Justice

That brings me to my second point: ending impunity. Reporting of cases is complicated and can carry high social costs. Shame, stigma and strong cultural norms can dissuade women and men from reporting crimes. The Council therefore needs to act. The listing of the individuals and groups that commit such acts of violence is one of the means to address these violations, and the Council has a responsibility there.

But we also need to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted. We have to close the impunity gap, and this applies also to sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel. The Kingdom of the Netherlands therefore strongly supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance approach to this issue.

When it comes to ending impunity, we feel very strongly that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has a role to play as a court of last resort. Its mandate allows for prosecuting individuals suspected of sexual violence. We believe that the ICC must continue to strengthen the policies that ensure accountability under international criminal law.