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Opening Remarks On The Adoption Of A UNSC Resolution To Combat Sexua

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  • Opening Remarks On The Adoption Of A UNSC Resolution To Combat Sexua

    OPENING REMARKS ON THE ADOPTION OF A UNSC RESOLUTION TO COMBAT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ARMED CONFLICT

    US Department of State

    Hillary Rodham Clinton
    Secretary of State
    United Nations Headquarters
    New York City
    September 30, 2009

    The 6,195th meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The
    provisional agenda for this meeting is before the Council in
    document S/Agenda 6,195, which reads, and I quote: "Women and Peace
    and Security," end of quote. Unless I hear any objection, I shall
    consider the agenda adopted. The agenda is adopted.

    I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters
    from the representatives of 55 countries in which they request to
    be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the
    Council's agenda. In accordance with the usual practice, I propose,
    with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives
    to participate in the consideration without the right to vote, in
    accordance with the relevant provision of the Charter and Rule 37 of
    the Council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. There being no objection,
    it is so decided.

    I invite the aforementioned 55 representatives to take the seats
    reserved for them at the side of the Council chamber. And on behalf
    of the Council, I wish to acknowledge the presence in the chamber of
    the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Burkina
    Faso, His Excellency Minister Yoda, and the Minister of State for
    Cooperation and Francophone of France, His Excellency, Mr. Joyandet.

    The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two
    of the agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with
    the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of
    the Council have before them document S/2009/489, which contains the
    text of a draft resolution submitted by Albania, Argentina, Armenia,
    Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
    Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia,
    Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ,
    Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Lichtenstein,
    Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, the
    Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal,
    the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore,
    Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the
    former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, the United Kingdom of
    Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Republic of Tanzania
    and the United States of America.

    I wish to draw the attention of members to document S/2009/362
    containing the report of the Secretary General, pursuant to Resolution
    1820. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed
    to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any
    objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There
    being no objection, it is so decided.

    Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document
    S/2009/489 please raise their hand?

    (Show of hands.)

    The result of the voting is as follows: The draft resolution received
    15 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as
    Resolution 1888 of 2009. Those against? Abstentions? None. (Laughter.)

    I shall now have the privilege of making a statement in my capacity as
    the Secretary of State for the United States, and I am very grateful to
    speak before the Security Council on this important issue. I want to
    thank everyone who has worked very hard to reach this point on this
    resolution, and of course, to have it adopted unanimously, because
    we're here to address an issue that has received too little attention,
    not only in these chambers over the last six decades, but I would
    suggest in all of our halls of government across the world. It is
    an important issue that goes to the core of our commitment to ensure
    the safety of the United Nations member-states and their citizens.

    Under the UN Charter, the 15 members of this Council bear primary
    responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Now,
    satisfying that responsibility includes us to protect the lives and
    physical security of all people, including the women who comprise
    half the planet's population. This responsibility is particularly
    acute in circumstances where peace and stability are challenged. Even
    though women and children are rarely responsible for initiating armed
    conflict, they are ~@~Ys most vulnerable and violated victims.

    The resolution we passed today represents a step forward in our
    global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children
    in conflict zones, and it builds on two prior Security Council
    resolutions: Resolution 1325, which called on all parties in conflicts
    to respect women's rights and increase their participation in peace
    negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts; and Resolution
    1820, adopted last year, which affirms the ambitions set out in 1325,
    and establishes a clear link between maintaining international peace
    and security, and preventing and responding to sexual violence used
    as a tactic of war to target civilians. Yet despite these actions
    by the United Nations Security Council, violence against women and
    girls in conflict-related situations has not diminished; in fact,
    in some cases, it has escalated.

    Now, reading the headlines, one might think that the use of rape as a
    tactic of war only happens occasionally, or in a few places, like the
    Democratic Republic of the Congo or Sudan. That would be bad enough,
    but the reality is much worse. We've seen rape used as a tactic of
    war before in Bosnia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. In too many
    countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence
    are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.

    Last month, I traveled to Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of
    the Congo, where over 1,100 rapes are reported every month. I met with
    survivors of sexual violence. And the physical and emotional damage
    to individual women and their families from these attacks cannot be
    quantified, nor can the toll on their societies.

    The dehumanizing nature of sexual violence doesn't just harm a single
    individual or a single family or even a single village or a single
    group. It shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings,
    it endangers families and communities, erodes social and political
    stability, and undermines economic progress. We need to understand
    that it h us back. Also, our failure as an international body to
    respond concretely to this global problem erodes our collective
    effectiveness. So we must act now to end this crisis not only to
    protect vulnerable people and promote human security, but to uphold
    the legitimacy of this body.

