An enormous amount of the Council's attention has been focused recently on protection issues, with the Council adopting a number of resolutions and statements on the protection of civilians and related issues of violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict.

The protection of civilians in armed conflict is a priority of the Human Security Network. We highly value the continued attention that the Security Council is giving to that important issue.

Significant progress has been made in recent years in the normative and institutional framework with the adoption of important resolutions, most recently resolution 1960 (2010), which established a monitoring, analysis and reporting mechanism on conflict-related sexual violence. However, emphasis must now be placed on progress in enhancing protection on the ground.

Children are sexually abused, killed and/or maimed and sometimes even used as suicide bombers by parties to a conflict.

With respect to the systematic violence carried out against women and girls, we welcome the investigations that are under way in the country, which reflect the determination of MONUSCO and of the Congolese Government to combat impunity.

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Côte d'Ivoire and in Libya, as well as other crises, has shown that the vulnerability of civilians in crises continues to be marked by violence of increasing intensity as a result of clashes and confrontations between armed groups.

The European Union commends the work conducted within the United Nations in recent years to foster and strengthen a common understanding of protection of civilians in armed conflicts. The joint efforts in the United Nations have, in addition to increasing the understanding of the concept of the protection of civilians, also resulted in the establishment of a platform for action.

How can indiscriminate bombing, the use of sophisticated weapons and aircraft and the death of innocent people, including children, under the pretext of protecting other equally innocent civilians, be justified? The United Nations has made no statements whatsoever regarding the protection of the civilian victims of NATO's aggression against a sovereign country.

In our opinion, the question of the protection of civilians in armed conflict deserves more consistent attention from the Council. Statistics over the past 20 to 30 years clearly show that civilian casualties in conflict areas have consistently outnumbered military casualties and continue to do so.

Despite several positive developments in the Council, Croatia remains extremely concerned about the severity and prevalence of attacks on civilians, especially women and children.