We must also strive to help the Secretariat achieve its goal of 20 per cent female participation among United Nations police. But for that to happen, each of our countries must themselves increase their recruitment of women police into their domestic forces, so that there is a far broader pool on which the United Nations can draw. We must also insist on enforcing the absolute prohibition on sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers.

Those offices and officials and the United Nations as a whole assuredly have an indispensable role to play, but the key to further progress in reducing suffering and in protecting the vulnerable is action by the parties to conflict. Every Government has a responsibility to establish standards, develop institutions and pursue policies that protect its people from sexual violence, whether perpetrated by the Government's own forces or by others.

In conclusion, I would like to voice the strong support of my Government and of the American people for a concerted strategy across the globe to address the problem of sexual violence, both in and outside combat situations. For far too long, such abuses have been treated as part of the spoils of victory or the rewards of physical might.

In the past decade, the Security Council has identified the scourge of sexual violence in conflict as a matter of acute and urgent concern. We meet today to assess progress in combating that pernicious form of criminality and to consider next steps. We begin with confidence that the standards we have established are clear and the terrible knowledge that those standards are regularly being ignored.

In far too many countries, the victims of sexual violence still have little, if any, effective legal recourse. Until that changes, predators will not be deterred, victims will hesitate to come forward and justice will remain beyond reach. In places where Governments are weak, we must help to improve their capabilities while also holding accountable those who commit crimes.

Despite chronic underreporting and difficulties of access, we know more about the nature and scope of the problem than ever before. The Secretary-General's report (S/2014/181), the information-collection mechanisms on which it is based, and the steadfast leadership shown by Special Representative Bangura are all welcome developments.

As members of the Security Council, however, we must do our part by exercising proper oversight and pushing for the full implementation of the objectives we set, mission by mission. In that connection, I note that women protection advisers were deployed last year to Somalia and Mali, and are expected this year in the Sudan, South Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic.

The Secretary-General's report is alarming. He is right — this crime is as destructive as any bomb. With data from all over the world, the report demonstrates that sexual violence is prevalent and a matter of profound importance to international peace and security. When unpunished, such crimes sow the seeds for future conflict, perpetuate violence and undermine the prospects for sustainable development.

Today I want to make three particular points. First, preventing and redressing sexual violence in conflict is integral to the wider work on conflict prevention and a moral duty for the Governments and citizens of a civilized world. As Special Representative Bangura put it, it is a great moral duty of our time.

Thirdly, as noted in the report, my Foreign Secretary and the whole British Government remain committed to this cause. In just over six weeks time, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will co-chair the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.