International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2025

Good morning, everybody. It's good to see a room so well populated given the demanding interests in this building, but I think it also speaks to the importance of the subject matter before us today. My name is Shervin Bricepies, correspondent for the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and I will be your moderator for the day. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thank you for joining us for this, the 11th commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. We will open this event with remarks from one of our co-hosts, the Permanent Mission of Argentina, who was a sponsor of the General Assembly Resolution 69/293, which established today as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. I'm happy to introduce Excellency Ambassador Francisco Fabián Tropepi, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations. Who assumed this position in December 2024. So we call that a young buck in this building. Excellency, the floor is yours.

Thank you so much. It's okay. Yes. And good morning to all. We have a full room today. It means that the This commemoration is important for all of us. Thank you, all of you, for coming. Dear colleagues, I recognize many here. Thank you. I would like to thank also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Pramila Patten, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of Children and Armed Conflict and Under-Secretary-General Miss Virginia Gamba. I pronounce this in Spanish. I would say Virginia Gamba. Hola, Virginia. Sorry for the Spanish in our Argentinian version of the Spanish. For co-hosting this event with the Permanent Mission of Argentina, it is an honor and a privilege to share with you the 11th commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Since 2015, this International Day is commemorated every year to mark the date of the unanimous adoption of the first Security Council resolution that recognized conflict-related sexual violence as a tactic of war and a threat to international peace and Security in 2008. The purpose of this commemoration is to stand in solidarity with victims and survivors of sexual violence in conflict and those supporting them. This year we are focusing on the intergenerational effect of the conflict-related sexual violence and how to break the cycle and heal the scars. Kars. Conflict-related sexual violence is an extremely devastating form of violence with lasting and harmful effects on victims and sadly continues to be used as a tactic of war, torture, and terrorism. In that context, many survivors are silenced by fear and reprisals and retaliation, by a limited availability of support services, and by the misplaced blame, shame, and stigma that is borne by the victims rather than the perpetrators. Conflict-related— conflict-related sexual violence can impact survivors and their families for generations, both physically and mentally. As a global community, We must seek to examine the long-term effect of the conflict-related sexual violence. We need to widen the aperture to illustrate how this form of violence affects families and communities across time and space. I left an address, its arms compound over time, because it is not confined to one-off incident. This— its effects often include long-term trauma, economic disempowerment, social marginalization, and continued cycles of insecurity. By addressing intergenerational trauma, we can enable a future where survivors and their children can reclaim their lives and future and replace horror and healing and hope. Healing requires access to mental health and psychological support. Survivors and their families need trauma-informed care to help them process their experience and build resilience. Despite the effort made by the United Nations to maintain international peace and security, The world is facing the highest number of conflicts since the Second World War. All the regions are affected and the end of those conflicts does not seem to be proximate. In that context, the United Nations as an organization and each of us as its member states must work hard to keep the maintenance of peace and security as a primary goal and advocate for the elimination of sexual violence in conflict as a priority. As the Secretary-General has expressed today, sexual violence is a grotesque tactic of war used to brutalize, torture, and repress, scarring bodies, minds, and entire communities. On the International Day of the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Let's unite to end this despicable crime and demand justice for survivors. End of quote. I thank you, all of you, for joining us today. I'm sure that this morning we will have a time to deep reflection that will urge us to contribute in the different manners to raise the awareness of the need and importance to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence because its consequences are devastating. Thank you, all of you again.

Thank you, Excellency, for that very strong start. And just to repeat what the Ambassador said, they were here to work towards breaking the cycle and healing the scars. Easier said than done, no doubt. We will now watch a trailer from the documentary commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Sexual Violence in Conflict mandate This video celebrates the achievements made in the 15 years since this mandate was established and reminds us all of the work that is still left to be done. Let's watch.

In every war, sexual violence has been used as a tactic to instill fear, to dominate, to displace population. The earliest documents of conflict all record sexual violence, sexual slavery, rape. Wars have been fought on the bodies of women. Impunity was the norm and justice the rare exception. Ladies and gentlemen, despite some progress in responding to sexual violence in armed conflicts, the deliberate Targeting of civilians continues unabated. Security Council Resolution 1888 contains very strong language on the need to end impunity. It contains very strong normative provisions. It gives the mechanism, the team of experts, and what the team of experts has to do. For the first time, the Security Council saw wars through the eyes of women and girls. It brought hope for women all over the world. We have embarked on a series of partnership. We are today working more and more with concerned States Parties and providing them support. The UN Action Network has grown exponentially from 11 entities in 2017 to 26. I have signed 12 joint communiqué and frameworks of cooperation with government, and where there is genuine political will with adequate resources. The TOE has been very, very instrumental in securing the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of a range of emblematic cases of warlords who thought that impunity was the rule of the game. Over the past 15 years, we've developed a comprehensive normative framework. We've drawn a red line. We've developed the institutional of operational architecture. We have improved our operational reach. Today the UN is reaching out to thousands of survivors who were once invisible and inaccessible. As I reflect on my own vision for the mandate, I am very clear-eyed about the uniquely dangerous times that we are living. But at the same time, I will not allow this bleak global landscape crush my hope for the future. This mandate. I will not allow the gains to be, to be taken away. I owe it to the survivors. Every case of sexual violence is preventable, and it is the moral responsibility of everyone to work towards its prevention.

Okay, so where the rubber hits the road, right? It's now time to listen to Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. You might recognize her from that video. Sitting to my left, the Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Pramila Patten.

