Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

Mexico recognizes the importance that the concept of the rule of law has acquired through a number of Security Council resolutions, in particular when it comes to establishing mechanisms for the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the attention that has been given to the justice and security needs of women and children, and the promotion of gender equality in access to justice.

It is important to ensure that the rule of law is fully taken into account in all reform and reconstruction efforts undertaken in conflict and postconflict situations. In so doing, priority should be given to access to justice for those who often suffer disproportionately in conflict and whose voices are unfortunately still the weakest in peace negotiations and post-conflict processes: women, children and marginalized groups.

Security Council support for national capacity-building for justice is an important investment in peace and security. Special attention should be paid to giving women, children and other vulnerable groups greater access to justice. Specialized courts, for example family courts or mobile courts, are tools to help to bring justice closer to women and children.

Resolution 1325 (2000) and other Council resolutions on women, peace and security and on children in armed conflict should remain high on the agenda of the United Nations. We are concerned by continued reporting about mass rapes as a method of war and the very low numbers of perpetrators who have been brought to justice.

Secondly, women and children must be placed at the centre of transitional justice mechanisms. We commend the Council for its efforts in combating impunity for sexual and gender-based violence, in promoting gender-responsive justice reforms and in securing women's participation in all aspects of postconflict recovery.

In that regard, let me also mention the great importance that the Human Security Network attaches to the role of the Council in the protection of women and children. We are pleased with the work undertaken by the Security Council in progressively strengthening the protection framework for children affected by armed conflict, as well as with its efforts to prevent and combat sexual violence.

My government welcomes the UN's development of training materials focused on sexual and gender-based violence, as well as other tools to help missions improve their protection strategies. The United States helps the UN to survey current practices and has initiated a workshop for missions with civilian-protection mandates.

We wish to highlight in particular the recent advances in fostering the principle of accountability in two important areas of the Council's work, notably in protecting women and children.

As we have seen over the past decade, peacekeeping operations can play an important role in establishing and strengthening such a legal and political framework under which all individuals and institutions, including the state itself, are accountable. We also need to make this framework work for vulnerable groups, including women, children, IDPs and detainees, and make sure that they have access to justice.

In Afghanistan, the UK has funded a full range of measures undertaken by the Criminal Justice Task Force to minimise gender-related barriers to working in a high profile law enforcement environment. And we supported the Government of Nepal's efforts to develop its own National Action Plan to generate, among many other things, work to provide support for women and girls who have been the victims of sexual violence.