Secondly, we must accelerate our fight against impunity. Perpetrators have to be brought to justice. Bearing in mind the main responsibility of States to investigate and prosecute, the Security Council also has a role to play.

Fourthly, reparation schemes and funding frameworks should be guided by a survivor-focused approach. Both, physical and mental scars have to be treated in order to allow survivors to once again actively participate in their societies.

The effective implementation of Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security is a priority for France, which worked actively for their adoption. It also worked to strengthen attention to this issue within the European Union. At the national level, at the end of 2010 France adopted an action plan for the implementation of the resolutions on women, peace and security.

We also welcome the establishment of a list of parties, annexed to the report of the Special Representative, pursuant to resolution 1960 (2010). This list should make it possible to improve communication of information on troubling situations. It is indeed a decisive step forward in combating impunity for the perpetrators of sexual violence, another imperative in our combat against this scourge.

Sexual violence remains intolerably high. In many conflicts today, sexual violence is a weapon used to crush individuals and communities. Therefore, these acts of violence are a destabilizing factor and a threat to peace and security with, as Ms. Wallström emphasized, lasting consequences. By way of example, hundreds of Somali women refugees have been raped, sometimes in front of their husbands.

Sexual violence does not occur only when there is an armed conflict, as the Special Representative pointed out in her report. Situations in which there is political instability, including a climate of violence before and after elections, are particularly favourable for the commission of those crimes. Thus in Syria, the Syrian armed forces and security forces have resorted to sexual torture of prisoners, including children and adolescents.

Lastly, it is essential to pursue our efforts to implement a zero-tolerance policy in peacekeeping operations. The United Nations system and Member States must bear their responsibilities in that regard. We should set an example.

Given the magnitude of the challenges facing the United Nations, France fully supports the mandate of the Special Representative. Resolution 1960 (2010), adopted in December 2010, marked a political commitment to use all the means available to the Security Council to ensure that sexual violence is prevented. It is up to us today to do our utmost to ensure that that resolution is implemented.

It is crucial to sustained peace and development that we address impunity for sexual violence. It is the duty of all States to investigate and prosecute those crimes.

Finally, the European Union continues to implement its dedicated policy on women, peace and security, adopted in 2008, making use of tools as diverse as development cooperation, the Common Security and Defence Policy and political dialogue. The varied EU support to initiatives related to women, peace and security amounts to approximately €200 million per year.