Thank you, Sherwin, and thank you so much for moderating today's event. Your Excellency, Mr. Francisco Fabian Tropepi, Permanent Representative Ambassador of Argentina to the United Nations, my colleague Under-Secretary-General Mrs. Virginia Gamba, distinguished guests and participants. As we gather to mark the 11th official commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, I would really like to commend the visionary leadership of Argentina in putting this date on the global calendar. And since 2015, it has become an opportunity to stand in solidarity with survivors, many of whom feel forgotten in the forgotten corners of the world. And it is an opportunity to pay tribute to those risking their lives to support them on the frontlines, often underfunded, under fire, and overstretched. Each year, this occasion has become more widely commemorated the world over. Over. And it is fitting that we commemorate rather than celebrate this milestone, given the grim reality of a world in the grip of crisis. Needs are mounting even as funding for life-saving aid is slashed, straining the humanitarian sector to breaking point. As we survey the security landscape, we see a growing gap between commitments made on the world stage and compliance by parties in theaters of war. This year's focus on addressing the intergenerational effects of conflict-related sexual violence compels us to ask the question: When does wartime atrocity end? Long after soldiers retreat and treaties are signed, unfortunately, the weapon of rape keeps attacking bodies and minds, relationship and reputation, families and communities. Some scholars have rightly called sexual violence the most enduring tactic of war. For too many women and children, war is not over when it's over. Its effects echo long after the final battle and far beyond the battlefield. We see it in the eyes of survivors, in the children born of rape, in the hospitals reduced to rubble and ruin, in fractured families, and in the sprawling refugee camps where civilians languish. The legacy of war is written on the bodies of women and girls in ways that have been written out of history. Their pain have been dismissed as collateral or inevitable and prolonged through silence, denial, and neglect. Left unaddressed, the harms and trauma compound over time. Conflicts in the Balkans and Rwanda in the 1990s were turning points in the global recognition of the gravity of wartime rape. Yet research published in 2024 found that 86% of survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo continued to suffer post-traumatic stress 25 years after the end of the conflict. Conflict. Further illustrating the long-term consequences of this crime, a survivor testified to the Bosnian War War Crime Commission, and I quote, "They took my body that night, but they also took my family, my future, and my peace. I live now not as the person I was, but as a person who remembers." In the words of a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, I quote, "Rape did not end the day the soldiers left my house. It continues every time I'm shunned, every time my child asks who his father is, every time I feel the sickness in my body that they left behind. The war ended, but for me, the battle never stopped." The effects of this scourge are long-lasting and life-changing, manifested in physical and psychological trauma, HIV, STIs, unwanted and unsafe pregnancies, poverty and socioeconomic exclusion, ostracism and reprisals often linked with social codes of honor, shame and victim blame. It is therefore critical to sustain survivor-centered, trauma-informed care to prevent further secondary harms. Today's speakers will span a range of perspectives. Perspectives from across time and space. They include a representative of the Sudanese government, Dr. Suleima, and a young woman survivor with a baby born of wartime rape, whom I met on my recent mission to Sudan. I also welcome the participation of Madame Pascal Solange, a civil society activist from Haiti, where successive waves of unrest have created cycles of violence and lawlessness, resulting in women and girls from across multiple generations being subjected to sexual violence as a tool of intimidation, punishment, and social control. We will also hear a statement on behalf of the grandmothers of Sipu Uzako, who sought justice for sexual slavery used as a tactic of war to shred the social fabric of Indigenous communities during the conflict in Guatemala in the 1980s. And I also congratulate the brave Maya Achi women who fought for over 40 years—yes, 40 years they fought for justice—on another milestone verdict for sexual violence as a crime against humanity delivered last month. Through their sheer determination, these women have set a powerful precedent and reshaped collective memory. As these experiences attest, beyond the delivery of immediate relief, we must foster long-term resilience in order to break the vicious cycles of violence, impunity, and risk, and replace it with a virtuous cycle of recognition, reporting, and response. The forthcoming Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, compiled by my Office, records violations against victims ranging from 3 to 75 years of age. It documents over 4,500 UN-verified cases from across 21 country situations, which represent a 20% increase from 2023, which was itself a 50% increase from 2022. Every year, over 90% of these atrocities target women and girls. At the same time, we know this data remains a chronic undercount, reflecting incident reports rather than the scale of actual incidents, as most cases never reach a clinic, let alone a courtroom. The report emphasizes that the drawdown of UN mission is leading to security vacuum that threaten to reverse the progress made to protect and assist survivors and to mitigate the risk of recurrence. This in turn undermines the ability of women to contribute to conflict recovery, peacebuilding, and development. At the same time, rising militarization and authoritarian rule are turning back the clock on women's rights. The report finds that even as the world contends with record numbers of civilians forced to flee their homes, and homelands due to persecution and seemingly endless cycles of conflict, the level of respect for binding laws and obligations remain low. We see this in Ukraine, where reports of sexual violence against civilians, detainees, and prisoners of war have surfaced since the Russian invasion. We see it in Sudan, where sexual violence is once again being used to terrorize and displace communities with devastating reports of women in Darfur committing suicide rather than facing the near certainty of rape by armed men. We see it in eastern DRC, where countless women have been shunned and shamed in the wake of rape, with some describing the isolation and stigma as worse than the act of violence itself, resulting in cycles of exploitation and food insecurity. Security. We see it in Myanmar, where sexual violence is used as a tool to suppress dissent and as a torture tactic during interrogation and detention, with family members forced to witness violations leaving lasting scars. And we see the risk multiply amidst spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and elsewhere. What survivors have told me time and time again is, "What happened to me could have been prevented." They have broken their silence for the sake of justice and future generations. While rape is still subject in many jurisdictions to statutes of limitations, the trauma has no expiry date. Moreover, the pace of justice remains painfully slow, often coming years after the crime occurred. When stigma, socioeconomic isolation, and untreated injuries have already destroyed the lives of victims and reverberated across generations. And this includes the children born of wartime rape who face specific threats and risks related to statelessness, poverty, exploitation, recruitment, and radicalization. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, We do not have the luxury of looking away. We do not have the luxury of reciting words of condemnation and moving on when survivors lack support to move on with their lives. Women and girls are paying the price of impunity, militarism, and weaponized misogyny. They are shouldering the burden of care and the weight of history in the face of funding cuts, that undercut international security and cooperation. Thousands of survivors will lose access to medical care, psychological support, shelter, and legal redress. The price tag will be more chaos, more displacement, broken promises, resentment, and extremism, fanning the flames of hostility and fueling the next wave of warfare, wiping out decades of development If we undermine investment in women's recovery, we undermine investment in conflict recovery, and we all inherit a less safe world. At this time of complex crisis and great global uncertainty, my call to action is clear. Firstly, the voices of survivors must be heard and heeded, on this day and every day. Not just as stories or statistics, but as the co-creators of durable solutions. Secondly, for survivors to have peace and peace of mind, timely and tailored services must reach them at scale, and our investment must be joined up, catalytic, and sustainable. The implementation gap is in reality a funding and access gap. Therefore needs sustained political resolve and resources equal to the scale and duration of the challenge. This includes replenishing the CRSV Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which supports the operational arms of my mandate. Thirdly, the existing normative framework and institutional architecture, which has yielded such a dramatic shift in paradigm and perspective over the past 15 years, Elevating sexual violence from the sidelines of history to a red line of international law must be strengthened and sustained. We cannot risk a reversal of the trajectory of progress. What we have achieved to date gives us hope. For instance, the interagency coordination network I chair, UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, has supported over 60 joint catalytic interventions across 18 conflict settings, enabling thousands of survivors to access multi-sectoral services. These efforts include establishing and equipping survivor relief centers across Ukraine, economically empowering survivors in South Sudan, providing safe shelters in Darfur, aiding reintegration of abducted women and children in Somalia, and supporting one-stop service centers in Mali. There have also been encouraging developments in terms of transitional justice, supported by my team of experts on the rule of law. For instance, in Ukraine, law enforcement officials have been trained on trauma-informed investigation and prosecution. Technical support to legislative reform processes to improve alignment with international standards has been provided in Iraq, Libya, South Sudan and elsewhere. Operational continuity must be maintained in context of transition, including through the presence of Security Council-mandated Women Protection Advisers, which are currently deployed in less than half of the countries that we cover. Finally, to drive transformation, we must dig deeper and unearth the root causes of conflict-related sexual violence, namely gender inequality and and discrimination. We must silence the guns and amplify the voices of women. We owe this not only to future generations and to present survivors, but also to the human rights defenders of the past who were imprisoned, persecuted, and killed for forging new freedoms. Excellencies, how we meet this moment of crisis is the true test of our resolve. While political dynamics and funding decisions may vary, the laws, rights, needs, and mandate remain. We must likewise remain principled and coherent to avoid wartime rape becoming ever more entrenched in peacetime reality through impunity and the absence of redress. Survivors deserve more than promises. They deserve protection, assistance, and a future free from fear. The scars and trauma left in the wake of wartime sexual violence cast a long, dark shadow. We must remain steadfast in bringing to all those affected the light of healing and hope. Thank you.

