Slovenia

It is my great honour to address the Security Council today on behalf of the Human Security Network, a cross-regional network that consists of Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Norway, Panama, Switzerland, Thailand, the Republic of South Africa as an observer, and my own country, Slovenia. Let me thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, and Ms. Saran Keïta Diakité of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security for their comprehensive statements. On behalf of the members of the Network, I should also like to express our great appreciation to the presidency of Rwanda for convening this very important open debate. The Human Security Network has traditionally been engaged in these debates, since women's full enjoyment of all human rights has been at the core of our group's agenda from its inception.

The report also refers to two highly problematic trends that were noticed by the independent international commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, namely, the occurrence of sexual violence during house searches and at checkpoints and the perpetration of rape and torture in the context of detention. We call on all parties to cease such violations and any other sexual-violence-related violations and, in accordance with resolution 1960 (2010), to make specific and time-bound protection commitments in that regard. We also call upon the members of the Security Council to consider using all the other means at its disposal to address sexual violence in conflict, including making referrals to the International Criminal Court and other relevant actions.

In that regard, the Network believes that applying a more people- or victim-centred lens to the issue would help. Moreover, we support the availability of reparations as a form of transitional gender justice. Reparations can deliver redress and acknowledgement of crimes suffered, and can contribute to the fight against impunity and to post-conflict reconstruction and the reintegration of survivors of sexual violence.

Let me briefly touch upon the already mentioned United Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse for United Nations personnel. The Network takes note of the failure to include such a policy in the relevant resolutions, and therefore calls upon all the relevant actors to make more use of references to the zero-tolerance policy.

In conclusion, even though it is not at the forefront of our discussion today, I should like to reiterate our group's commitment to promoting and enhancing the role of women in peace processes. While it is crucial to today's agenda that we maintain momentum in the fight against sexual violence, we would again like to underline the importance of women's empowerment as part of the solution. We need to see, and enable, women more and more as agents of change. Women's participation at decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes cannot be overemphasized. Women's participation in establishing effective prevention and protection strategies can contribute to combating sexual violence in conflict and promoting gender equality. We also remain strong supporters of women protection advisers, who can positively contribute to facilitating and coordinating the implementation of Security Council resolutions on sexual violence in conflict within United Nations peacekeeping and political missions.