Peacekeeping

Despite some progress, much work obviously and inevitably remains to be done. Public information strategies are needed to manage international and local expectations regarding the ability of a peacekeeping mission to protect civilians, including the reality that peacekeepers cannot possibly protect everyone, everywhere, all of the time.

With the adoption of resolution 1894 (2009) exactly a year ago, the Council introduced new provisions focusing on humanitarian access in the implementation of protection mandates in peacekeeping operations.

Parties to an armed conflict are subject to the basic obligation of international humanitarian law to protect civilians from the effects of armed conflict. Such an obligation, embodied in common article 3 to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, also applies in the context of armed conflicts of a non-international nature, that is to say, to non-States parties to conflict.

We continue to be committed to development and to the implementation of the agenda for the protection of civilians in armed conflict, paying particular attention on women and children, both through our work at Headquarters and through our Blue Helmets on the ground. We also reiterate the importance of achieving the broadest possible support for that agenda. The high level of participation in today's debate is clear evidence of that.

Measures that could overcome many of those limitations include clear and predictable strategies tailored to each mission; better coordination with the various actors on the ground, especially with host countries, which have the primary responsibility for protection; and greater material resources, which are absolutely essential.

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

Clearly, peacekeeping operations are one of those tools, and a very relevant one. Over the past 11 years, such operations have gradually incorporated civilian protection mandates, giving special attention to women and children. Progress has been significant.

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.

Our military has also begun to play an active role. In Namibia, for example, the U.S. military helped train nearly 600 peacekeepers on women's issues who were then deployed to Chad. This type of military-to-military engagement helps ensure that soldiers understand their obligation to protect women and girls in conflict areas and receive the training to know how to do that.

And we are very fortunate to have with us today the UN Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet, the first head of UN Women. I am delighted by her appointment and very grateful for her commitment and the excellent presentation that she has already delivered.