Secondly, in light of the need to share best practices and lessons from the p...

Secondly, in light of the need to share best practices and lessons from the past, we must definitely learn from the tragic and heinous accident of mass rapes that were committed in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this year, which provided us with many lessons, including that the early warning system needs to be strengthened, communication between local people and peacekeeping missions needs to be developed, troop-contributing countries need to receive training, and there needs to be close and smooth communication between the Council and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. An example of the kind of success we need in that area was the establishment in Timor-Leste of a hotline between the United Nations Mission and civilians and local authorities. The updated aidemémoire should also be utilized proactively to this end. The experience of drawing down and then withdrawing the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) should be shared, with a view to utilizing benchmarks for the protection of civilians.