Implementation

The United Nations does much to deal with the protection of women in situations of armed conflict. We all know that that is not enough. Much more needs to be done. It is imperative to continue to mainstream the gender perspective into peacekeeping operations. As the largest troop-contributing country, we can testify to the fact that the appointment of gender advisers in the field has served a useful purpose.

The six-point priority agenda of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a good way to address impunity, empower women to seek redress, strengthen the international political response and foster national ownership.

The Council has set a good example by sending strong signals that sexual and gender-based violence is unacceptable. We should give due credit to the Security Council for transforming the protection of women in armed conflict situations from a soft to a hard issue.

Such mechanisms and measures have provided relief and justice to the affected populations, but it is a long haul. In that context, we support Special Representative Bangura's call to all parties to conflicts to immediately put an end to violence against women and make specific, time-bound commitments to ensure the non-recurrence of such acts, under the appropriate monitoring mechanisms.

Over the years, the Security Council has paid close attention to the cause of protecting the human rights of vulnerable groups in situations of armed conflict. The issue of women and peace and security has been integrated into the Council's country-specific resolutions.

In order to give more credence to its actions, the Council must be ready to take targeted and graduated measures, through the relevant Sanctions Committees, against perpetrators of sexual violence. We endorse the Secretary-General's recommendation of applying specific sanctions against parties to armed conflict that use sexual violence as a tactic of war.

The continued appointment of trained gender and women protection advisers and the provision of multisectoral assistance and services for victims have proved beneficial. Adequate resources must be allocated for that purpose.

The report before us (S/2013/149) is a catalogue of violence, rape, atrocities and torture. The Nordic countries welcome the comprehensive approach it takes, covering both protracted crises and emerging concerns. Its attention to sexual violence against men and boys, the practice of forced marriage and the plight of children born as a result of wartime rape is valid and timely.

Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without inclusive processes in which women's agency and contributions are fully recognized. We strongly commend the tireless work of civil society organizations in continuing to advance women's participation and bringing their voices from the ground to the fore of international peace and security.

As long as the permanent members of the Security Council remain divided, gross human rights violations are allowed to continue with impunity. In his report, the Secretary-General makes a number of important recommendations to the Security Council on combating impunity.