Implementation

National courts are primarily responsible for prosecuting and trying the perpetrators of sexual violence associated with armed conflict. States must likewise assume their responsibilities by taking the steps necessary to incorporate into their national legislation provisions criminalizing sexual violence and excluding amnesty laws for the most serious crimes, including sexual violence.

It sends a clear signal to all parties who commit sexual violence that the Security Council will not relax its attention to these acts. Impunity will not prevail.

Finally, in the fight against impunity and to end sexual violence related to conflict, it is important for the Council to continue to discharge its responsibilities, provide concrete follow-up to its decisions, adopt, if necessary, targeted measures to increase the pressure on perpetrators, and systematically inscribe the alleged perpetrators of sexual violence on sanctions committee lists, taking into account the information provided by the S

To tackle impunity, sustained comprehensive efforts are needed at the national level to guarantee the prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence and support for survivors. The Council could make a major difference by supporting the early establishment of national reparations programmes as well as developing a more robust monitoring and reporting system.

National action plans on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) are an important tool that should be fully utilized. Lithuania's national action plan, adopted in December 2011, contains a variety of measures aimed at women's empowerment through literacy, education, networking and the development of skills. It has direct linkages with Lithuania's development cooperation programmes, which include a strong gender element.

Establishing effective oversight, transparency, and human rights and gender training for security sector personnel is instrumental in countering the culture of impunity. My delegation welcomes the Secretary General's recommendation that blanket amnesties should not be applied where conflict-related sexual violence is in question.

The Security Council should more often call on Governments to prioritize the strengthening of domestic justice systems, but it should also be more assertive where national systems fail, through the establishment of fact-finding commissions, commissions of inquiry and referrals to the ICC. Where domestic justice systems have broken down completely, such measures may often be the only way of creating deterrence and enabling longer-term justice.

The Council's ability to respond depends on the availability of objective, accurate and reliable information. Monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements and the work of the women's protection advisers are therefore of continued relevance.

The United Nations, in our opinion, requires a single vehicle for the delivery of judicial and legal advice. My delegation has been saying this for many years now.

The United Nations needs a service, a full-fledged department that, on request, can advise Member States that seek to upgrade or reform their judiciary or prosecution services or wish to improve their penal codes. United Nations missions of every variety would also require its services. If we are to be serious about ending impunity for sexual crimes in the context of war, that is what we need.