Moreover, besides the agreement concluded for the evacuation of women and children from the city of Homs, the parties must allow humanitarian relief to reach the entire civilian population, guarantee the security of humanitarian convoys and remove administrative obstacles. The parties must guarantee humanitarian access to the civilian population.

We share the concerns raised in this Chamber regarding the innocent civilians who, sadly, often constitute an overwhelming majority of the victims in armed conflict. In particular, women and children continue to be the most vulnerable groups, subjected to various forms of extreme violence, resulting in grave humanitarian crises with huge population displacement in various parts of the world.

With regard to the composition of missions, there needs to be an appropriate structure and the staffing that is required to protect women and children from violence, in particular sexual and gender-based violence. We recognize the United Nations policy of due diligence in the area of human rights, which should continue to be part of mandates for peacekeeping operations.

In addition, peacekeeping forces have implemented training programmes for police to investigate crimes of sexual violence and other crimes and have contributed to building domestic institutional capacity.

The brutal campaign opened a murderous era in Afghanistan's history — devastating in terms both of its acute impact on the Afghan people and of its savagery.

Afghan civilians are targeted with guns and bombs by enemies who measure success in terms of the blood spilled and life lost. Women, children, Government officials, journalists, religious leaders and judicial authorities are at risk as they go about their daily lives, shopping at a bazaar, visiting a friend or commuting to work. They are attacked in villages, on public roads, in restaurants, Government offices, courthouses and mosques.

The United Nations reports of the 1990s submitted by Ms. Coomaraswamy and Ms. McDougall (E/CN.4/1996/56, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1998/13) stated that the comfort women issue was one of sexual slavery in armed conflicts, requiring the acceptance of legal responsibility, compensation and the punishment of perpetrators.

The Japanese Government has yet to take responsibility for the issue. At the General Assembly last year, the Japanese delegation mentioned Japan's contributions to the victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts. But it said nothing about the comfort women. If their definition of the victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts does not include comfort women, is that a case of double standards or a denial of the past?

A matter that is a serious concern not only for East Asian countries but for the entire international community itself is the so-called comfort women issue. In the United Nations, the issue has been discussed in the context of women's rights, the exploitation of women in conflicts, war crimes and the prevention of torture, among others. Indeed, Sunday, 26 January was a very sad day for the Korean people.

Another important element is understanding the context. A fundamental challenge for a peace mediator is to motivate the warring parties to meet at the negotiating table. Extensive knowledge of the root causes to conflict is an absolute requirement. Women must be involved in all phases and levels of negotiating processes.