Ten years ago, resolution 1325 (2000) requested all parties to armed conflict...

Ten years ago, resolution 1325 (2000) requested all parties to armed conflict to take specific steps to protect women and girls against acts of gender-based violence, especially rape and other forms of sexual abuse. It also emphasized that all States bear the responsibility to put an end to impunity and to bring to justice those who have been accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, including all forms of sexual and other violence against women and girls. The acts of mass rape that were committed this summer in North Kivu demonstrated in the most brutal way that we are very far from having put an end to the use of sexual violence as a tool of war.In September, my Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs told the General Assembly (see A/65/PV.14) that such brazen violations of human rights must be tolerated no longer. Impunity must end, and the fight against impunity cannot remain an abstract objective, but must become an effective and concrete reality whose success we must all work towards together. I would like to encourage the Security Council to step up its efforts in the fight against impunity and to impose targeted sanctions against all parties responsible for grave violations of human rights and women rights, including perpetrators of sexual violence.