Implementation

It is also worth mentioning the critical role of women's civil society organizations in supporting the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts and in peacebuilding. That was precisely the approach taken in the presidential statement (S/PRST/2012/23) adopted under our presidency of the Security Council in October 2012.

As mandated by the Security Council in resolution 1888 (2009), the Group of Friends urges the further and timely deployment of women protection advisers to Security Council-mandated missions. Missions must plan and budget for women's protection advisers in all the relevant situations of concern.

Secondly, the Council should keep the issue of women and peace and security, including sexual violence, high on its agenda and make sure that all the relevant reports, mandate renewals and country visits by the Council contain specific provisions in that regard. More women's protection advisers need to be deployed, including in United Nations assessment teams and missions.

For my Government, confronting sexual violence is one of the priority areas in our new national action plan on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We actively support the United Nations, Member States and civil society in their fight against sexual violence.

First, we welcome the work of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and hope it will continue to work closely with other United Nations mechanisms to guarantee the best possible concerted actions in the fight against sexual violence.

With respect to sanctions, in order for victims to no longer be stigmatized for the crimes they have suffered, we must do away with impunity for sexual violence. National Governments have the primary responsibility to prosecute and punish perpetrators of such crimes. When States fail to uphold their responsibilities, the International Criminal Court should play its role in full.

Since then, significant progress has been made — political progress, first and foremost, thanks to the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. I welcome her commitment, which has made it possible to increase the international visibility of the issue.

Sexual violence has been a part of all wars in history but, as the Group of Eight recalled in its ministerial statement of 11 April, it has long been seen as an unimportant and secondary issue that does not merit the international community's attention. Sexual violence was never taken into account in the context of conflict resolution or after conflicts.

Protection is first. On the ground, women's protection advisers are bringing greater awareness of sexual violence issues to the daily work of the Blue Helmets. Their role is crucial, and France hopes that their deployment within peacekeeping missions and political missions will be expanded. Above all, when they have the mandate to do so, missions should provide the resources necessary to help the work of these advisers.

France, within the framework of its national action plan for implementing resolution 1325 (2000), on women, peace and security, is financing anti-violence programmes in six countries in Africa and the Arab world being implemented by UN-Women. The staff we are sending abroad from our country are trained in issues of sexual violence, and we support the integration of gender issues in peacekeeping schools in Africa.