Sexual violence is the most enduring tactic of war, and trauma has no expiry date. Powerful statement there, Special Representative. Thank you so much, and thank you for continuing to do the hard work where the rubber, as I said, meets the road. I will now hand over the floor to our other co-host of this event, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Virginia Gamba, who, I might add, has a very big report out this week, so we're all on the edge of our seats. Over to you.

Thank you for the spoiler. No, really, I'm delighted to be here. Your Excellency Francisco Tropepi, representative of Argentina, I'm delighted to share the podium with you. My dearest friend, we've been together in this fight for 8 years now, Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. And I believe I have to say a few words about this. Yes, I am the Special Representative on Children in Conflict, but I'm also the Interim Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide and Hate Speech. And I have to say that this whole week was the International Day to Combat Hate Speech, and perhaps there's nothing more better at explaining the phenomenon of rape than utter hate for the victim of this type of crime. So I think I would like to address it in both my, my two hats. And you're quite right, I will have to leave after I deliver my speech because tomorrow we are publishing the annual report on children and conflict for the year 2024. So, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it's a real privilege for me to mark the 2025 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict with You, and to address how to better protect children. As you know, for my office, children is 0 to 18 years old. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are caught in the crossfire of war. Their homes are destroyed, their families are torn apart, and they are forced to grow up far too soon. But beyond the visible scars of conflict lies a deeper, often invisible legacy, one that transcends generations: the trauma of sexual violence used as a tactic of war against boys and girls. As mandated by the UN General Assembly and requested by the Security Council, my office monitors and reports on the six grave violations through 14 Security Council resolutions. These 6 grave violations are killing and maiming, recruitment and use of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, abduction, denial of humanitarian access, and sexual violence. Among these, rape and other forms of sexual violence remain one of the most insidious and least reported. Through the monitoring and reporting mechanism on CAC, We verify cases of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and forced marriage. Since 2005, the United Nations has verified incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence against at least 15,000 boys and girls. Nevertheless, the magnitude of verified incidents does not reflect the actual numbers, but is only is the tip of the iceberg. Survivors are often at risk of retaliation, re-victimization, stigmatization by communities, and are faced with a lack of appropriate services such as health and psychosocial support, as well as a lack of accountability mechanisms. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Syria, from Haiti to Myanmar, Sexual violence has been systematically used not only to humiliate and terrorize individuals, but to destroy communities. Children are particularly affected, sometimes as victims themselves, sometimes as children born as a result of sexual violence in conflict, and often as witnesses to horrors that no child should ever see. Sexual violence is rarely an isolated act. It often follows or enables other grave violations. When schools are attacked or used for military purposes, children lose not only education but safety. Many are abducted and later subjected to sexual exploitation. When children are recruited into armed groups or armed forces, Sexual violence becomes a method of coercion. Girls are forced into marriages with commanders. Boys are often abused in silence. Even the destruction of hospitals cuts off life-saving care for survivors, reinforcing their suffering. And let's not talk of the many children that are sold for sexual purposes in a war environment. Since conducting our first gendered analysis of the 6 grave violations in 2022 in a published paper entitled The Gender Dimensions of Grave Violations Against Children in Armed Conflict. We have highlighted that gender and age are among the many intersecting factors that shape the differentiated impact of these violations on children. Indeed, evidence collected through our monitoring and reporting mechanism underlines that boys, girls, and children of all genders, including children with disabilities, often face different and evolving risks across the situations covered by the Children and the Armed Conflict Agenda. Understanding how gender shapes risks and vulnerabilities as such leads to a better collection of objective data and provision of gender-responsive support to all children and including specialized healthcare. Furthermore, my office has been working with the All Survivors Project as an implementing partner on responding to conflict-related sexual violence against boys associated with armed groups during reintegration processes. Recent numbers on incidents of sexual violence against children are reflecting this devastating reality. 50, as you probably see by tomorrow. Across the 25 country situations and one region covered in the Secretary-General's 2024 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict covering the year 2023— that's not the one of tomorrow, the one of the year before— 1,470 children were victims of violence. This was an increase of 25% in 2023 compared compared to 2022. I'm telling you now that the report that is coming out tomorrow includes almost a 32% increase above that. Data for some countries is particularly staggering. For instance, in 2024, for Haiti alone, over 550 children were victims of sexual violence, with over 70% of cases involving gang rape. In Nigeria, over 400 children were subjected to sexual violence, including forced marriage. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations verified that over 350 girls were subjected to sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery. Girls that are forcibly married and become pregnant as a as a result of their abuse are often rejected by their families and communities and struggle to resume their education or socioeconomic activities. In Iraq, for instance, some survivors who gave birth to children as a result of forced marriage to Daesh fighters were unable to bring back their children to Iraq owing to the fears of rejection. For children who experience or witness sexual violence in armed conflict, The trauma is multifaceted. Psychologically, many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems. Socially, they often face stigma, isolation, and rejection, especially in cultures where rape is associated with shame and with dishonor. Consider the plight of children born as a result of sexual violence in conflict. These children are often seen not as victims but as living symbols of violence, hate, and humiliation. In many communities, they are ostracized or denied legal identity. They grow up without a sense of belonging, often rejected by both maternal and paternal lineages. Children who witness sexual violence against a parent or a sibling may carry the burden of helplessness sadness, guilt, and rage. For some, this unresolved trauma contributes to cycles of violence. The impact of unaddressed trauma in one generation may significantly increase the risk of mental health challenges and even violent behavior in the next generation. This is the grim reality of intergenerational trauma, where the psychological wounds of war are passed down like an unwelcome inheritance. We have seen in Rwanda and in Iraq the painful ripple effects that sexual violence has across generations. When justice is absent, when support systems are weak, and when communities do not acknowledge the suffering, trauma festers. It becomes part of a child's identity before they even understand what identity means. So what can be done? We must recognize that addressing conflict-related sexual violence and its effects on children is a matter of long-term peace building. Sustainable peace is impossible if we leave traumatized generations behind. First, perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict must be held accountable under the Children in Armed Conflict mandate, the Security Council demanded that listed parties sign with the United Nations action plans to implement concrete and time-bound measures to end and prevent grave violations. As such, action plans constitute an accountability tool for conflict-related sexual violence against children, particularly as they may include an obligation to criminalize such a grave action of violation and to hold perpetrators accountable in their own national legal systems. Second, support services must follow an intersectional approach and be trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and long-term. Mental health, psychosocial support, education, and legal aid are essential not only for survivors but also for their children. We must also listen to survivors. Many have expressed a desire not just for support, but for dignity, autonomy, and the chance to rebuild their lives without stigma. Third, children born as a result of sexual violence in conflict and child survivors of sexual violence must be included in peace and reconciliation processes at its heart. They must be given a legal status, access to education, and full societal acceptance. Four, we must break the silence. Education programs that challenge stigma, promote gender equality, and address the historical realities of conflict-related sexual violence are vital. In the words of one survivor from Uganda, "People don't love us as other children born from home." home. But people should know that we are human beings. Trauma is passed down from mother to child, from one generation to the next. To break this cycle, we must confront the full legacy of armed conflict—not just its immediate destruction, but its lingering wounds—until every child, regardless of how they were born or what they have endured, can live in dignity and safety. Our work is simply not done. Let us commit together to a future where healing is possible, where justice is served, and where children are free from the weight of a past they did not choose to live. Thank you very much.

