United Nations S/ PV.7428 Security Council Provisional asdf Seventieth year 7428th meeting Wednesday, 15 April 2015, 10 a.m. New York President: Mrs. Kawar ..................................... (Jordan) Members: Angola. Mr. Lucas Chad .......................................... Mr. Mangaral Chile .......................................... Mr. Barros Melet China .......................................... Mr. Liu Jieyi France ......................................... Mr. Delattre Lithuania . ...................................... Ms. Murmokaitė Malaysia ....................................... Mrs. Adnin New Zealand .................................... Mr. McLay Nigeria . ........................................ Mrs. Ogwu Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Zagaynov Spain .......................................... Mr. Oyarzun Marchesi United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ... Mr. Wilson United States of America . .......................... Ms. Sison Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) ................... Mr. Ramírez Carreño Agenda Women and peace and security Report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2015/203) Letter dated 9 April 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2015/243) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 15-10466 (E) *1510466* S/PV.7428 Women and peace and security 15/04/2015 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Adoption of the agenda I wish to draw the attention of Council members to The agenda was adopted. document S/2015/203, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence. Women and peace and security I wish to also draw the attention of Council members to document S/2015/243, which contains a letter dated Report of the Secretary-General on 9 April 2015 from the Permanent Representative of conflict-related sexual violence (S/2015/203) Jordan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary- Letter dated 9 April 2015 from the Permanent General, transmitting a concept note on the item under Representative of Jordan to the United Nations consideration. addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2015/243) I now give the floor to Ms. Bangura. The President (spoke in Arabic): In accordance Ms. Bangura: I wish to thank the Government of with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of Jordan for hosting this open debate, which comes at a procedure, I invite the representatives of Afghanistan, crucial moment of consolidation for this agenda, as well Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, as the Council for the priority it has given this issue for Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, the several years. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, I am grateful that my sister Hamsatu Allamin is Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, able to join us today, giving voice to civil society, which Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, represents a moral compass for this mandate. I also the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic wish to acknowledge the presence of Vian Dakhil of the of Korea, Rwanda, Slovenia, the Sudan, Sweden, Yazidi community and Member of Parliament in Iraq. Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, I am glad that she will speak on behalf of her country Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, at this debate. Viet Nam and Zimbabwe to participate in this meeting. It has been three years since I assumed my role as In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, and provisional rules of procedure, I invite the I could hardly have imagined how heartbreaking this following briefers to participate in this meeting: mission would be. The horrors suffered by the women, Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of children and men whom I have encountered reaffirm the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; my absolute conviction that sexual violence in conflict and Ms. Hamsatu Allamin, NGO Working Group on represents a great moral issue of our time and merits the Women, Peace and Security. concerted focus of the Security Council. This crime, in its destruction of the individual and the pervasive way In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s it undermines the prospects for peace and development, provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following casts a long shadow over our collective humanity. individuals to participate in this meeting: Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European However, five years after the creation of the mandate, Union to the United Nations, and Mr. Téte António, I believe that we find ourselves at a new juncture, with Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United a possibility to turn back the tide of these atrocities. We Nations. have an opportunity to change, irrevocably, not only the way in which this crime is perceived and understood, I propose that the Council invite the Permanent but also, crucially, the manner in which we respond to Observer of the Observer State of the Holy See to it in our security and justice sectors, and in terms of the United Nations to participate in the meeting, in services for survivors. accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and previous practice in this regard. We are beginning to see some tangible and positive changes on the ground, which should convince us that There being no objection, it is so decided. our fight to eradicate sexual violence in conflict is not a “mission impossible”. We have a solid normative 2/82 15-10466 15/04/2015 Women and peace and security S/PV.7428 foundation and increasingly precise tools to drive this Democratic Republic of the Congo, are here today and agenda on the ground. Our knowledge, analysis and will have the chance to interact directly with Council information are deeper and serve as a basis for strategic delegations and concerned Member States this week. interventions at all levels. Greater resources are The text before the Council serves not only being dedicated to sexual and gender-based violence as an annual report of record, but also as a global programming on the ground than ever before, although advocacy instrument and vehicle for refining our the resources still fall far short of the challenges we common understanding of critical themes to enhance face. coordination and build global consensus. This year’s We are finally beginning to see some accountability report raises a number of themes and brings to light for a crime that has historically been largely cost-free new dimensions of this issue. There is a focus on sexual to commit. This is exemplified by important legislative violence as a threat used to induce displacement and reforms, the criminalization of rape at national level, and as a risk faced by civilians, particularly women and an increase in national and international prosecutions. girls, in displacement settings. It is linked to forced National authorities in some key situations of concern dispossession of land and property, which denies are beginning to take ownership and exhibit the women vital sources of livelihood. It highlights the leadership required to address conflict-related sexual vulnerability and targeting of ethnic and religious violence in a purposeful and sustainable manner. This minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender includes structured commitments undertaken at the and intersex individuals by armed groups, to impose highest levels of Government, and the adoption of morality and exert social control. specific plans of action by national security institutions. Forced marriage, which entails repeated sexual Over the past three years, we have witnessed a abuse and increases in times of conflict, features significant increase in the number of peace agreements prominently throughout the report. It touches on and ceasefire frameworks that explicitly reflect conflict- the role of community, faith-based leaders and local related sexual violence concerns, which is crucial journalists in addressing harmful social norms, and to ensuring that survivors have services and redress helping to redirect the stigma of rape from the victims in the aftermath of conflict and that perpetrators are to the perpetrators. The report emphasizes throughout excluded from power and held to account. The notion of the narrative the necessity of addressing this issue in reparations for survivors is also beginning to take root, ceasefire and mediation processes as an integral part of and we are seeing some examples of transformative our response to sexual violence, preventing relapse into reparations programmes coming on-line, and some conflict and fostering a durable, inclusive peace. survivors receiving reparations. However, we still have Tomorrow,