Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Condemning the mass rapes in Minova and the surrounding villages in November 2012 reportedly committed by soldiers of the Armed forces of the DRC (FARDC), taking note of the investigations and arrests undertaken thereafter by the Congolese authorities, and calling for all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law or abuses of human rights, as applicable, including those involving violence or abuses against children and acts of sexual and gender- based violence, to be swiftly apprehended, brought to justice and held accountable,

Welcoming the efforts of the MONUSCO and international partners in delivering training in human rights, child protection and protection from sexual and gender-based violence for Congolese security institutions and underlining its importance,

Remaining greatly concerned by the humanitarian situation that continues to severely affect the civilian population, in particular in eastern DRC, and the persistent high levels of violence and abuses and violations of 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 and recognizing their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC,

Condemning strongly all abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those involving extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and sexual and gender-based violence, forced amputations, as well as killing, maiming, recruitment and use of children, attacks against schools and hospitals, forced displacements, and destruction of cultural and historical heritage, committed in Mali by any group or individuals, noting, especially, widespread abuses of human rights by terrorist, extremist and armed groups in the north of Mali, condemning strongly the reports of retaliatory attacks, including those based on ethnicity and those allegedly perpetrated by members of the Malian Defence and Security Forces against civilians, and calling upon all parties to bring an end to such violations and abuses and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General S/2013/149 which includes a list of parties responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict,

12. Encourages the Government of Sierra Leone to continue implementing the National Gender Strategic Plan and the Sierra Leone National Action Plan to address Gender-Based Violence; and further encourages the Government to continue efforts to improve youth employment and empowerment and reduce socioeconomic inequalities;

Recognizes that despite progress achieved on gender equality, enhanced efforts, including on measurable and action oriented objectives, are necessary to secure the rights of women and girls and to ensure all women and girls in Afghanistan are protected from violence and abuse, enjoy equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, strongly condemns discrimination and violence against women and girls, in particular violence aimed at preventing girls from attending schools, stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010), notes the mainstreaming commitments introduced therein, and of ensuring that women fleeing domestic violence are able to find safe and secure refuge;

16. Stresses the role of UNAMA in supporting, if requested by the Government of Afghanistan, an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of peace and reconciliation, including the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme, while continuing to assess, including in collaboration with the AIHRC, its human rights and gender implications, including the promotion and protection of human rights, and encourages the international community to assist the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan in this regard including through continued support to the Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund;

13. Welcomes the continuing efforts of the Afghan Government to advance the peace and reconciliation process, including by the High Peace Council and the implementation of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme, to promote an inclusive, Afghan-led dialogue on reconciliation and political participation as laid forth in the 20 July 2010 Kabul Conference Communiqué on dialogue for all those who renounce violence, have no links to international terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaida, respect the constitution, including its human rights provisions, notably the rights of women, and are willing to join in building a peaceful Afghanistan, and as further elaborated in the principles and outcomes of the 5 December 2011 Bonn Conference Conclusions, and encourages the Government of Afghanistan to make use of UNAMA's good offices to support this process as appropriate, in full respect of the implementation of measures and procedures introduced by the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999), 1988 (2011) and 2082 (2012), as well as other relevant resolutions of the Council;

(c) continue, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to cooperate with and build capacity of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), to cooperate also with the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to monitor the situation of civilians, to coordinate efforts to ensure their protection, to promote accountability, and to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights;