Implementation

In the context of the tenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) and of the third year of the Dutch national action plan, the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence jointly produced a publication entitled The Dutch Do's on Women, Peace and Security —

Finally, we are pleased to announce bilateral collaboration between the Netherlands and Spain in the development of more civilian and military gender capacity so as to increase operational readiness. We have a responsibility to arrive well prepared at our

"In addition, the Netherlands supports a training initiative on the protection of human rights and the prevention of sexual violence with the Congolese Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo. That innovative project makes use of footage from the award-winning documentary Weapon of War, about the perpetrators of sexual violence."

With the establishment of the mandate of the Special Representative, an important step was taken to address this phenomenon, and in the short time that she has held that post Ms. Wallström has made it clear that, while there are broad challenges, it is possible to provide a comprehensive and effective response to victims of sexual violence and to make that issue a priority of our strategies for peace and reconciliation.

We recognize that the Security Council has taken determined steps to eliminate the problem of sexual violence in armed conflict. It must continue its work pursuant to resolution 1888 (2009) based on the following four pillars: the fight against impunity; the prevention of new cases and protection of vulnerable groups; security sector reform; and comprehensive care and reparations for victims.

The Security Council faces significant challenges. It must ensure the functioning and impact of the monitoring system and the presentation of reports on sexual violence in conflict, and systematically include components on gender and on prevention of sexual violence in the terms of reference of its field visits and the mandates for its peacekeeping operations.

The atrocities committed against women and children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and other regions of the world are permanent reminders of the fact that existing norms are flagrantly flouted. Ensuring respect for international law is an ongoing challenge, for which the primary responsibility falls to States.

My delegation is particularly satisfied by the coordination that Ms. Wallström has maintained with the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy.

We warmly welcome the fact that the Council also encourages the Secretary-General to list in an annex to his annual reports the parties that have systematically engaged in acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the Council agenda.

The mass rapes in Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this summer were a brutal reminder of how sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war.