Madam President,

Members of the Security Council,

Thank you for extending an invitation for me to brief the Security Council on matters related to the important cross-cutting issue of security sector reform. It is a pleasure to join my colleagues from DPKO and UNDP in addressing you today.

For a number of years, as we have progressively shifted the conflict-related sexual violence agenda to the operational level, we have recognized the critical nexus between sexual violence crimes and dysfunctional security sector reform processes, or the incomplete disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants.

Indeed, this Council has already articulated the crucial connection between SSR and conflict-related sexual violence in a number of resolutions, including resolution 2106 on sexual violence in conflict in 2013, as well as resolution 2151, the first thematic resolution on security sector reform that was sponsored by Nigeria in 2014.

Essentially, a comprehensive response to conflict-related sexual violence must include proactive and purposeful engagement with the security sector, particularly in settings where the security services may have been involved in the commission of sexual violence. Such engagement with the security sector has now become part of the modus operandi of our mandate. I welcome this opportunity to highlight some of our emerging experience and practice in this regard.

Through our Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements (MARA), mandated under resolution 1960, we have been able to verify that a number of national security services, including national armed forces and national police, are among the perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence crimes. Therefore, we have encouraged national authorities to respond accordingly, and are supporting them in a process to strengthen their institutional capacity to monitor and ensure accountability within the security forces.

As I have stressed repeatedly, the essential starting point is to ensure national ownership, leadership and responsibility. Accordingly, I have focused especially on gaining commitments at the highest political levels through my advocacy. Over the past two years in particular, we have been able to report consistently to the Security Council regarding commitments obtained from political and military leaders in a number of our priority countries.

For example, in the past few years we have signed political level agreements in the form of Joint Communiques with the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Somalia and South Sudan. These agreements form the basis for on-going engagement at strategic and operational levels, for the practical implementation of the commitments made. The Team of Experts on the Rule of Law / Sexual Violence in Conflict, supports the governments with technical and logistical assistance, to turn these high-level political agreements into concrete actions and activities to be undertaken by the governments.   The Team of Experts reports to me, and, with members of the Team from DPKO, OHCHR, and UNDP, led by a Director in my Office, it represents one of the best and most innovative examples of “One UN”.

The commitments they help to operationalize entail some fundamental reforms of the security sector, in line with Security Council resolution 2106. These include:

  1.  Issuing clear orders to all defence and security forces through chains of command prohibiting sexual violence and providing accountability measures for breaching these orders in accordance with  international standards;
  2. Ensuring that all elements joining the army, the police or other security institutions are vetted, so that no element involved in the commission of serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including sexual violence, is allowed to join these institutions.
  3. Prohibition of sexual violence in Codes of Conduct, military and police field manuals or equivalent;
  4. Developing action plans, specific to the national army and the national police, which include, respectively, the reinforcement of the military justice system, and the establishment or strengthening of Special Police Units on sexual violence;
  5. Ensuring that perpetrators of sexual violence crimes are excluded from amnesty provisions in the context of conflict resolution processes, and that all those who have perpetrated or are responsible for acts of sexual violence are excluded from the security institutions;
  6. Ensuring that the military and police speaks out in the strongest terms against sexual violence in conflict, including through internal and public campaigns; and finally,
  7. Ensuring that security services establish mechanisms for the protection of victims, witnesses, and others who report crimes committed by the army or the police, including civil society and judicial actors engaged in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence.

These elements I have just elaborated on, have formed the basis for development of concrete operational or implementation plans that we refer to as ‘Action Plans to Prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence’, in countries such as the DRC and Cote d’Ivoire.

In the DRC, where we have focused consistent attention since the establishment of the mandate, the Joint Communique signed with the Government, and the Action  Plan developed with our support by the FARDC, have begun to yield some tangible results. For instance, in the 2014 reporting period, military tribunals convicted 135 individuals, including 76 members of the armed forces, 41 members of the national police and 18 members of armed groups, of sexual violence crimes.

Crucially, the FARDC Action Plan includes specific undertakings signed by senior commanders, whereby they personally commit to prevent and respond to sexual violence through a series of actions. This has reinforced both individual and command responsibility.

In a number of cases, the actions undertaken to address sexual violence have resulted in significant institutional and structural reforms within the security institutions, as well as an increased number of prosecutions and convictions. In the DRC, the national army has established a high-level and dedicated infrastructure in the form of an armed services “Commission”, to ensure implementation of the action plan on sexual violence. Similarly, the National Army of Cote d’Ivoire has established a “Committee on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence” which includes senior commanding officers from the Army, Gendarmerie and Police, to oversee the institutional response.

In Guinea, the Team of Experts has provided technical support to a domestic panel of Judges established to investigate and prosecute crimes committed against opposition supporters on 28 September 2009, including at least 109 cases of sexual violence. This has resulted in 16 indictments, including against high-ranking military officials, and, most recently, former president Dadis Camara.  This represents one of the rare times that a former Head of State has been indicted by a fully national process.

In a number of priority countries, Police have established or strengthened specialized units dealing with crimes against women and children, including sexual violence crimes. For example, our mandate is supporting the establishment and function of such a specialized unit in the Gendarmerie in the Central African Republic.

Such initiatives may be viewed as an entry point, and provide avenues for more fundamental reforms within these institutions. Vetting during recruitment drives and prior to integration of armed groups into the armed forces to exclude those who have committed or commanded sexual violence, represent  crucial shifts in attitudes and practice, and contribute to the professionalization of the security sector.

It is also evident that where SSR or DDR processes have failed, it has sometimes contributed to the commission of sexual violence crimes. For example, we have received reports of sexual violence being committed in the post-conflict setting within communities by so-called ‘civilians’. However, in a number of such cases the perpetrators are former combatants who were demobilized under hurriedly conducted DDR processes.

Another significant challenge relates to the informal integration of militia groups into national armed forces. Such armed groups are for the most part poorly trained, and often have committed gross human rights violations, which is a significant threat to the integrity and professionalism of national security institutions, and hinders accountability for sexual violence crimes.

Madam President, Members of the Council,

In addition to the specific points of action outlined above, I wish to conclude by proposing four overarching recommendations as relates to security sector reform and sexual violence in conflict:

First, the role of security institutions to prevent sexual violence crimes may be enhanced by striving to mainstream sexual violence considerations consistently in Security Sector Reform processes, in view of the nexus between SSR and conflict-related sexual violence. This includes explicit reference by the Security Council to prevention of sexual violence in provisions related to SSR and DDR in all relevant country specific resolution, as well as in relevant provisions of peace agreements and ceasefire frameworks.

Second, preventing sexual violence crimes and ensuring accountability should be considered as a fundamental indicator/criteria of success of SSR programmes as a whole and as such included in SSR programme monitoring and evaluation frameworks;

Third, we should ensure that multilateral and bi-lateral SSR support and assistance includes targeted resources and training to support national security institutions to enhance their capacity to prevent and address sexual violence crimes;

And fourth, we should ensure a proportional representation of women in security institutions at all levels, as the basis for the creation of security forces who respect and protect women and children, both in times of war and peace.

The linkages between SSR and sexual violence will continue to be a priority focus of our mandate and a key aspect of the work of our Programme as well as the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law/ Sexual Violence in Conflict, who have played a central role in supporting our engagements with national authorities in the DRC, Cote d’Ivoire, CAR, South Sudan, Guinea and elsewhere.

I thank you for your attention.