Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

Sri Lankan society — which has experienced two violent youth insurgencies and a 27-year terrorist onslaught during the critical part of its development trajectory — is one that is now gradually coming into its own.

Slovenia believes that the Council must increasingly focus on preventing conflict, including through early warning, as failure to do so bears only grave consequences for the affected civilians.

Women and girls deserve special attention. As recent tragic incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo show, there are still many cases in which armed groups, operating in massive and widely dispersed areas, employ horrific sexual and other violence against women and girls.

In this connection, it is essential for peacekeepers to have more responsibility for supporting and providing security to civilians at risk through tangible protection strategies. In addition, the Security Council needs to establish clear, credible, and achievable mandates to ensure the successful and effective protection of civilians prior to deployment.

Access to civilians affected by armed conflict in order to provide humanitarian aid and basic safety and security also needs to be guaranteed. Unfortunately, we have seen many cases in which humanitarian personnel and supplies have failed to reach those in urgent need due to the interference of certain parties concerned in armed conflicts. Such acts should be condemned, and those involved in such acts should be held accountable.

Portugal believes that the lack of accountability and the impunity that benefit many parties to armed conflict throughout the world are extremely disturbing. This situation obviously encourages perpetrators even as it discourages victims from denouncing violations and seeking redress. Furthermore, it renders the tasks of peacekeepers even more difficult in protecting civilians in situations of conflict.

Allow me to mention, in this context, what we believe to be three important issues: impunity and the lack of accountability, the need to strengthen United Nations peacekeeping operations and missions, and, finally, the need for an increasingly integrated approach to peacekeeping.

The Philippines has taken those recommendations into account. In fact, we have taken appropriate measures to integrate them in the implementation of our national policies and work plan. I am therefore pleased to inform the Council of the following concrete steps that the Philippines has taken.

In recent years, the various reports and recommendations on the protection of civilians caught in armed conflict have given us a good panoramic view of the problems associated with this issue.

I cannot overemphasize the commitment of the Philippine Government to ensure the protection of civilians caught in armed conflict. We have put in place mechanisms for investigation and prosecution to deal with such cases. In that context, the Philippines enacted a new law in December of last year, namely, Republic Act No.