News
Security Council Requests the Appointment of a Special Representative to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict
Date: 1 October 2009
United Nations, New York — In a meeting chaired by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on September 30, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that specifically mandates peacekeeping missions to protect women and children from sexual violence during armed conflict. The Security Council also requested the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative to provide coherent and strategic leadership to address the issue.
Among other measures, Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) calls on the Secretary-General to rapidly deploy a team of experts to situations of particular concern in terms of sexual violence, and to work with United Nations personnel on the ground and national Governments on strengthening the rule of law. The Council affirmed that it would consider the prevalence of rape and other forms of sexual violence when imposing or renewing targeted sanctions in situations of armed conflict.
To enhance the effectiveness of measures for the protection of women and children by peacekeeping missions, the Council decided to identify women’s protection advisers among gender advisers and human rights protection units. Other provisions of the text include the strengthening of monitoring and reporting on sexual violence, the retraining of peacekeepers, national forces and police. The resolution also calls for increased participation of women in peace-building and other post-conflict processes.
“With its resolution today, the Security Council is sending an unequivocal message – a call to action,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said immediately following the text’s adoption. He expressed regret that previous responses to sexual violence had not been able to stem the scourge. “Parties to armed conflict continue to use sexual violence with efficient brutality. The perpetrators generally operate with impunity,” he added, pledging to continue to ensure effective follow-up by the United Nations system.
Speaking in her national capacity, Secretary of State Clinton emphasized the toll that rape had taken on the women and communities she had visited in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other conflict areas. “It shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings,” she added.
Thanking other Council members for their cooperation in adopting the resolution, she urged the body to pursue the fight against sexual crimes even beyond the measures called for in the resolution, saying that sexual violence in conflict areas could not be separated from the broader security issues on the Council’s agenda.
