Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Many formerly abducted women and girls still suffer from the devastating consequences of their period of sexual slavery, and a high number of them have given birth to children in captivity. That has impacted severely on the mental and physical health of survivors, in both the short and the long term.

At the regional level, the Great Lakes region has taken important steps to address sexual violence. On 18 June 2008, just one day before the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008), member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) committed themselves under what became known as the Goma Declaration to eradicate all forms of gender-based violence.

We have to redouble our efforts in the fight against impunity, and targeted measures should be imposed against the perpetrators of sexual violence and rape. In that regard, the most significant added value of the resolution we have just adopted derives from its action-oriented nature. It not only condemns those who perpetrate acts of violence against women but also calls for action against them.

Today, with this follow-up resolution, 1960 (2010), we are sending yet another strong message to the world that sexual violence, especially against women and children and particularly in situations of armed conflict, is not acceptable and that such acts will not be tolerated.

Thus the fight against sexual violence is not only a matter of human rights but is, and should be, at the heart of our efforts to stop and resolve conflicts. For that reason, we completely share the SecretaryGeneral's assessment that sexual violence should be a priority consideration not only for humanitarian actors but also for peacemakers, peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

Despite some small progress achieved so far, we cannot fail to note that much remains to be done. Many structural and institutional impediments remain, which we should overcome in order to meet the challenges before us.

We are here today to concretize the strategic lines of action developed in resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) to fight conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls. We therefore thank you, Madame, for organizing today's open debate.

Thirdly, we support the idea that all parties to conflict should prepare specific plans of action for ending acts of sexual violence in conflict situations on the Council's agenda. This would enable the international community to provide specific support to the actors concerned in fulfilling their obligations. Further, it would contribute to a transparent and objective follow-up by the Security Council.

The issue discussed in this open debate is high among our priorities. We remain committed to contributing to achieving the goals of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009).

Fourthly, we encourage United Nations agencies to continue efforts to increase the capacity of their personnel in matters of conflict-related sexual violence. This is particularly important with a view to the establishment of a monitoring and reporting arrangement.