Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

6. Encourages MINUSTAH to continue assisting the Government of Haiti in providing adequate protection to the civilian population, with particular attention to the needs of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, especially women and children, including through joint community policing in the camps, in line with Security Council resolution 1894 (2009);

Recognizing that strengthening national human rights institutions as well as respect for human rights and due process and combating criminality, sexual and gender-based violence and putting an end to impunity are essential to ensuring the rule of law and security in Haiti,

Acknowledging that sexual and gender-based violence remains a serious concern, particularly in marginalized districts of Port-au-Prince, internally displaced persons camps and remote areas of the country,

Welcoming 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 Reconciliation 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,

Stressing in this context the importance of further progress by the Afghan Government in ending impunity and strengthening judicial institutions, in the reconstruction and reform of the prison sector, and the rule of law and respect for human rights within Afghanistan, including for women and girls, and in particular women's rights under the Constitution to fully participate in the political, economic and social spheres of Afghan life, and welcoming, in this regard, the National Police Plan and the objectives set therein for increased training in human rights, including gender issues, and increased recruitment of women,

Expressing its serious concern with the high number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, in particular women and children casualties, the increasingly large majority of which are caused by Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent and extremist groups and illegal armed groups, condemning in the strongest terms the high number of attacks targeting schools, including their burning and forced closure, their use by armed groups, and the intimidation, abduction and killing of education personnel, particularly those attacks targeting girls' education by armed groups including the Taliban and welcoming, in this context, the listing of the Taliban in the annex of the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan (S/2012/261) pursuant to Security Council resolution 1998 (2011), reaffirming that all parties to armed conflict must take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of affected civilians, especially women, children and displaced persons, calling for all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and for all appropriate measures to be taken to ensure the protection of civilians, and recognizing the importance of the ongoing monitoring and reporting to the United Nations Security Council, including by ISAF, of the situation of civilians and in particular civilian casualties, and noting in this regard the work of the ISAF Civilian Casualties Mitigation Team,

18. Strongly condemns the grave and systematic violations and human rights abuses perpetrated by many parties and in particular by Al-Shabaab and its affiliates against the civilian population, including violence against, children, journalists and human rights defenders and sexual violence against women and children, and calls for the immediate cessation of such acts, and emphasizes the need for accountability for all such violations and abuses;

9. Reiterates its calls on the Government of Liberia to continue to combat sexual and gender-based violence and, in coordination with UNMIL, to continue to combat impunity for perpetrators of such crimes and to provide redress, support, and protection to victims, including through the strengthening of national police capacity in this area and by raising awareness of existing national legislation on sexual violence;

7. Recognizes that this transition will require qualified specialist advisers to assist and support the SRSG in working with the Government of Liberia to meet transition goals, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that UNMIL has the requisite qualified specialist advisers who have the professional skills and experience appropriate to this transition phase in order to enhance mentoring in priority areas, as outlined in the Secretary-General's report S/2012/230; and requests that such qualified specialist advisers be made available to the SRSG to fill gaps that might exist in meeting the goal of increasing the capacity of the Government of Liberia, particularly the LNP, to implement sustainable rule of law, justice, governance and SSR programmes, including mechanisms to hold perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence accountable;

10. 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;