Implementation

We support the Secretary-General's impressive recommendations on specific steps that need to be taken to address the remaining challenges in this field. The proposal for the United Nations system to set up a mechanism, on which agreement has now been achieved, to better monitor, report and analyse data on sexual violence and to ensure that information flows effectively to the Security Council is particularly important.

The Secretary-General's report (S/2010/604) was particularly valuable because it identified practical, pragmatic ways in which this issue can be tackled. Australia is a firm supporter of tangible, practical solutions. There remains a gap between our collective expectations on what United Nations peacekeeping should be able to do and the actual capacity of peacekeepers on the ground.

Of course, information flowing to the Council should be reliable. The Council's endorsement in October of the comprehensive set of indicators was a significant achievement in that regard. We look forward to the United Nations system putting those indicators into action to collect data on sexual violence, as well as to inform policy and programmatic responses.

Much more needs to be done to address this vital issue, as we have heard this evening. We look forward to further reporting and briefing on how the United Nations system has gone about translating into action the list of proposals in the Secretary-General's report. Annual reporting is needed.

Early warning signs of conflict-related sexual violence are often received. But as the mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August sadly demonstrated, our coordinated and comprehensive analysis of those signs must be strengthened in order to improve the prospects for preventing attacks on civilians. Sexual violence is not unique in that regard.

Fifteen years later, it is heartening to observe how much this issue has gained in visibility and traction. It is now taken up in various intergovernmental bodies, including the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Peacebuilding Commission. Member States at the national level and civil society organizations are demonstrating their commitment to tackling this challenge through concrete action.

This year, the Commission also considered the question of violence against women as part of its follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action, and held an interactive dialogue on the subject. Expert panellists, member States, United Nations system entities and non-governmental organizations were able to share their experiences and the results achieved.

The Commission on the Status of Women plays a central role in monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action, including with respect to women in armed conflict. I recognize and welcome the key role and critical efforts of the Security Council in preventing sexual violence and combating impunity in conflict and post-conflict situations.

In this context, the Council's effort to set up a mechanism for monitoring and reporting sexual violence against women may prove to be very useful, not only to the Council's work but also to other organizations working on issues pertaining to sexual violence against women and gender issues in general.

Efforts to address violence against women are often not comprehensive, consistent or sustained, and there continues to be insufficient coordination among relevant sectors. Knowledge regarding the scope, prevalence, impact and cost of violence against women remains inadequate, and capacities for collecting such data are insufficient.