Argentina
....
Considering these realities, Argentina is convinced of the need
to adopt urgent and effective steps to prevent and respond to
such acts of sexual violence against the civilian population,
which will significantly contribute to the maintenance of international
peace and security.
Austria
....
We have made visible progress in the implementation of SC-Res
1325 and we dispose of clear rules under international law to
prevent violence against women, including sexual violence in
armed conflict.
Bangladesh
....
Availability of gender-disaggregated data is particularly important
in understanding the situation of women and girls who are victims
of war and conflicts. Focused examination of issues particularly
related to violence against women is also important in formulation
of policy guidelines. This is an exercise which will assist
in undertaking preventive measures. Sharing of experience and
'good practices and lessons learned' on regular basis are useful
not only in sustaining peace but also in guiding policy measures.
Belgium
....
Others have already referred to prevention. Obviously, war and
a lack of security create horror and dread. Above all, we are
fighting war against war. That is key in preventing this kind
of violence and in mobilizing our will. We need to engage in
enormous prevention work and awareness-raising work in areas
at risk, the conflict areas. That is indispensable. Also, it
can be seen in the field that there is a danger of such violence
becoming viewed as commonplace, and then being exported beyond
the areas that are directly affected by conflicts, into post-conflict
situations. We have to be alert to that.
Benin
....
In general terms, protection against sexual violence is an essential
aspect of protecting civilians. United Nations missions should
analyse such violence in order to define the concrete measures
that can be taken to prevent sexual attacks.
Brazil
....
Our collective consternation and indignation must lead to action.
If we are to successfully face this most daunting challenge,
we need to design and implement practical, concrete measures
to adequately address the issue, with the involvement of the
international community as a whole.
Current international instruments
provide an adequate framework and the necessary basis for such
work. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its
Optional Protocols are all important references in the effort
we need to undertake.
....
In the Americas, Brazil is involved in an initiative of South-South
cooperation carried out within the scope of the Brazilian contribution
to the consolidation of peace in Haiti. This initiative, based
on the Brazilian experience, supports the implementation of
the Haitian national plan to prevent violence against women
and to address the needs of women victims of sexual violence.
It is developed through the exchange of experts and good practices
and has the support of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
and OXFAM.
Burkina Faso
....
First of all, we must work to prevent conflict. We must make
every effort to ensure that democracy and the rule of law take
root, as well as to promote good governance and effective development
policies. We must also devote resources to educating women and
young girls. Education and training are the primary tools we
must give them to help them empower themselves and participate
in every aspect of the social, political and economic arenas,
including even the military.
Democratic Republic
of the Congo
....
In resolution 1325 (2000), the Security Council called on all
parties to armed conflict to take all measures to protect women
and girls against acts of gender-based violence, in particular,
rape and other forms of sexual abuse, as well as all other forms
of violence in situations of armed conflict.
Thus, we would stress that the
implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) will lead to the recognition
of the role of women in peacebuilding and peacekeeping. It is
important to involve women in the mechanisms for the prevention
and resolution of conflicts so that they can lend to humanity
their capacity to create consensus, to resolve conflicts and
to build peace.
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
....
Due to the varying nature of the perpetrators of these crimes,
it is natural that our approach to the problem should be adapted
to the perpetrator. We believe that greater awareness of international
humanitarian law through education in military institutions
could help to alleviate the problem. However, this alone is
not sufficient, as law is generally taught only to officers
and not to ordinary soldiers, who are responsible for most of
these crimes. Furthermore, some soldiers, even when aware of
the relevant international law and because of the difficult
circumstances of a conflict, do not in general pay much heed
to the consequences of their acts. Therefore, Member States,
with the assistance of the United Nations, must seek other means
to deal with the problem and to raise the awareness of soldiers
about the gravity of sexual violence against women and its moral
abhorrence.
In this regard, we believe that
in many societies religion has more effect than law. We do not
believe that there is a single religion on Earth that lacks
moral norms dealing with relations between soldiers and non-combatants
in situations of war. Let me stress that Islam, for example,
has deterrent moral norms related to the behaviour of combatants
and their treatment of civilians. Those norms prevent and prohibit
all crimes against civilians, including sexual crimes against
women and girls.
