Russia

However, as we know, not all such situations pose a threat to international peace and security requiring intervention on the part of the Security Council. Because of that, we feel that issues relating to preventing and combating sexual violence at every stage of armed conflict or post-conflict situations are primarily the responsibility of national Governments. Moreover, questions concerning combating sexual violence, depending on the context and within the framework of existing mandates, are handled not only by the Council but by other United Nations organs, particularly the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Commission on the Status of Women. Artificially linking every issue of sexual violence to the work of the Security Council would lead not only to an imbalance from the standpoint of system-wide coordination but would have a negative impact on the effectiveness of work in that area. We believe that priority attention should be given to those situations on the Security Council's agenda where sexual violence is one of the primary issues in terms of the protection of civilians.

We have studied with interest the report of the Secretary-General for this meeting (S/2013/149). The first thing that strikes us is the document's thoroughness and the scale of the work done by the Special Representative. However, the contents of the document raises some questions. As we see it, in order to set up a genuinely credible discussion of such a sensitive issue, it is essential to act dispassionately, based on objective and reliable information. For instance, responsibility for sexual crimes in Syria is laid at the door only of the Government forces and their supporters. Analogous crimes committed by representatives of the opposition are touched on only in passing, despite the numerous assertions that have been made about them.

The scope of the work done under Security Council auspices in this area was agreed to based on an intergovernmental process and enshrined in the relevant Council resolutions. We therefore feel that it involves the consideration of issues relating to sexual violence in armed conflict. We appeal to the Special Representative to adhere to the Council's mandate in carrying out her work. We do not see a need for establishing a special procedure or body for monitoring the compliance of parties to a conflict with obligations to combat sexual violence. As we see it, the current mechanisms in this area are sufficient. First among those is the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, while the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict also plays a significant role. As I stated previously, we believe issues of sexual violence must be considered in the Security Council only in the context of the agenda item on women and peace and security, and in connection with the subject of the maintenance of peace and security.