PK

Such goals should continue to be our priority and be taken into consideration by the Security Council when defining the mandates of it peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as well as in its peacebuilding efforts, by incorporating specialists on gender and sexual and gender-based violence into its missions and mediation team,s as well as including specific related provisions and commitments in peace and ceasefire agreements and increasing the percentage of women in peacekeeping forces and military and police contingents. We should nonetheless not omit to mention the cases of sexual exploitation and abuse that continue to occur in peacekeeping missions. This is a very serious situation that poses a major challenge to the legitimacy and future of such missions and the to image of the United Nations. In that regard, Argentina continues to strongly support the Secretary-General’s policy of zero tolerance, as well as the various measures proposed in his reports and included in resolution 2272 (2016) and General Assembly resolution 71/278, among others, as well as the work on coordination and prevention of Ms. Jane Holl-Lute, Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.