Luxembourg congratulates the United States presidency of the Council on organizing this open debate, which gives us an opportunity to review the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) and the challenges still to be addressed in order to fight effectively against sexual violence in conflict situations. We welcome the Council's adoption of resolution 1960 (2010), which we had the honour of co-sponsoring, as we did for resolution 1888 (2009) a year ago also under your presidency, Madame. We hope that the Council will proceed with determination to ensure the use of these new mechanisms and implementation of the new resolution.
We warmly welcome the fact that the Council also encourages the Secretary-General to list in an annex to his annual reports the parties that have systematically engaged in acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the Council agenda. However, we would have preferred that the SecretaryGeneral could also have been invited to provide information on perpetrators of sexual violence in other conflicts and situations, which should not escape the attention of the international community.
We must all redouble our efforts to contribute to better protection of women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Let me dwell for a moment on some initiatives that my Government has decided to support since our debate on women and peace and security in
October (6411th meeting).
At the same time, in a broader context, Luxembourg has just decided to fund a major project of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is aimed at strengthening the leadership and participation of women in peacebuilding activities in countries
emerging from conflict. That project includes the organization of several meetings at national and regional levels — one on West Africa, the other the Great Lakes region — to facilitate the exchange of good practices in that regard. The protection of women and girls against sexual violence will also be discussed in that context.
Luxembourg will continue to pay close attention to the needs of women and children in conflict situations. We encourage the Security Council not to relent in its efforts to achieve concrete progress and reduce the suffering of women and children in conflict
situations.
The mass rapes in Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this summer were a brutal reminder of how sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war. In that context, Luxembourg has just decided to make a voluntary contribution to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the financing of a training programme for 120 trainers and thus help to professionalize the Congolese national police. That training will also raise awareness among the members of the Congolese police with regard to sexual violence and will give them the ability to better protect women and children against acts of sexual violence.