I thank the Special Representative Gamba for her statement, and we certainly look forward to the release of that report tomorrow. Now I'd like to turn the floor over to Dr. Suleima El Khalifa, who is joining us virtually from Sudan. She's on our screen over there. Dr. Suleima serves as the Commissioner of Combat— the Combating Violence Against Women and Children's Commission in the Republic of Sudan. Dr. Suleima, you have the floor.

Thank you. Hello everyone. Special thanks extended to the Office of SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Office of SRSG for Children in Armed Conflict, and of course the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations for hosting this event and inviting us to speak on. Today we gather to honor the survivors and victims of conflict-related sexual violence, an atrocity that leaves deep— and lasting scars on women, girls, and communities as large. We must reaffirm our collective responsibility to end this violence, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure the survivors receive the support, justice, and dignity they deserve. Conflict-related sexual violence is still used as a weapon of war, where women and girls have been encountering sexual slavery, rape and torture. And this is the time to end this. We must work together to end this phenomenon globally and focus on special areas like Sudan and other affected regions. And impunity for those crimes must end. We must hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their position and power. The international community must support Sudan, if effort to strengthen the rule of law and create a justice system where survivors are heard and perpetrators are brought to justice. The UN and other international community bodies can play a crucial role in helping Sudan implement comprehensive legal framework that protects women and girls from sexual violence. Survivor of conflict-related sexual violence need more than just legal justice. They need comprehensive services that include healthcare, trauma-informed services, legal aid, and social reintegration. We must ensure that those services are accessible, sustainable, and that they respect the dignity of survivors. A focus of rehabilitation and psychosocial support is crucial to help women and girls heal from the trauma and adversity they have been facing. I call for the international community to stand with us, to stand with the Sudanese women and girls. Do not look away from their pain, their struggle, and their strength. We need your continued financial and technical support. Funding is essential to expand and sustain the programs needed to address conflict-related sexual violence. It's through this investment that we can ensure lasting change and the creation of future that's free from sexual violence. Sudan has signed a framework of cooperation with the SSRG on sexual violence and conflict, a step forward in ensuring the protection of women and girls. This framework is a powerful tool for ending sexual violence in conflict, but it's only through action that we can achieve tangible results. International partners can assist in scaling up disinterventions and ensure that they reach all corners of Sudan. Transitional justice is key also to ensuring accountability, healing, and reconciliation. It allows us to address the root causes of violence and offer survivors a sense of justice. Memorializing the experience of survivors and respecting their voices is essential for preventing the repetition of such acts. We must honor their strength and resilience, ensuring their stories are never forgotten. Lastly, today is not just a day to remember, but a day to act. The international community must not stand by. We must stand by Sudanese women. Let us be the generations that finally end conflict-related sexual violence, bring justice to survivors, and create a world where women and girls can live in peace, dignity, and security. Thank you.

Today is a day to act. I thank Dr. Souleima El Khalifa for highlighting the importance of psychosocial support for survivors of sexual violence in conflict. And the need to prioritize transitional justice in the fight to break the cycle of trauma. We now have a video statement from a survivor of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan. Her experience and that of all others who have faced conflict-related sexual violence is a reminder of why we are here today. For security reasons, we will not be disclosing her name. We thank her and the United Nations colleagues on the ground in Sudan, UNFPA, and their civil society partners for their collaboration in putting this video together and for their steadfast support of survivors. You can play the tape. Well, I think that collective sigh speaks for all of us, right? I don't think we should be sad about it, we should be angry about it. So I thank the survivor, and I imagine that was a very difficult experience for her to share that with us. So we thank the survivor for her willingness to share her experience with us, and we are so grateful for her bravery in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence. I am pleased to now present a video message from the Sepur Zarco grandmothers from Guatemala. The Sepur Zarco case made history. It was the first time a national court prosecuted sexual slavery during armed conflict as a crime against humanity. Very eager over there on the play switch, you may play now.

It's an honor to represent and carry the voices of the abuelas of the Sepur Zarco case to the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The abuelas, or grandmothers, could not be here today as their communities have endured the lack of electricity for now 6 days. They have asked us to convey their regards to each and every one of you, their recognition of the important mandates of the offices of the Special Representatives of sexual violence in conflict and children in armed conflict, and their appreciation to the Permanent Mission of Argentina for co-hosting this event. The Abuelas' main message is addressed to all survivors of conflict-related sexual violence: Justice and healing is possible. Defying all obstacles, The Abuelas of the Sepúlveda case broke 30 years of silence and the cycle of impunity by bringing to a national court the first case of conflict-related sexual and domestic slavery as an international crime, and they became an example to the world. They now continue to raise their voices and share their stories so that what they went through never happens again. Empowered through the process, the grandmothers left behind the shame and the stigma to become icons of the global search for gender justice and leaders in their communities. The court convicted two former military officers of crimes against humanity on counts of rape, murder, and and slavery and granted 18 reparation measures, 16 of which constitute collective reparation measures. They include, among others, truth and justice by continuing the investigation of the forced disappearance of their husbands and families. Considering the impact of the 36 years of conflict on the new generations and based on the Abuelas testimonies and requests. These measures also include the improvement of educational infrastructure and the provision of scholarships for primary and secondary school. At the moment, more than 300 children have benefited from these scholarships, and the first cohort of teachers graduated last year. The Awelas also thought of women in reproductive age, as well as newborns and children with health challenges and requested the establishment of a primary health center in their communities. A mobile center has been installed. However, as the land ownership, ownership remains with private parties, the Ministry of Health has not been able to set up a permanent center. Additionally, the Ministry of Defense has established a human rights school where members of the Armed Forces enhance their capacities on human rights, particularly women's rights and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. To support the intergenerational healing of conflict-related trauma, psychosocial support has been provided to the community. Women organizations have established a presence in the community and have worked through cultural and educational initiatives alongside with the Abuelas and the community leaderships. Once ostracized, the Abuelas represent now hope. Their leadership is recognized and praised by the community, from children to ancestral authorities and the Guatemalan society at large. However, there is much to be done in the compliance of the reparation sentence. In the Abuelas' words, the responsible institutions need to to ensure the full exercise of their rights and those of their communities, including the realms of education, housing, or land ownership. They also have asked the Congress to pass a law to recognize the 26th of February as the National Day of Justice for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. The Abuelas requested us to convey one Last key message: Advocate for transformative reparations for crimes of conflict-related sexual violence. We ask all of you to advocate for the implementation of the Sepur Zarco sentence so that reparations become a reality for everyone and justice can finally be served.

