S/PV.6180
6180th meeting
Friday, 7 August 2009, 10.30 a.m.
New York
Women and peace and security
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I wish to join preceding speakers in thanking the Secretary-General for his report (S/2009/362) and for his presence at this meeting. I also welcome his personal commitment to combating the phenomenon of sexual violence in armed conflict.
Both resolution 1820 (2008) and resolution 1882 (2009) on children and armed conflict, which was adopted last week, represent important steps towards the development of a system of comprehensive practical measures to protect civilians, particularly women and children, in situations of armed conflict. All the resolutions that have been adopted in that regard contribute to ongoing efforts to establish and codify international humanitarian law, which must be implemented. Today’s open debate on this issue will undoubtedly help to strengthen efforts and initiatives in this area, and we wish to commend the United Kingdom delegation for organizing it.
The changing and complex nature of armed conflict has caused great harm to large numbers of civilians, in particular the most vulnerable groups, girls and women, whom it has made more vulnerable to sexual violence. We agree with the Secretary-General that sexual violence dehumanizes its victims, inflicting intense psychological and physical trauma, and is often accompanied by fear, shame and stigma, which usually cause victims not to report such crimes.
The widespread and systematic perpetration of sexual violence diminishes the prospects for early post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, and usually unleashes a vicious circle of attacks and counterattacks. In our view, that justifies the great importance attached to continued efforts to develop practical mechanisms for preventing such heinous acts and violations against these vulnerable groups.
Here, we express our regret at the continued attacks on civilians in armed conflicts, including acts of sexual violence and violence based on ethnicity, gender or religion or aimed at achieving specific political goals. We strongly condemn such practices, which constitute clear violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Indeed, the relevant Security Council resolutions will be devoid of any value if they are not implemented in all conflict areas, including the occupied Palestinian territories and other occupied Arab territories, which have been subject for many decades to the systematic commission of violations and inhuman practices against civilians, including severe human rights violations against women and children.
We had hoped that the report now before the Council would address violence against women in general and refer to the blatant violations of international law being perpetrated in the occupied Palestinian territories, including starvation and denial of access to medical supplies, hospitals and clinics, as well as to the torture and harassment being endured by Palestinian women in Israeli prisons. Such practices constitute physical and psychological violence, and we ask that they be taken into consideration in future reports. The same applies to the violations that have been committed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Some progress has undoubtedly been made in efforts to combat violence against women in conflict areas, particularly in Africa. However, we must continue to support Governments in protecting their citizens by helping them to formulate and implement comprehensive strategies to combat sexual violence, bearing in mind each country’s specificities and particular needs. We agree with the Secretary-General that inadequate measures to prevent sexual violence, protect civilians, combat impunity for sexual violence and address continuing discrimination against women and girls, as well the failure of some parties to conflicts to honour their commitments, have contributed greatly to the exacerbation and spread of sexual violence.
Therefore, countries must make greater efforts to build their national capacities to combat this phenomenon. That, of course, will require the reform of judicial systems to bring them into conformity with recognized international norms. There is a need to ensure that the perpetrators and masterminds of sexual violence are denied any kind of amnesty or immunity in order to guarantee justice for the victims.
Furthermore, efforts must be made to raise social awareness of issues related to sexual violence and of the need to avoid marginalizing or stigmatizing its victims and to rehabilitate them. In this respect, I welcome the initiatives undertaken by various United Nations entities, including the Peacebuilding Commission and peacekeeping operations, in the areas of peace and security, human rights, humanitarian affairs and development, as well as efforts to provide strategic advice, raise awareness, promote institutional reforms, offer support and services to victims, and provide monitoring and protection. We hope that all those efforts will help put an end to sexual violence and impunity for such crimes. It is also necessary to increase women’s participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations.
We have taken note of the recommendations that the Secretary-General makes in his report. We agree with him that it is essential that all United Nations actors ensure full respect for ethical, humanitarian and safety standards for researching, measuring and collecting data on sexual violence. We endorse all of the report’s recommendations.
We welcome the Secretary-General proposal for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate sexual violence in certain conflict areas. We are ready to engage with other Council members in a positive discussion on that recommendation.
