Liechtenstein

Sexual violence is used not only as a method of warfare during armed conflict, but also as a means to surreptitiously continue conflict after the guns have fallen silent. Sexual violence can be an important indicator in determining when conflicts might turn violent or when a conflict relapses into violence. To fulfil its mandate towards conflict prevention, it is therefore imperative that the Council continue to receive information on sexual violence, including on situations of concern that are not on its agenda.

Sexual violence not only attacks the dignity and the body of the victim, but also tears at the fundamental social fabric of the community. To build sustainable peace, sexual violence must be addressed throughout all stages of conflict resolution processes, starting with ceasefire agreements and the presence of adequate gender expertise at the peace table. When provisions on sexual violence are not part of ceasefire agreements, such violence can be used, in effect, to continue acts of war, thereby undermining efforts to reduce violence and leading to a cycle of vengeance.

Moreover, research shows that when sexual violence is not addressed in the early stages of mediation efforts, the issue is likely to be ignored throughout later efforts to create and maintain peace. Hence, we welcome the work of the Department of Political Affairs to produce guidance for mediators on addressing conflict-related sexual violence in mediation processes and throughout conflict resolution efforts.

My delegation has therefore pledged to continue its financial support for the ICC Trust Fund for Victims, which adopts a gender-based perspective across all programmes and specifically aims to assist victims of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. The Trust Fund provides direct assistance to victims, and thus has an immediate impact on the ground.

As a member of the group of five small States, my delegation is a long-standing supporter of the consistent mainstreaming of the Council's thematic agenda into its country-specific work. To support the Council's efforts in mainstreaming its thematic agenda on women, peace and security, my delegation organized a workshop, from 28 to 30 January in Schaan, Liechtenstein, hosted by Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick, on the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda in Afghanistan. The workshop was organized in close partnership with the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University, and was supported by the delegations of Afghanistan and Germany.