Thank you so much, Abuelas de Sepur Zarco, for sharing your lived experience. It's important that your legacy is carried on throughout generations. And heartfelt thanks to UN Women Guatemala and Mujeres Transformando el Mundo for your support in putting together this video. I am now pleased to introduce Ms. Lucia Di Pascal Solage, who is the founder and general coordinator of the feminist organization Neges Mawan in Haiti.

Thank you so much, Excellencies. Ladies and gentlemen, Haiti is facing a multidimensional crisis. For the first 3 months of the year, more than 1,000 people were killed and over 1.3 million have been displaced. More than half of whom are women and girls. Thousands of women and girls have been raped, left without justice, without care, many contracting sexually transmitted infection or becoming pregnant from the assault. Suffering in silence. Sexual violence, especially collective rape, has become a strategic weapon of war used by armed gangs to terrorize and control entire communities. Watching this video of this survivor have been remind me the documentary Les Enfants du Coup d'État by the Haitian filmmaker Rachel Magloire. It is a powerful film that share the voices of Haitian women survivors who were raped during the military coup between 1991 and 1994. These women were forced to carry pregnancies resulting from rape in a country where abortion is completely criminalized. I also recall the stories of Haitian women who were subjected to systematic sexual violence during the Duvalier dictatorship. Rape was also used as a colonial tool of domination and dehumanization of Haitian women and girls, dates black to to slavery, when the sexual violence against enslaved Black women was institutionalized to uphold systems of control and exploitation. These crimes leave more than physical wounds. They create deep individual and collective trauma, trauma that are passed from one generation to another. And yet healing remains inaccessible because justice is denied, support systems are underfunded, and feminist culturally grounded response are absent or ignored. So yes, as an Asian woman, an Asian feminist, and a survivor of sexual violence myself, I know the importance of breaking the cycle, healing the scars, and addressing the intergenerational effect of this violence. Feminist organizations, especially in the Global South, have created powerful models of response and recovery rooted in survivors' lived experiences, our cultures, and our resilience. These approaches are beyond trauma care. They center dignity, reclaim power, and restore autonomy. In our feminist organization, by example, in Haiti, Neges Mawo, our program Sisterhood embodies that vision of survivor-centered sorority and healing. Feminist organizations have also pushed for active for effective response to gender-based violence, and for centering women's leadership and rights, I prioritize in confronting conflict. And yet, in addressing Haiti's present and past crisis, Haitian women have consistently been invisibilized. This failure is shocking because the UN and its member states have concluded that centering women is necessary to resolving conflict through UN Security Council resolution 1325 and its progeny. Resolution 1820, for example, acknowledges explicitly that sexual violence used as a tool of conflict threatens peace and must be addressed as a peacebuilding priority. The Women, Peace and Security Agenda created by this resolution makes clear that addressing sexual violence and centering women's leadership are not optional. They are critical to ending conflict and building lasting peace for home— addressing— doing social and economic prosperity. By example, for almost a year, Haitian feminists have been involved in promoting the policy framework for an effective and equitable transition in Haiti, an initiative put forward by Haitian civil society with global solidarity support in response to Haiti's women and girls being yet again left behind, even as they are targeted with brutal violence. The framework offers specific recommendations for urgent action. In the absence of that action, Haiti's crisis has only grown worse. While violence is intensifying globally, we are also witnessing the rise of fascism, extremist nationalism, racism, and sexism, further escalating the risk faced by women and girls while attempting to roll back decades of hard-won rights. We cannot resolve the problems of today by erasing the mistakes of yesterday. Asian women and women across the world cannot heal and will not be safe if we continue to apply the same harmful actions that silence them, marginalize them, and deny them agency. Women are survivors, organizers, community builders, and changemakers. We must stop erasing them, we must stop silencing them, and we must stop framing them only as passive victims. We have always been on the frontline and we will continue to be. We are working to influence global policies and to shape the response we need. This means including survivors and feminist organizations in decision-making processes, funding allocation, policy design, and implementation. It requires adopting an intersectional and decolonial approach. It requires empowering feminist approach like the policy framework. Our knowledge and voices must be placed at the center of doable and transformative solution if we want to see a peaceful and thriving world for all. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Miss Solange, for channeling your personal pain into an inspiring and teaching moment for us, and for highlighting the importance of speaking up against injustice for survivors everywhere, especially in your home country, Haiti, but for survivors around the world. I am very pleased now to hand the floor to the Director of Programme Policy and Intergovernmental Division of UN Women, Ms. Sarah Hendricks on behalf of the UN Action Network. Hi, Sarah.

Thank you very much. And indeed, thank you for this important moment today. To Ambassador Tropepi, to SRSJ-PATIN, to the Office of SRSJ-Gamba, Mr. Bryce Pease, distinguished delegates, colleagues, and friends around this important table, Fellow advocates who are here, the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is certainly a day that demands action. It is a day to confront the truth that conflict-related sexual violence is not collateral damage. It is, in fact, calculated, systematic, and devastating weapon of war, as we have heard from so many testimonies today. The testimonies across today's time together are not actually isolated stories. They are in fact part of a much larger, more brutal design repeated across countries, repeated across contexts, and certainly across generations. One that is shaped by impunity and also shaped by silence and shaped in fact by the absence of justice. This. These stories, however, as we've heard today, are also threaded with resistance. Survivors have and are speaking out, have spoken out, not just because this is safe or easy. In fact, far too many times it is nothing but that, but because they refuse to let this pain go ignored. They build care where none exists and carry truths institutions have far too long failed to hold. And yet, too often, we ask survivors to carry this burden alone. Today must be a day not just of symbolic remembrance, but in fact a day of defiance and concrete accountability, because every act of brutality and every tactic of fear is met far too many times, again and again, by those who choose to speak, to organize, and to insist on something more than survival. This year's theme, the deep and lasting intergenerational wounds of conflict-related sexual violence, exposes a brutal truth, and we've heard that already from all of the speakers today, and that brutal truth is that trauma is inherited. When we deny justice, when we silence survivors, when we sentence their children to carry the consequences, this pain is not something that fades. It transforms into fear, into stigma, into poverty, and into violence that has echoes right across generations. Conflict-related sexual violence is not only a personal trauma, it is in fact a political and structural failure. And it continues not because we lack tools, but because we have not matched commitments with the will to act. On behalf of UN Women, we are honored and humbled and proud to respond to conflict-related sexual violence as one of the founding members of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict Network, this important network that is chaired by SRSG Patton. UN Action has catalyzed profound normative, but also institutional and operational transformation. The legal documentation and prosecution that has taken place in Ukraine, as well as in many other countries. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we invest in trauma-informed and comprehensive services for survivors. In Eastern Congo, we support women to turn survival into economic independence. Independence, as well as into leadership in their communities. And globally, we advance knowledge to address all aspects of a survivor's healing, their journey, including the intergenerational components of this. And whilst this network has done many important things, we are yet not where we need to be in this work. And you've heard many of these statistics already today, but they bear being repeated. In 2024, just 1.3% of humanitarian aid actually addressed gender-based violence around the world. Only 30% of gender-based violence funding appeals were met, even as conflict has grown disproportionately right around the world. And nearly 90% of women-led frontline organizations remain underfunded, with half facing closure. This is data that is just one month old. I'll say that again: 90% of women-led frontline organizations remain underfunded, with half now facing closure. Mental health services remain chronically neglected. And this is not just a funding gap, it is a protection gap, it is a justice gap, it is in fact a dignity gap. A gap that will not only close with resourced structured survivor-led solidarity, but with a commitment to doing so. And therefore, UN Women joins the voices that have come around today's table, calling on member states and donors to allocate at least 2% of all humanitarian and crisis response aid to the prevention and response to gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. And to urge the replenishment of the UN Action Trust Fund, which enables coordinated, catalytic, and survivor-centered interventions across the UN system under SRSG Patton's leadership. We also call on governments to strengthen laws that protect against sexual violence, to investigate and prosecute perpetrators, and to provide comprehensive services to survivors. And we call on faith and community leaders to reject silence and indeed to champion dignity. Survivors are not just symbols. They are in fact experts. They are the organizers. They are already leading, as you've heard today, but far too often without recognition or resources and far too often without rest. The least that we can do is to meet their courage with institutional action. So let today be a day where the world stops whispering about wartime rape and starts acting boldly and unapologetically on behalf of every survivor and on behalf of every child in every generation still carrying these unhealed wounds. With this, I thank you.

