Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

The specific needs of women, children, the disadvantaged and victims of discrimination should always be included in the design and delivery of security.

It is also important to ensure the participation of all members of society, including women. They should be better represented in security institutions and their rights should be properly respected. In that connection, the efforts by the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea Bissau to integrate women into that country's police and military institutions should be continued and supported.

Special attention should be paid to the participation of women in planning, leading and implementing security sector reforms. Women are actors and stakeholders in upholding and promoting security and the rule of law. In this regard, we would like to recall the action plan of the Secretary-General on women's participation in peacebuilding.

Moreover, the success of security sector reform relies on national ownership, the quality of dialogue with recipient countries, the adaptability of tools for security sector reform, good coordination among relevant national and international partners, sensitivity to gender issues and involvement of civil society.

Since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, missions have been mandated, with significant success, to boost women's participation in electoral and post-conflict processes, to prevent sexual violence, and to increase the presence of female peacekeeping personnel and trained peacekeepers to address gender issues.

"The AIDS response has also changed dramatically since 1308. Today, we have the capacity to provide wide-scale treatment and to target prevention to populations at higher risk of HIV infection. We see that post-conflict and transition periods bring an increased risk of HIV and for sexual violence to countries, and we understand how to address both of these challenges. We have made progress; now we need to scale up.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in follow-up to the recent mapping report, the Government is preparing to establish a special chamber to investigate serious violations of international law, including mass killings, sexual violence and displacement, and to prosecute the perpetrators.

The United Arab Emirates reiterates its strong condemnation of the serious and tragic crimes committed against peaceful civilians, especially women, children and humanitarian and media workers, in areas of armed conflict.

The plight of women and children, in particular, remains perilous and requires urgent attention. South Africa appreciates the efforts of many Governments, including those of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad, to combat sexual violence, as demonstrated by the arrest of senior military officers involved in crimes of conflict-related sexual violence.

South Africa is fully committed to the protection of civilians in armed conflict and continues to support a strengthened normative and legal framework for enhancing such protection measures. We welcome the concerted efforts of the international community to protect civilians in armed conflict.