    Now, the international community has made progress. Many peacekeeping
    mandates now include Security Council requests for strengthened
    measures to prevent and respond to sexual violence. In Chad and
    Sudan, UN peacekeepers have clear instructions underscoring their
    responsibility to protect local populations against sexual and
    gender-based violence.

    And I recently met with the UN troops in Liberia, who provide an
    excellent example of the steps a UN mission can take, Mr. Secretary
    General, both through its own actions and in cooperation with the host
    government to prevent violence against women and girls. It is also
    very important that in Liberia, the United Nations mission includes
    an all-women police unit from India. That all-women police unit has
    helped to motivate more Liberian women to become police officers,
    and the mission has launched a joint UN-Liberian campaign against rape.

    Now, these steps are essential, but alone they're not sufficient. So
    this resolution identifies specific steps that the United Nations
    and member-states can and should take to improve the UN response to
    sexual violence committed during situations of armed conflict. It
    calls on the Secretary General to appoint a special representative to
    lead, coordinate, and advocate for efforts to end sexual violence. We
    expect that person to engage at high levels with civilian and military
    leaders to spearhead the UN's activities on this front.

    It also calls on the Secretary General to rapidly deploy a team
    of experts to work with governments to strengthen the rule of law,
    address impunity, and enhance accountability while drawing attention
    to the full range of legal venues that can be brought into play,
    including domestic, international, and mixed courts that bring judges
    and prosecutors together to strengthen local justice systems.

    We must also recognize that ending conflicts outright is the most
    certain path to ending sexual violence in conflict. So pursuing
    peace and successful post-conflict transitions should be our highest
    priority. In states where conflict is taking place and those that
    are moving beyond it, local police must receive better training, the
    rule of law must be strengthened, and survivors must be ensured full
    access to justice and protection throughout the judicial process. We
    envision that this team of experts called for in this resolution will
    help us strengthen initiatives like those.

    Now, beyond the measures outlined in the resolution, the Security
    Council should take additional steps. Protecting women and children
    should be a critical priority for all troops who wear the blue
    helmet. To reflect this, new and renewed peacekeeping mandates should
    include language condemning sexual violence and giving further guidance
    to peacekeeping missions to work with local authorities to end it.

    We must seek to ensure that our respective military and police forces,
    especially those who will participate in peacekeeping missions,
    develop the expertise to prevent and respond to violence against
    women and children. And this will be helped by increasing the number
    of women who serve in UN peacekeeping missions. When I visited the
    mission in Goma, I was very impressed at how integrated it was in
    every way, from every country, every kind of person represented,
    and many women in the leadership as well as in the ranks.

    And let us not forget that it is often women who lead the call for
    peace in communities shattered by violence. We have seen women in this
    role from Liberia to Rwanda to Northern Ireland to Guatemala. Even when
    they suffer terrible losses in conflicts they had no part in starting,
    women have the will to reach across divisions, find common ground, and
    foster understanding. As they seek peace, so must we by making sure
    they are part of all efforts. So I urge foreign assistance programs
    include measures to prevent and respond to violence against women
    and children, and to ensure that women are included in designing and
    implementing those programs.

    In his speech at the General Assembly last week, President Obama
    challenged nations of the world to assume responsibility for the
    challenges confronting us. Certainly, the challenge of sexual violence
    in conflict cannot and should not be separated from the broader
    security issues confronting this Council. It is time for all of us
    to assume our responsibility to go beyond condemning this behavior,
    to taking concrete steps to end it, to make it socially unacceptable,
    to recognize it is not cultural; it is criminal. And the more we say
    that over and over and over again, the more we will change attitudes,
    create peer pressure, and the conditions for the elimination of
    this violation.

    When I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I was told of an old
    proverb that says "No matter how long the night, the day is sure
    to come." Well, I hope our work today and every day going forward
    will hasten the time when thousands of women around the world will
    be able to feel comfortable in walking the streets of their cities
    and villages freely again - to work outside their homes, collect
    firewood and water without fear, play with their children, spend
    time with their husbands, enjoy all the blessings of life in freedom,
    peace, and security. That is our dream for a better future for them
    and for us, and I thank this body for the strong commitment that this
    resolution represents. (Applause.)

    Thank you so much. I resume now my function as president of the
    Council. I kind of like being a president, so I - (laughter) - this
    may go on a little longer than anticipated. (Applause.) And I shall
    now invite the distinguished Secretary General, His Excellency Mr. Ban
    Ki-moon to take the floor.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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