Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Given the gravity and number of existing allegations, the recent arrests of commanders allegedly responsible for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are but a welcome start.

Regarding the integration of the components, it is important to bear in mind the need, where relevant, to ensure the necessary structure for the protection of women, especially from sexual violence. At the same time, it is also worth bearing in mind the need to protect children, particularly from being recruited as child soldiers, and to rehabilitate former child soldiers.

Argentina would like once again to underscore the value and significance of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which represented a remarkable step forward for the international community against the backdrop of the dehumanizing experiences it had suffered. Six decades later, conflicts continue to take place.

My delegation is of the view that much more remains to be done to better protect women and girls from all forms of violence in conflict and post-conflict situations, further empower them and increase their participation in all stages of peace processes.

I should like to underscore a number of points that we believe are worthy of further efforts, such as the need to pay greater attention to the reintegration of victims whose rights have been seriously violated, in particular in cases of sexual abuse or exploitation; the need to continue fighting against impunity for those responsible for such violations; and the need to take better into account the economic and social dimensions of women's par

Despite this progress, women and girls undoubtedly continue to be the most vulnerable and most excluded in such situations. Reports from various conflict and post-conflict zones on physical and moral violence against women are a permanent reminder of the enormous gap that exists between our words and agreements in this forum and the reality of life on the ground.

While visiting Goma last year, I pledged $17 million to help prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence. This money is now flowing to provide medical and legal services for survivors. In addition, the U.S. military's Africa Command has trained a battalion of Congolese soldiers to work to prevent sexual violence, help victims and prosecute perpetrators.

There is no starker reminder of the work still ahead of us than the horrific mass rapes in Democratic Republic of Congo last summer. Those rapes and our failure as an international community to bring that conflict to an end and to protect women and children in the process stands as a tragic rebuke to our efforts thus far. And we all must do more and we must think creatively.

So here we are at the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and we're here to reaffirm the goals set forth in this historic resolution, but more than that, to put forth specific actions, as my colleague, the foreign minister of Austria, just did in such a commendable set of proposals.

President Obama's National Security Strategy recognizes that “countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights and opportunity.