Before delivering my statement, I would like to say that this morning, my delegation had requested the right to explain its vote. I would like to believe that an unintentional error caused that opportunity to be lost.

Although so far the Council has held seven debates on the issue of the rule of law, there is still a way to go to achieve overall accountability for crimes affecting women and girls. Nor have we made sufficient progress in achieving women's full participation in the processes of transitional justice.

"The resolution that we adopted today contributes to reducing the vulnerability of women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict situations. We recognize the need to receive timely information in order to intervene early and save lives. In that sense, preventing conflicts is the best way to protect all civilians from the horrors that accompany armed conflicts, in particular women and girls."

I now turn to my statement. I wish to thank you, Sir, for convening this open debate. Anecdotally, it brings back memories of my presidency of the Council exactly one year ago, when a presidential statement was adopted (S/PRST/2012/23) even before the debate was held, for it was postponed until November due to Hurricane Sandy, which caused so much damage to the city that it prevented the scheduled meeting.

Each year the Council has continued to build upon the core premise of resolution 1325 (2000), because we are convinced that without women's security, there can be no lasting peace. We think that the timely theme of today's debate, on women, rule of law and transitional justice in conflict-affected situations, will generate added value.

We have previously said that, based on our own experience, the boundaries between peacebuilding, peacekeeping and economic, social and legal transformations are not clear. Therefore, we think it is of the utmost importance to advance the fight against impunity, improve access to justice for women and strengthen the justice system infrastructure to deal with such crimes, both nationally and internationally.

While it is crucial to address sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict contexts, it is equally important to combat impunity and strengthen both international and national justice responses to those crimes. Consequently, capacity-building related to the rule of law, that is wide in scope and goes beyond traditional areas of law reform and strengthening of justice and law enforcement institutions are necessary.

The prevention of and response to violence against children, in particular, including sexual violence and abuse, forced marriage and maltreatment, should continue to be an important focus area of United Nations assistance.

Prevention, rather than reaction, must be a priority. That requires the existence of early warning mechanisms based on accurate, objective and reliable information. The collection of data relating to sexual violence in areas of conflict is crucial and strongly encouraged, so that both national and international actors may be duly informed.

In conclusion, Greece is of the view that genuine and inclusive participation in the elaboration of transitional justice mechanisms ensures that they not only respond to the needs and expectations of victims, but provide transformative change for sustainable transition to peace and reconciliation, which is the ultimate goal of all of our efforts.