I thank Ms. Sarah Hendricks for highlighting the importance of coordination in the UN system to address CRSV and for putting the spotlight on the intergenerational consequences of unaddressed harm and honoring the leadership of survivors. I am very pleased now to introduce Ms. Kavya Ahsoka, Executive Director of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, Security. The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security is an independent advocacy coalition of 18 civil society organizations that advocates for women's rights.

Thank you so much for that. Thank you, Excellencies, for the opportunity to address you today on behalf of the NGO Working Group and provide a civil society perspective on this important topic of addressing the intergenerational harms of conflict-related sexual violence. Across the world today, we see unprecedented levels of militarization and conflict, with over 600 million women and girls paying the price while they remain sidelined from decision-making on peace and security. The war in Gaza, found to be genocide by Amnesty International, is devastating the lives of all Palestinians, particularly women and girls. More than 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023. Country with a woman and girl killed every hour. Women's sexual and reproductive health and rights have been violated repeatedly, as well as their rights to life, health, human dignity, and non-discrimination. Earlier this year, the UN Commission of Inquiry documented how Israel has employed sexual, gender-based, and reproductive violence against Palestinians as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination and the climate of impunity that enables these crimes to continue. The COI not only detailed how these violations have caused severe immediate suffering to women and girls, but have resulted in irreversible long-term harm to Palestinians as a group. These violations are being carried out before our eyes with complete disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law. In Sudan, the same forces who perpetrated a genocide in Darfur 20 years ago are once again responsible for widespread widespread atrocities. Women and girls have been subjected to sexual violence by all warring parties, including kidnapping, rape, and sexual slavery. And women and girls from non-Arab tribes, particularly in Darfur, have been targeted due to their ethnicity. And yet, in the face of this brutality, as USG Fletcher said last week, Sudan has become a grim example of the twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity. And in Afghanistan, the Taliban's systematic erasure of women and girls from public life, banning them from accessing education, healthcare, and basic services, and even from speaking in public or looking out the window, will reverberate for generations. While Afghan women continue to bravely resist these policies and demand respect for their human rights, the international community has yet to hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes against humanity or ensure that Afghan women are meaningfully included in decision-making about their own future. All these examples point to a simple fact: violations of the human rights of women and girls, including acts of conflict-related sexual violence, continue in these contexts and far too many others precisely because perpetrators know that they will likely be able to get away with it. Laws mean nothing if they are not enforced. Words mean nothing if they are not backed by action. As Afghan human rights defender Azada Razmohammad told the Security Council in March, "If impunity is the disease, accountability is the only antidote." Holistic, gender-sensitive, survivor-centered accountability that prioritizes women's agency, bodily autonomy, human rights, and participation is crucial in both addressing the harms of conflict today and preventing future generations from experiencing these atrocities in the future. This year we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. When we should be celebrating the gains of feminist movements and the courage and leadership of women human rights defenders in conflicts and crises, we are instead witnessing an alarming backlash against women's autonomy and rights. The very term gender a core concept in international human rights law and used by feminist movements for decades to challenge biological determinism and the systematic oppression of women and LGBTQI people, is today being blatantly undermined by anti-gender movements. If we believe in the norms, institutions, including this mandate and commitments of 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, if we all believe that all forms of gender-based violence and gender inequality are unacceptable. You all—member states, Security Council members, and UN leadership—must uphold these norms and defend these institutions today when the stakes could not be higher, or risk losing them entirely. As MSF said earlier this week about Gaza, every delay, every equivocation, and every policy that permits the machinery of devastation To roll forward with impunity is an act of complicity. This applies as much to the millions of women and girls confronting the brutal realities of conflict. They need your advocacy, they need your resources, but most importantly, your political courage and moral clarity that their rights are not dispensable. Thank you.

You could have gone on for another 5 minutes, I would have allowed it. Thank you, Miss Asoka, for emphasizing the importance of women's participation in all aspects of the fight against conflict-related sexual violence. We will now watch a video, a video statement from the former African Union Envoy on Youth, founder of the NGO NalaFem, and global champion in the fight against sexual violence in conflict, Miss Aya Chebbi. To the screen we go.

Dear friends, as the Global Champion in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence and Youth Liaison to SRSG Office, I speak from a generation that refuses to inherit silence. Conflict-related sexual violence is a wound that doesn't close when the war ends. It echoes through generations, it lingers in the bodies of survivors, in the memories passed down, in the shame imposed by society. And yet, through all of this, survivors rise. Youth rise. Young people are not removed from this story. Young people are born into it, into these histories, sometimes spoken, often silenced. Young people carry the weights of inherited trauma, often without explanation, without justice, without healing, but also carry the power to transform it and to demand change. Today's theme, Breaking the Silence, Healing the Scars: Addressing the Intergenerational Effects of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, calls us to action. It reminds us that healing is not passive. It is political. It is personal. It is intergenerational. Many young people are survivors themselves. Others are children born of rape. Living with unanswered questions, stolen origins. Their voices are too often left out of the conversation, and that must change. We are a generation that will say, "This ends with us." To every survivor, every young person who has carried this pain without words, I see you. You are not alone. Your healing is revolutionary. Your story is sacred, and your voice is so powerful. So how do we do this? It starts with truth, and it demands courage, the kind of courage that shifts budgets, that reforms institutions, that centers healing instead of hiding. I call on decision makers to match our urgency. Listen to survivors, not as victims but as leaders. Include children born of wartime rape in reparation, justice, and peace processes, not as just dependents but as rights holders. Protect young human rights defenders and frontline responders from retaliation and make space for youth leadership, not as an afterthought but as architects of peace. Young people are not asking for inclusion in the margins. But for shifting the center. Intergenerational trauma requires intergenerational co-leadership. Let me explain what that looks like. One, appoint youth co-leads in the national CRSV strategies and transitional justice processes. Two, mandate intergenerational representation in peace negotiation teams, in truth commissions, in reparation boards. 3, fund youth-led survivor initiatives through multi-year core funding, not project-based microgrants. 4, prioritize data collection on intergenerational trauma, including psychosocial and legal needs of youth born of rape. 5, include young peacebuilders and survivor advocates in Security Council briefings, in field missions. The Youth Peace and Security Agenda, YPS, should not be isolated from conflict-related sexual violence. And 6, support cross-generational healing spaces where storytelling, memory work, collective care are prioritized. Intergenerational co-leadership is not about inviting young people to the table. It's about co-creating the table together where lived experience is leadership, where the future is co-authored by those who bear the scars and those who refuse to repeat them. This is a call for reform, for funding, for political will, for memory, and for healing. Too many of our systems are built to protect perpetrators. We must flip the script from exclusion to co-leadership. This is the world young people are building, and this is the future survivors deserve. Thank you.