We therefore propose that the
Security Council urge all Member States to concentrate more
on the moral and religious aspects of the training of military
personnel, including peacekeeping forces. We also suggest the
preparation of booklets setting out moral and religious norms
related to the treatment of civilians in time of war, in addition
to the norms of international humanitarian law. These could
be distributed to soldiers in peacekeeping operations. Moreover,
we believe that appropriate mechanisms must be created to address
complaints by civilian victims of abuse by soldiers, including
sexual violence against girls and women. This would also serve
to deter such crimes.
Myanmar
....
The need to prevent armed conflict and to bring to a speedy
conclusion in situations of armed conflict cannot be overemphasized.
The Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) calls for all parties
to armed conflict to take special measures to protect women
and girls from rape and other forms of sexual abuses and to
end impunity whenever this dastardly crime is perpetrated. In
situation of armed conflict, the most vulnerable among the population
include women and girls. Therefore, we firmly believe that tackling
the root causes of conflict which include disunity, poverty,
socio-economic and gender inequality and underdevelopment are
extremely important.
Netherlands
....
For the Netherlands Government women empowerment is a top priority.
Women's rights are everyone's concern. The Netherlands is therefore
taking a firm stand against the horrific violations of women's
rights aid human dignity in countries like the Democratic Republic
of the Congo and Sudan. This is the reason that the Netherlands
supports the UN Trust fund regarding violence against women.
....
Firstly, we need to target men. Gender equality and women's
empowerment cannot be achieved without the involvement of men.
Men need to talk to men. And they have to speak openly to militia
leader, gang leaders and sometimes the generals to be better
role models. If we want sexual violence to end, we need to raise
awareness among men about the consequences of their actions.
In situations of conflict, boys and men are constantly confronted
with models of violent masculinity. Discussions should take
place between men and women, with boys and girls, within communities.
also to start the healing process and break the cycle of sexual
violence.
New Zealand
....
New Zealand welcomes the advances that have been made in these
areas by the United Nations and Member States. We strongly endorse
the Secretary- General's in-depth study on all forms of violence
against women and the campaign 'UNite to End Violence Against
Women'. New Zealand has actively
supported General Assembly resolutions on the "Intensification
of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women'
and on "Eliminating rape and other forms of sexual violence
in all their manifestations, including in conflict and related
situations".
....
Third, New Zealand attaches priority to promoting women's rights
through the delivery of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Gender-based violence is a core focus area for New Zealand's
development agency, NZAID. NZAID supports a number of initiatives
in the Pacific aimed at empowering women and mitigating their
exposure to violence. For example, New Zealand is currently
involved in the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme,
a joint initiative of NZAID, New Zealand Police and the Pacific
Islands Chief of Police organisation. It seeks to tackle domestic
violence and influence social change.
Nigeria
....
Nigeria has signed and ratified the African Protocol on the
Rights of Women. It has also taken special measures; to guarantee
the participation of women in governance and decision-making.
At both Federal and State levels, efforts are being made to
outlaw discriminatory customary or traditional practices which
are harmful to the physical and mental health of women and girls.
The Federal Government is also working closely with traditional
rulers, non-governmental and faith-based organizations to change
long-held attitudes and negative perceptions about women, and
to inculcate in male youth respect for the fundamental rights
of women and girls. School curricula and public enlightenment
campaigns are also focusing on positive gender values, including
the promotion of gender equality in all spheres.
....
It is imperative for my delegation that these challenges are
seem as constituting lessons learned that should guide the UN
as it seeks to bring an end to this unconscionable feature of
armed conflict. To brace up to these challenges, the international
community must appreciate the varying dimensions of the problems
to enable it take remedial action, as appropriate. Our responsibilities
must include preventing sexual violence against women, providing
protection for them, assisting and caring for the children born
of rape, including those who are victimized by the culture of
impunity. Indeed, it is our responsibility to comfort and heal
the communities that are savaged by these crimes. More importantly,
we must strengthen punitive measures so that perpetrators and
those responsible for breaches are brought to justice.
....
I have elaborated some of the challenges we face in protecting
women from sexual violence in situations of conflict. There
are more. For instance, we also need to strengthen dissemination,
sensitization and monitoring mechanisms in conflict zones. Conflict
monitoring and early warning systems are also needed to help
avert the prevalence of sexual violence during and after conflicts.
