United Kingdom
I would also like to pay special tribute to Special Representative of the Sec...
I would also like to pay special tribute to Special Representative of the Secretary-General Margot Wallström. In less than a year, she has had a great impact. Her global advocacy role has given this issue prominence in public debate, pushing for an end to impunity, including in relation to the Walikale mass rapes. Her field visits to speak with survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and her briefings have brought the voices of those women to the Council to inform our deliberations.
If we are going to resolve and prevent conflict effectively, we must help to ...
If we are going to resolve and prevent conflict effectively, we must help to protect women from violence, particularly sexual violence. That understanding is now fundamental to the way that the Security Council approaches its responsibilities. In October, on the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), many Member States identified the need for concrete action to accompany the political support that the Council has given to this important agenda. We agree. We need to translate political commitments into tangible lasting action on the ground. Without such practical action, we will fail the victims of sexual violence.
The United Kingdom has clearly set out its commitments in its new national ac...
The United Kingdom has clearly set out its commitments in its new national action plan. The plan was launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The commitments include strengthening the role of women in structures and processes within the Government of the United Kingdom designed to address conflict; country-specific action plans that set out the action we will take on the ground to support women in priority countries, starting with Afghanistan, Nepal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; working to strengthen the implementation of commitments by the international community; and continuing our strong advocacy role in multilateral and regional organizations. The British Government has also announced the appointment of a minister with special responsibility for combating violence against women overseas.
Nowhere is the need for concrete commitments greater than in situations of ar...
Nowhere is the need for concrete commitments greater than in situations of armed conflict. As resolution 1960 (2010) highlights, sexual violence continues to be a widely used weapon of warfare. It stigmatizes survivors, divides communities, exacerbates and prolongs conflict, and impedes the restoration of peace and security. Impunity for such crimes can prevent a society from recovering from conflict.
It is clear that the proliferation of sexual violence against women and girls...
It is clear that the proliferation of sexual violence against women and girls is often aimed at marginalizing their contribution to society. It deliberately degrades the role that they can play in restoring the fabric of peaceful communities. So, in addition to the appalling human cost, there is a deeply damaging impact on societies as a whole.
I would like to take a moment to highlight the significant steps forward that...
I would like to take a moment to highlight the significant steps forward that we have taken today with resolution 1960 (2010). First, it contains a new provision to identify parties to armed conflict that is credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence. That will help our efforts to tackle impunity for crimes of sexual violence and conflict.
Second are increased monitoring, analysis and reporting. That will help us to...
Second are increased monitoring, analysis and reporting. That will help us to develop a more comprehensive and integrated approach. More effective monitoring of patterns of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict should allow the Council to identify and mandate the action necessary to prevent it.
Thirdly, we will be able to address the arbitrary division that has been crea...
Thirdly, we will be able to address the arbitrary division that has been created by a monitoring and reporting mechanism for children in armed conflict who are subject to patterns of sexual violence when no such protection is afforded to those older than 18.
I thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and ambitious report (S/2...
I thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and ambitious report (S/2010/604). I am pleased that the Council has welcomed the report as a strong signal of our intention to support and assist in the eradication of sexual violence as a tactic of warfare. This terminology and its consideration by the Council are relatively new, but the tragic reality is not. We look forward to progress by the Secretary-General on his work with parties to armed conflict to ensure that such unacceptable abuses that threaten international peace and security come to an end.