Thank you, Aya, for highlighting the role that youth in leadership— the role of youth in leadership in healing intergenerational trauma. We have heard from both grandmothers and now the voice of youth on how they can be a reservoir of hope in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence and the intergenerational trauma it inflicts. So we get into the most exciting part of the programme, member states and regional groups to present their statements. And we start with the European Union, His Excellency Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador Permanent Representative for the EU. Sir.

Dear friends, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states.— and to begin by thanking, of course, the Permanent Mission of Argentina and the officers of the SRSGs for Sexual Violence in Conflict and Children in Armed Conflict for organizing today's event. Friends, sexual violence in conflict remains a horrific tactic of war. People have said this in this room. It doesn't just happen as an afterthought. Across many regions of the globe,— with devastating consequences, not just on individuals but on entire generations. Survivors, their families, children born of wartime rape, and communities are left grappling with trauma, stigma, marginalization. Healing requires recognition and support to the victims, as well as the sustained engagement of communities and institutions that confront these enduring scars. Now, many people have spoken about the necessity to match words with actions, and I fully agree. Now, I think all of you know in this room that the European Union and its member states stand in full solidarity with all survivors of conflict-related violence and their families, particularly children born of rape, and I think you probably all know that we are deeply committed to addressing their needs through protection, physio-social support, socio-economic integration, to break the cycles of trauma and inequality. So, to put it in other words, ending sexual violence in conflict is a core priority of EU foreign policy, and we back this commitment with concrete actions. Now, let me give you an example. The European Union Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security concretely integrates a gender perspective into peacekeeping and humanitarian responses. We are doing this on the ground every day because we have, all of us, committed to ensuring that we put action where our mouth is. We have invested over $8 million in the last 2 years for projects supporting justice, psychosocial care, and sexual and reproductive health care services for CRSV survivors in countries such as Haiti and the Central African Republic. Now, we also have political directions to embassies around the world and to our member states' embassies around the world. We call them guidelines. And we have updated those guidelines on children in armed conflict to better prevent and respond to violations of the rights of the child, including sexual violence, on the ground now in over 150 countries. This is the political commitment of the EU and its member states, and we're acting on it with governments and supporting civil society every day. Now, there's the crisis zones, and then you have beyond crisis zones, and there we tackle gender-based violence globally on the ground through, among other things, the Spotlight Initiative. Now, you do know about that, of course, it's the huge initiative that the European Union has— is running around the world together with the United Nations and the ACT program, but also here in New York as chair of the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. I think that's important, colleagues. Many of you have mentioned the issue of political pressure now, political will, as we commemorate this International Day. The center of international politics happens to be New York. We always constantly try to think about how to expand those group of friends to ensure that it's not just a talking shop or an action shop for the converted, but actually brings in more countries, countries who may have nothing against this topic but may not immediately prioritize it or may not feel they have ownership of it. Well, we are trying to give that ownership to countries around the world, here in New York. So the political pressure is huge. Now, at the same time, some— many of you have mentioned impunity. Impunity. Now, it is a scourge, impunity, frankly, and it is as big of a scourge in many ways as the crimes committed themselves, because without— with impunity, nothing stops them. Nothing is there to prevent them. And Again, what are we going to do? Well, we have to strengthen— many of you said— legal procedures at national, regional, international levels. We have to train people to be able to apply those laws in order to ensure accountability, guarantee access to justice, reparations and redress for survivors. So this is a daily political, diplomatic, and funding priority of the European Union around the world. Finally, colleagues, there are root causes to this. Conflict-related sexual violence is the result of deeply entrenched inequalities and harmful norms. So we are determined to address those root causes, starting by ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision-making at all levels, in all countries around the world, and of course here in New York as well. So you can count us as, you know, the biggest allies of everyone around the world trying to get rid of this scourge, trying to commemorate this International Day effectively, and I hope we can count on you to build together the partnerships that will eventually really push the needle on this. So thank you very much.

I thank the Permanent Representative of the European Union, and just a reminder, folks, 3 minutes. You get 3 minutes each, so you escaped the web of the 3-minute web. Lucky guy. We move on to Australia. On behalf of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Her Excellency Beth Delaney, the Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia. I think we just beat them in the Test cricket, didn't we? At last I know— yes!

Thank you Chair, and I deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, New Zealand, and my own country Australia. Can we thank Argentina for its leadership and commitment to raising awareness of the intergenerational effects of conflict-related sexual violence? Conflict-related sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and international law. As we've heard this morning it terrorizes populations, fractures communities and perpetuates cycles of trauma. Survivors, including women and girls, men and boys, bear the immediate trauma, but the pain does not end with them. It reverberates across generations, seeping into families, communities, and the very fabric of society, creating a legacy of silence, stigma, and suffering. On this International Day, For the elimination of sexual violence in conflict, we must confront the profound, complex, and long-lasting intergenerational impacts of conflict-related sexual violence. Intergenerational trauma undermines social cohesion and trust, making it harder for communities to heal and rebuild after conflict. Children born of rape may be denied legal identity, nationality, or inheritance rights. This legal invisibility can limit access to education, healthcare, reparations, and protections. Chair, as highlighted in the UN Secretary-General's 2024 report, we're witnessing a disturbing rise in sexual violence in conflict zones, which is likely only the tip of the iceberg. These deliberate and despicable tactics of war are not isolated tragedies. They are systematic failures that demand a systematic response. A systematic response includes strengthening legal frameworks to ensure perpetrators are held accountable through international and domestic legal mechanisms, including the Security Council using all tools at its disposal to prevent and respond to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. It also means supporting survivor-centered approaches that prioritize dignity, agency, and long-term recovery. By ensuring access to justice, reparations, and services that address the full spectrum of harm, including mental health, education, and economic empowerment. Chair, we must dismantle this— the structural inequalities and gender-based discrimination that enable such violence to occur. We must strengthen early warning systems and invest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding that prioritizes women's meaningful leadership gender equality, and human rights. Prevention is not passive. It requires political will, coordinated action, and survivor-centered approaches. Survivors must be at the heart of our response, not only as recipients of support, but also as agents of change. Their voices, experience, and leadership are essential to breaking the cycle of violence and harm. Let us stand together not only in solidarity with survivors, but in action to ensure that no child, no family, and no community ever has to inherit the scars of war. Thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador. The next speaker is the Permanent Representative of Albania, Her Excellency Suela Janina. Ambassador, please.

