Peacekeeping

The second point I would like to highlight is the need to improve protection for civilians and support for victims of sexual violence. In that connection, I welcome the increasing number of protection-of-civilians mandates included in United Nations missions. From the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone in 1999 to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in 2013 — to mention only that period — United Nations peacekeepers have committed themselves, even at the cost of their lives, to an undertaking that is as perilous as it is necessary. I would like here to pay a resounding tribute to them for their service to humankind as a whole. We must safeguard their considerable achievements by making sure that the actions carried out by a small number do not tarnish the reputation of generations of courageous and principled men and women. In that connection, my delegation welcomes and fully supports zero-tolerance policy of the Secretary-General to combat this phenomenon in the ranks of Blue Helmets. In the same spirit, we must appropriately address incidents committed by non-State actors, who are often responsible for such crimes in situations where there are wide-scale attacks of sexual violence. They, too, must not escape the full extent of the law.

Above and beyond the security afforded by peacekeeping operations, women victims also need assistance — in particular psychological assistance. In that regard, we agree that cases of sexual violence must first and foremost be treated with the strictest confidence, given that fear of reprisal or further violence can impede victims from coming forward.