Permanent Representative of UAE to the United Nations Lana Zaki Nusseibeh UAE has pledged its commitment to support all international efforts and initiatives aiming at finding solutions to ensure the elimination of sexual violence in conflict. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of UAE to the United Nations announced this in a statement at the open debate of the Security Council on Women and Peace and Security, Sexual violence in conflict which took place yesterday, with the participation of the UN Secretary General and his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflicts, Zainab Bangura.
Expressing UAE's grave concern over the continued use and spread of this heinous crime, Nusseibeh said, "Sexual violence in conflict is a crime that has harmed far too many people for thousands of years. It knows no boundaries or age limitations, and it is not related to a specific culture or ethnic group. This crime is perpetrated without punishment and is used as a tactic of war to destroy the fabric of society and deprive it from the ability to heal and rebuild, it does not target women and girls only, but also men and boys".
She stressed the necessity to develop an international response within the context of the relevant Security Council resolutions on this issue to combat such a crime.
Commending the notable efforts made by Ms. Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Team of Experts as well as the 13 UN entities, to build the resilience of countries to such violence, Nusseibeh reiterated that the UAE welcomes the international protocol on documentation and investigation of sexual violence in conflict which will be launched during the upcoming summit in London, building upon the successful action-oriented initiatives led by the United Kingdom in tackling this issue. "Such initiatives are strongly supported by our H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister," she said.
Nusseibeh said, "Today we have the political will and a clear international framework, which allows us to move from simply condemning this crime to confronting it within the framework of 3 main pillars for an effective strategy for confronting it." Nusseibeh identified those pillars as: "Firstly: Legal deterrence, which has been actualised in the establishment of the tribunals of Yugoslavia and Rwanda as well as the Special Court for Sierra Leone. These tribunals represent the first international steps towards strengthening global compliance with international criminal law and preventing the impunity of those who commit criminal behaviour during conflict. And she called for strengthening the jurisprudence of criminal law as well as existing international legal and judicial mechanisms, including the role played by the International Criminal Court, to ensure the identification of gaps and the development of a robust legal framework for preventing sexual violence during conflicts.
Secondly: Advancing national authorities in the areas of legislation and security sector reform, to ensure their ability to meet the requirements necessary for the prevention of the culture of impunity and promoting the culture of deterrence, accountability and achieving justice and the rule of law. She emphasised the need to finding innovative ways to foster international cooperation, while developing a perception of women as agents in the campaign against sexual violence, not only as victims.
She stressed the importance of strengthening the capacity and resources of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General " to enhance her mandate to provide assistance and build resilience, not only in countries suffering from conflicts, but also in the neighbouring countries and refugee camps where conflict might spread" she explained expressing her hope that the open session of the Security Council to be held on April 28 on security sector reform will deliberate on this subject, particularly on the advancement of military codes of conduct, including in peacekeeping operations.
Thirdly: Developing an international mechanism for providing adequate protection and support, at all levels, to the victims of this crime in order to reintegrate them into their communities." Nusseibeh also expressed the UAE's strong condemnation of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war in Syria, declaring support for all efforts being made to collect data on these crimes in the pursuit of justice. She pledged the UAE's continued financial and psychological support to affected Syrians in refugee camps, in order to reintegrate and rehabilitate them.
In conclusion, Nusseibeh confirmed the UAE's intention to continue its support of the efforts and initiatives undertaken to strengthen international debates about this dangerous phenomenon, and finding practical solutions for preventing this crime from recurring. "To achieve this objective”, she said: "we must innovate and work cross - border to extract the price of justice".
Source: WAM