Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

12. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by UNFICYP to implement the Secretary-General's zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to ensure full compliance of its personnel with the United Nations code of conduct, requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this regard and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including the conduct of pre-deployment awareness training, and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;

Expressing concern at the reports of violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings, violence against women, children and journalists, arbitrary detention and pervasive sexual violence in Somalia, including in camps for internally displaced persons, and underscoring the need to end impunity, uphold human rights and to hold accountable those who commit such crimes,

41. Requests the Secretary-General to consider HIV-related needs of people living with, affected by, and vulnerable to HIV, including women and girls, when fulfilling mandated tasks, and in this context, encourages the incorporation, as appropriate, of HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support, including voluntary and confidential counselling and testing programs in the mission;

40. Reaffirms the importance of appropriate gender expertise and training in missions mandated by the Security Council in accordance with resolutions 1325 (2000) 1820 (2008) and 2106 (2013), recalls the need to address violence against women and girls as a tool of warfare, welcomes the appointment of women protection advisors in accordance with resolutions 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013), requests the Secretary-General to establish monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence, including rape in situations of armed conflict and post-conflict and other situations relevant to the implementation of resolution 1888 (2009), as appropriate, and encourages UNMISS as well as the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to actively address these issues;

39. Requests the Secretary-General to continue the necessary measures to ensure full compliance by UNMISS with the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to keep the Council fully informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including predeployment awareness training, and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;

22. Calls upon the authorities of the Republic of South Sudan to combat impunity and hold accountable all perpetrators of human rights and international humanitarian law violations, including those committed by illegal armed groups or elements of the Republic of South Sudan Security Forces, and to ensure that all victims of sexual violence, particularly women and girls, have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice;

20. Expresses deep concern at the increasing violence, particularly in the Tri-States Area of Lakes, Unity, Warrap, and in Jonglei and Western Bahr el-Ghazal States, and the resulting loss of hundreds of lives, incidents of abduction of women and children, and displacement of tens of thousands of civilians, and in this regard underlines the need to address the underlying causes of inter-communal violence in South Sudan;

18. Recognizes that the National Council of Ministers has approved accession to nine core international human rights instruments and Optional Protocols and encourages the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to ratify and implement other key international human rights treaties and conventions, including those related to women and children, refugees, and statelessness, and requests UNMISS, United Nations OHCHR and other relevant United Nations actors, to advise and assist the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in this regard;

14. Demands that all parties immediately cease all forms of violence and human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population in South Sudan, in particular gender-based violence, including rape and other forms of sexual violence as well as all violations and abuses against children in violation of applicable international law such as their recruitment and use, killing and maiming, abduction and attacks against schools and hospitals and calls for specific and time- bound commitments to combat sexual violence in accordance with resolution 1960;

Recalling the Presidential Statement of 12 February 2013 that recognized that States bear the primary responsibility to protect civilians as well as to respect and ensure the human rights of all individuals within their territory and subject to their jurisdiction as provided for by relevant international law, reaffirmed that parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians, urged parties to armed conflict to meet civilians' basic needs, and condemned all violations of international law against civilians, in particular the deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, and sexual and gender based violence.