A major concern challenging us is the very high incidence of sexual violence ...

A major concern challenging us is the very high incidence of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict reconstruction phases. Of the 300 peace agreements signed since the end of the Cold War, only 18 of them included a mention of sexual and gender violence. My delegation therefore strongly supports the request of Ms. Margot Wallstrom, the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, for establishing new posts and allocating additional funding towards that end. This would result in bridging the gap in collecting data on sexual violence during the chaos of war, and the subsequent development of systematic and rigorous response strategies. Funds for activities for women and peace should also be built into the Official Donor Assistance (ODA) budgets.