Implementation

Nordic countries contribute to the ICC's Trust Fund for Victims and support the work of United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict. We also support a large number of local and international organizations engaged in rehabilitation for survivors of sexual violence.

Monitoring, reporting and sanctions are not ends in themselves. Their aim is to change behaviour and promote adherence to national and international law. We were therefore particularly happy to note that resolution 1960 (2010) also endorses the Secretary-General's proposal for a dialogue with parties to armed conflict, where verified behavioural change will lead to delisting, while sanctions will be applied against persistent violators.

Let me also thank and give further encouragement to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Margot Wallström and to United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict.

It is also of crucial importance that the information gathered reaches the Council and its sanctions committees in a timely manner. In that regard, we welcome the intention of the Council to ensure the flow of information from the field to the Security Council and to take action based on that information.

Investigating and prosecuting all acts of conflict- related sexual violence are both legal obligations and powerful deterrents. This includes holding commanders accountable for ordering, condoning or failing to prevent acts of sexual violence committed by troops under their control. We must find ways to strengthen national judicial systems and processes, including through the deployment of the teams of experts on the rule of law.

Better monitoring and reporting, effective measures against impunity and comprehensive reparations for victims all contribute to prevention, and that is why I am focusing on these aspects today.

At the outset, let me thank the United States for leading the Council's work in its efforts to address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to the health and lives of the victims and of their communities. And let me be clear: sexual violence is a serious impediment to peace, security and development.

All of those provisions together build a long-awaited mechanism for accountability for sexual violence, and we congratulate the Council for its decision.

The Security Council should also reaffirm its commitment to integrating the gender equality dimension and the protection of civilians from sexual and gender-based violence into the mandates of peacekeeping operations. The connections between violence against women and the ability of women to participate in conflict prevention and management, as well as in peacebuilding and development, must be better understood.

The Security Council should adopt a zero- tolerance approach by including issues of sexual violence as a priority element in resolutions establishing the mandates for its sanctions committees, and the mandates should explicitly include sexual violence as a criterion for the designation of political and military leaders for targeted measures.