The first is a case study on ending impunity. We all recognize the simple equ...

The first is a case study on ending impunity. We all recognize the simple equation: impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence guarantees that the virus will spread; conversely, ending impunity and making the perpetrators pay will act as a deterrent.

The first step in ending impunity is the systematic gathering of credible evidence. The Secretary- General's report gives a sense of the progress being made in that regard. For the first time in a report of this nature, the Secretary-General has named individuals on the basis of credible reports of culpability.

In the commentary on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, one finds the names of 10 or so individuals. That specificity of data will enable us to measure outcomes. When we next come back to this issue, it will be important to focus on precisely what has happened in those cases. What steps have the national authorities taken? What have we at the United Nations been able, or willing, to do?

The possibility of measuring outcomes will apply not just in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also in relation to the list of parties set out in annex 1 to the Secretary-General's report.

The report includes clear recommendations to the Security Council on increasing pressure on perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. We look to the Council to show determination in its response. Too many recent headlines from the Security Council have been ones of disunity. On the issue of sexual violence in conflict, the Council has the opportunity to assert itself, to demonstrate that disunity does not define it, and to act decisively to sanction perpetrators, to refer cases to the International Criminal Court, to mandate commissions of inquiry and to condemn violations explicitly in resolutions and statements.