In spite of the hard work and oft-expressed commitments of the international ...

In spite of the hard work and oft-expressed commitments of the international community to the principles of resolution 1325 (2000), serious challenges remain. The Secretary-General observes in his report that “10 years after the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), significant achievements are difficult to identify or quantify” (S/2010/498, para. 3). The July mass rapes in the Walikale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reminds us of how ineffective our efforts in combating sexual violence still are. This is a failure not of one country or organization, but of our collective international response.