It is troubling that, even as we are holding this meeting, many women and girls in various parts of the world, including in the Arab world, are being subjected to forms of violence that lead to their killing and to the displacement of millions of people, especially women and children, who are more vulnerable and therefore more affected by such situations.

In conclusion, the continued attention by the international community to the role of women in peace and security and the enhancement of the role of women in decision-making processes will have positive effects on international peace and security and will mitigate the catastrophic results of conflicts all over the world.

We particularly welcome the fact that the report discloses new trends and the use of several forms of sexual violence as a tactic of war against not only women and girls but also men and boys.

The Security Council has recognized that the protection of women is a critical priority for peace and security. Resolutions 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) clearly establish the fight against sexual violence in its agenda.

National accountability needs to be reinforced, as Member States bear the primary responsibility to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence by strengthening of the capacities of national institutions, in particular health, judicial and social systems. The action of the international community must also be reinforced.

Let me conclude my statement with a word for the survivors of sexual violence. They are at the centre of our debates. Let us not forget them and the fact that, beyond bringing perpetrators to justice, the international community also needs to afford care and reparation to women and girls and men and boys that have been victims of sexual violence in conflict-related situations.

All of the information contained in the report is relevant for the Security Council in terms of its Charter-mandated responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The information that has already been collected by the reporting mechanism will make it possible for the Council to have access to “timely, objective, accurate and reliable information” on sexual violence in conflict.

The Council needs to be consistent in its decisions and reinforce the message that impunity is simply not acceptable, sexual violence is simply not tolerable and there can be no genuine security without women's security.

Women's and girls' protection and empowerment, particularly in fragile, conflict and post-conflict situations — and even in so-called stable societies — remain a major concern and an overriding challenge for all of us.

We note the important, albeit slow, strides made internationally over the past decade in addressing the disproportionate and unique impacts of armed conflict, violence and tensions, which continue to affect women and girls worldwide.