General Women, Peace and Security

Strongly condemns all armed groups operating in the region and their violations of international humanitarian law as well as other applicable international law, and abuses of human rights including attacks on the civilian population, MONUSCO peacekeepers and humanitarian actors, summary executions, sexual and gender based violence and large scale recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law, and reiterates that those responsible must be held accountable 

Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account gender considerations as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the DRC in ensuring the participation, involvement and representation of women at all levels, including in stabilization activities, security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) processes, as well as in the national political dialogue and electoral processes, through, inter alia, the provision of gender advisers, and further requests enhanced reporting by MONUSCO to the Council on this issue 

Work with the Government of the DRC to identify threats to civilians and implement existing prevention and response plans and strengthen civil-military cooperation, including joint-planning, to ensure the protection of civilians from abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and violations and abuses committed against children and persons with disabilities, and requests MONUSCO to ensure that child protection and gender concerns are integrated into all operations and strategic aspects of MONUSCO’s work and accelerate the coordinated implementation of monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence and the swift deployment of Women Protection Advisers as called for in resolution 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013), in order to seek commitments on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence 

Reduction of the threat posed by Congolese and foreign armed groups, in particular the FDLR, violence against civilians, including sexual and gender-based violence and violence against children to a level that can be effectively managed by the Congolese justice and security institutions; 

Welcoming the efforts of MONUSCO and international partners in delivering training in human rights, international humanitarian law, gender mainstreaming, child protection and protection from sexual and gender-based violence for Congolese security institutions and underlining its importance, and welcoming the establishment of the Women’s Platform for the PSC Framework in an effort to ensure the full participation of women in the PSC Framework peace process 

Remaining deeply concerned by the persistent high levels of violence and violations and abuses of human rights and international law, condemning in particular those involving the targeted attacks against civilians, widespread sexual and gender-based violence, systematic recruitment and use of children by certain parties to the conflict, the displacement of significant numbers of civilians, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests, recognizing their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC, and calling for all those responsible for all such violations and abuses to be swiftly apprehended, brought to justice and held accountable 

Expressing grave concern that, according to the UNMISS 8 May 2014 “Conflict in South Sudan: A Human Rights Report” there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, rape and other acts of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detention have been committed by both government and opposition forces, and that war crimes have been committed, and, stressing the urgent and imperative need to end impunity in South Sudan and to bring to justice perpetrators of such crimes, 

Reaffirming all its relevant resolutions on women, peace, and security, on children and armed conflict, and the protection of civilians in armed conflict, as well as resolutions 1502 (2003) on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel, resolution 2150 (2014) on the Prevention and Fight against Genocide, and resolution 2151 (2014) on security sector reform 

Recognizing the important role played by civil society organizations, faith leaders, women, and youth in South Sudan, underscoring the importance of their participation — along with the former SPLM detainees and other political parties — to finding a sustainable solution to the crisis in the country, and concerned by efforts by the government to limit such participation including by preventing individuals from travelling to join the talks and by increased restrictions of freedom of expression