Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Advancing the opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan will remain a major priority for Australia. We very much welcome the references in resolution 2096 (2013), on UNAMA, to the need for measurable objectives to secure the rights of women and girls, as well as the need to counter discrimination. We condemn absolutely all forms of violence against women and girls.

On that point we cannot fail to express concern over the number of civilian victims caused by the conflict, which, while less than recorded in 2012, continues to be unacceptable. The rise in the number of deliberate attacks against civilians merely because they are believed to support the Government is particularly alarming, as is the increase in the number of women and children killed or injured in that same period.

For that reason, we wish to express our satisfaction with the fact that the UNAMA mandate that we have renewed today maintains its basic features, including the Mission's role with regard to elections at the request of the Afghan authorities, and the emphasis on the protection of civilians and the monitoring of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Afghanistan, in particular with regard to women and

Fifth, we would like to see the entire mission leadership — special representatives of the Secretary- General and their deputies, force commanders, police commissioners and directors of mission support — taking action to ensure adherence to the zero-tolerance policy for misconduct. That includes swiftly investigating allegations of sexual exploitation or abuse and repatriating offending units.

Specific innovations are being made. Women protection advisers will increasingly play a critical role in preventing further horrific incidences of sexual violence, in protecting vulnerable populations, and in promoting the participation of women in peace settlements and political life.

This debate is being held at a time when the nature of United Nations peacekeeping is undergoing significant changes, with operations becoming more complex and multidimensional. The nature of peacekeeping mandates has also changed, as missions are increasingly deployed under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, are incorporating the protection of civilians and are requiring more robust and clearer rules of engagement.

For example, improved energy-saving cooking stoves, which use less firewood than traditional stoves, were introduced in Rwanda in 2000 in order to preserve trees and the environment. Now Rwandan peacekeepers have brought such stoves to Darfur, where women and young girls live in fear of getting raped every time they venture outside camps for internally displaced persons or their villages to collect firewood for cooking.

The Council is right to underline the importance of deploying qualified and experienced peacekeepers, with all the necessary skills, including language skills, and who respect the Organization's zero-tolerance policy with respect to misconduct. Sexual exploitation and abuse must not be tolerated. On the other hand, every measure should be taken to ensure the safety and security of deployed personnel.

Peacekeeping operations are at the heart of the work of the United Nations. Today, they are more complex and diverse, working in increasingly difficult environments and in situations that can suddenly change. In order to meet that reality and given the fact that security, development and the rule of law are intrinsically linked, the great majority of peacekeeping operations are now multidimensional.

Women are one of the principal pivots in the transformation of a society. It is therefore vital to enhance their participation in decision-making. The integration of women into the police and the army will make it possible to enhance the fight against sexual violence and to promote human rights within those institutions.