, is among the key objectives of the EU's human rights policy in external relations. In July 2010, the European Union adopted 17 monitoring indicators for its comprehensive approach on the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008). In addition to over the €300 million set aside for programmes addressing the needs and rights of women and girls in conflict-affected and post-conflict situations in over 67 countries, significant new funds will be made available for civil society projects.
In October of this year, the European Union and the African Union organized a...
In October of this year, the European Union and the African Union organized a joint civil society seminar on women, peace and security in Addis Ababa. In 2012, we plan to organize a workshop on the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions on our two continents, and we are currently looking for ways to support the training of African peacekeepers and the African Standby Force in human rights and gender issues and to increase the number of women in such contingents.
The European Union has recently conducted the first-ever lessons-learned exer...
The European Union has recently conducted the first-ever lessons-learned exercise on mainstreaming human rights and gender within its Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations. It has just adopted standard training modules on human rights, child protection and gender to be used as a baseline reference by all 27 EU member States.
In closing, the European Union reiterates its strong support for the work of ...
In closing, the European Union reiterates its strong support for the work of the United Nations in combating sexual violence in armed conflict and warmly welcomes the Secretary-General's report and most particularly the resolution adopted yesterday.
EU crisis management missions, 13 of which are currently ongoing, all have ad...
EU crisis management missions, 13 of which are currently ongoing, all have advisers or focal points on gender, and many carry out specific actions in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.