There is also a need to ensure effective monitoring of the implementation
of humanitarian assistance in camps where women have been known
to be especially vulnerable.
....
We also invite the Secretary General to utilize existing regional
and subregional resources like the ECOWAS Early Warning Systems
and security architecture to strengthen the protection of women.
We also call on the UN to take a more strategic view of this
problem, with clear action oriented commitments to ensure measurable
improvements in the lives victims.
Philippines
....
The response to sexual exploitation in conflict situations necessitates
a comprehensive approach. As this entails a response that should
address the various dimensions of the problem, the United Nations
must mobilize the various entities within its system and build
on their comparative advantages to address the root causes,
manifestations and consequences of conflict.
The Philippines recognizes the
role of the Security Council in addressing conflict and its
various dimensions, including the gender dimension, to the extent
that this is in accordance with the Council's mandate. It should
be emphasized that since the issue of sexual violence requires
a more holistic response, including political, economic, social
and cultural, the Security Council's action, which comprises
only part of the response, must be coherently coordinated with
the efforts of other bodies such as the development-oriented
agencies.
....
As sexual violence is part of the bigger context of conflict,
the Security Council must see to it that it also uses its mandate
mainly to assess and address this broader picture. Bearing in
mind the need to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted measures
and sanctions, the Security Council must be cognizant that such,
if contemplated, do not exacerbate the conflict nor give rise
to negative consequences for the civilian population.
The Security Council can concretely
contribute to gender-sensitive conflict prevention and resolution,
including post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding, by
ensuring that gender issues are integrated in the DDR process.
This could also be accomplished by incorporating the necessary
gender training in the security sector and facilitating the
establishment of necessary infrastructure and capacity for women's
access to justice as well as cooperative work with NGOs and
other community groups.
Russia
....
Ensuring the social and economic development of States is a
main factor in preventing conflict and violence.
Rwanda
....
Gender Based Violence and Violence against Women is therefore
considered by the Rwanda Defense Forces as a key component of
the Security Threat. In this respect the Gender Desk at Rwanda
Defense Headquarters devises training programs with the support
of UNIFEM to raise awareness of Gender Based Violence and Violence
against Women in the Armed Forces. Awareness and Training on
responding to Gender Based Violence and Violence against Women
has now been mainstreamed into the curriculum of all Rwanda's
Military Schools and Training Institutions and is integral to
the preparation of all Rwanda Defense Forces Battalions preparing
for peace missions abroad. The leadership of the Rwanda Defense
Forces has also undertaken Gender Based Violence and Violence
against Women as Command Responsibility.
South Africa
....
Perhaps even more important, the resolution reaffirms the implementation
of the obligations of CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of
the Child and Optional Protocols thereto aimed at addressing
discrimination against women and girls. We must work for a non-discriminatory
and non-sexist society in which all women and girls are treated
as equal citizens. The end of discrimination against women,
particularly those in conflict situations, will go a long way
toward addressing the root causes of sexual violence. This is
the least we can do for women and girls everywhere.
UK
Thank you Madam President. The United Kingdom welcomes the leadership
shown
by the United States in holding this debate during their Presidency
of the Council, and your presence here today Madam President,
demonstrates just how important it is for us all to tackle the
growing problem of sexual and gender based violence if we are
serious about resolving conflict.
....
My government believes that the Security Council should show
leadership on the issue of sexual violence by:
1. ....
2. ....
3. ....
4. Requiring regular updates about sexual violence in situations
of armed
conflict, so that we can better understand how to prevent it
Vietnam
....
As far as peacekeeping missions are concerned, we support the
recommendation contained in the draft resolution presented for
adoption today by the Council that the Secretary-General, in
consultation with the Security Council, the Special Committee
on Peacekeeping Operations and its Working Group and relevant
States to develop aid implement appropriate training programs
for all peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel deployed by
the United Nations in the context of missions as mandated by
the Council to help them better prevent, recognize and respond
to sexual violence and other forms of violence against civilians.
This and the empowerment of women and girls are essential measures
of prevention, which is always more effective and less costly
than cure.
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