General Women, Peace and Security

Resolution 1325 (2000) was a fundamental milestone in international law. Since it was adopted, the issue of women's role with regard to peace and security has had an important place on the Council's agenda, and therefore has a significant and crucial role in achieving the Council's goals.

The report of the Secretary-General contained in document S/2012/33 gives the impression that no action has been taken against perpetrators of sexual violence in Nepal. That is not corroborated by facts on the ground. Perpetrators of sexual violence have been punished by the judiciary.

Allow me to address the issue of women in promoting peace and security and what we have been trying to do to enhance the empowerment of women in general in the post-conflict situation. Nepal has come a long way after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord in 2006 in terms of ensuring women's participation at the decision-making level.

We support the recommendation of the Secretary General that sexual violence be included in the definition of acts that are prohibited under ceasefire agreements and peace and reconciliation processes. To date, only a few such agreements address this issue. If it is not addressed in an integrated way, there is a risk that sexual violence will continue to be used as a weapon of war.

My delegation would like to reiterate the importance that access be provided to health care, to psychosocial support, to legal assistance and to socio-economic reintegration services for victims.

Since the most recent public debate of the Council on the issue at hand (S/PV.6642) on 28 October 2011, Luxembourg has further intensified its commitment to supporting women in armed conflict, including through its support of the work of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has significantly advanced international law by including sexual violence in the definition of crimes, in particular, as a crime against humanity. The ICC therefore represents an important mechanism in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence.

Sexual violence is used not only as a method of warfare during armed conflict, but also as a means to surreptitiously continue conflict after the guns have fallen silent. Sexual violence can be an important indicator in determining when conflicts might turn violent or when a conflict relapses into violence.