Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

With regard to the issue of women and girls and the justice sector, Slovenia is supporting a project aimed at improving the status of juvenile offenders, particularly girls, and strengthening the juvenile justice sector in the Afghan province of Herat.

The role of international criminal courts and tribunals, in particular the International Criminal Court (ICC), remains crucial to the establishment of the rule of law, especially in cases where States are unable or unwilling to pursue accountability for serious crimes.

The primary responsibility for the prosecution of conflict-related crimes, including violations of women's rights, belongs to States. However, while the principle of complementarity enhances national capabilities to prosecute such crimes effectively, more efforts must be made to improve criminal justice at the national level. The international legal framework for judicial assistance to countries should be strengthened.

Rebuilding justice and the rule of law is critical to any post-conflict transitional process burdened by the legacies of mass atrocities, serious human-rights violations and a weakened judicial infrastructure. A gender perspective, as well as the participation of women, should be injected into those processes. Transitional justice processes should address the full range of conflict-related violations of women's rights.

Addressing abhorrent violations by ensuring access to justice, formal and informal, as well as full rights of redress, is essential to the process of reconciliation and lasting peace. Importantly, preventing impunity for the perpetrators of such crimes decreases the chance that they will recur in the future. Furthermore, the representation of women should be ensured in the justice sector.

Rwandans have come to understand first hand the importance of strengthening internal justice mechanisms and building institutions that enhance accessibility to justice. We believe that the fight against impunity is primarily the responsibility of States.

Let me also express my delegation's support for the principle of zero tolerance advocated by the United Nations and call for the principle to be more rigorously enforced. During the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda, women and girls were forced to endure inhuman and degrading atrocities. Tens of thousands were raped and left for dead.

At the institutional level, Rwanda's security organs, in collaboration with other Government agencies, local communities and civil society, have launched initiatives to prevent and respond to violence that targets women and girls.

For over a decade now, resolution 1325 (2000) has clearly confirmed its vital role and importance in strengthening the role of women in the prevention and settlement of armed conflicts and during post- conflict reconstruction, as well as in their protection during such conflicts. Unfortunately, despite numerous efforts, women continue to fall victim to various forms of violence.

We also recognize the positive contribution of the Security Council to the rule of law, which is one of the key aspects of conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. We fully agree with the prevailing position that justice, including transitional justice, is a fundamental building block of sustainable peace in countries in conflict or post- conflict situations.