Thank you, Moderator. Thank you, Madam Special Representative, Excellencies, colleagues. The powerful testimonies that we have heard today is yet another reminder that conflict-related sexual violence is not only a heinous crime, it is a strategic weapon of war that tears at the fabric of the entire communities. It is an assault not just on individuals but on generations. The trauma it leaves behind is not contained to a single moment. It goes throughout times, through families, through societies. It sows the seed of stigma, exclusion, poverty, and cycles of violence that, if left undressed, undermine peacebuilding and reconciliation. Coming from a region which in not so distant past has been the showplace of major conflicts, we have witnessed how sexual violence has been used as a tactic of war against civilians. Here I would like to note the case of sexual violence that took place during Kosovo conflict in '98-'99. Albania strongly supports the mandate of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the collective efforts of the United Nations to implement a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and gender-sensitive approach. We recognize the urgent need for long-term psychological support legal empowerment, education, and community-based healing mechanisms, especially for children born of rape and for families grappling with generational trauma. Colleagues, addressing the impact of CRCV is not only a matter of justice. It is a prerequisite for sustainable peace. It demands that we invest in prevention, protect survivors, and ensure accountability at all levels. Including through national legislation and international cooperation. As a global community, we have a duty to ensure that survivors are no longer silenced by fear or shame. We must shift the burden from the victim to the perpetrator, from stigma to justice, from silence to support. Albania stands in unwavering solidarity with survivors and all those working courageously to break the cycle of violence impunity. And to conclude, allow me also to bring to your attention that this afternoon Albania, together with Ukraine and Sudan, will organize another side event, 3 o'clock, conference room number 7. I invite all of you to participate and thank very much SRSG for the message that you are going to deliver this afternoon. Thank you very much.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Albania, and it is my delight now to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste, Ambassador Dionisio Babo Soares.

Thank you. All protocols observed. Ladies and gentlemen, echoes of atrocities committed from the World War era where Timorese women were forced into slavery, and through the years of between 2075 and 1999, marked by widespread rape, sexual torture, forced marriages, and mass displacement, and continue to reverberate across generations even until today. This legacy of violence manifests as intergenerational trauma, where the psychological, emotional, and Even biological effects of severe stress experienced by survivors are transmitted through their descendants. Survivors often carry chronic physical ailments and reproductive health issues which can be passed down through neglect, lack of access to care, or genetic predisposition influenced by ancestral stress. Psychologically, symptoms like PTSD, depression, anxiety, chronic grief, and pervasive mistrust common and deeply impacting parenting styles, emotional regulation within families, and the mental health of children who may exhibit behavioral issues or internalize their parents' unresolved pain. Recognizing this immense challenge, not to count the others that have been mentioned here around this table, the Timor-Leste government has tried to address this historical injustice on their and their ongoing impact. Initiatives like the Commission of Truth, Reception and Reconciliation have been crucial in documenting testimonies and promoting reconciliation through implementing complete justice and recommendations, but remains difficult. It was reported that about 30% of women in Timor-Leste suffered the post-traumatic sexual abuse and of any sort of violence several years ago and it still actually has impact until today. So the development of policies protecting survivors of gender-based violence, collaboration with NGOs and also the international partners to provide vital psychosocial support, counseling and trauma-informed care to survivors and families, and empowering communities to lead their healing process, drawing on traditional wisdom, are key national strategies. Aimed at building resilience and fostering support. However, the sheer scale of the trauma and limited resources pose significant challenges, demanding that interventions be both sustained and adaptable to address the long-term natural and intergenerational wounds. So it is our collective moral and ethical obligation to support these issues, and countries like Timor-Leste and others with similar experiences in this healing journey. This critical support is needed for several interconnected reasons. First is that significant sustained funding is essential to expand the— and professionalize trauma healing services, building local capacity and establish long-term support systems. Sharing expertise and trauma-informed care, mental health, restorative justice, and human rights can strengthen local initiatives. To training and developing culturally sensitive approaches. Continued advocacy for justice for survivors, including accountability where possible, and vital symbolic recognition and reparations send a powerful message against impunity, as some have echoed this around this table. Also, in the current situation, integrating trauma-informed approaches into broader government development programs such as education, health, economic development, ensure these initiatives contribute to holistic healing and avoid re-traumatization. And of course, supporting efforts to remember and acknowledge survivors' experiences transform the bitter experiences into a foundation for a more just and peaceful future. So breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma in countries like Timor-Leste is a monumental task and requiring unwavering commitment. It's time for action, as many have said. I thank you.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste, and I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Malta, Her Excellency Vanessa Fraser.

Thank you, Excellencies, colleagues. I'm honored I am honored to join you in the commemoration of the 11th International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Today, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to preventing conflict-related sexual violence and to supporting survivors across generations. We know that sexual violence in conflict leaves deep, often invisible scars on survivors, but also on their children, families, and communities. The intergenerational effects of such violence, be it through social exclusion, trauma, or lack of access to services, can perpetuate cycles of harm for decades. This is why Malta continues to advocate for survivor-centered, gender-responsive, and trauma-informed approaches. During our Security Council presidency in April 2024, we We place CRSV at the heart of our agenda. We convened the Council's annual open debate on this issue at ministerial level, and we heard powerful testimony from the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Ms. Patton, as well as survivors and civil society leaders, including from Sudan and the Great Lakes region. We also underscored the importance of inclusive participation ensuring the safe engagement of women civil society briefers, and advocating for stronger accountability, including through the use of targeted sanctions against perpetrators of CRSV. Yet justice alone cannot heal the deep wounds of this heinous crime. Survivors require holistic healthcare, including access to mental health and psychosocial services in conflict and post-conflict settings. These services are essential for breaking the cycle of silence and shame that perpetuate, perpetuate trauma across generations. As members of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Malta remains committing to advancing policies that are inclusive, rights-based, and rooted in the lived experiences of survivors. We are also developing our second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, reflecting our enduring belief that gender equality, justice and peace are inseparable. Survivors need justice, safety and support. Let us honor them not only with words, but with sustained action that breaks the cycle and heals the scars. Thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador Fraser. I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Panama, His Excellency Ricardo Moscoso.

Hi, thank you, Deputy Permanent Representative, but thank you. Excellencies, distinguished delegations, I want to thank the office of the SRSG and on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Office of SRSG on Children in Armed Conflict, and the Permanent Mission of Argentina for convening this important event. The Republic of Panama welcomes the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict and thanks the opportunity to take part in this important discussion. Panama strongly condemns the use of sexual violence as a tactic of of war and a tool of repression. It represents one of the most extreme manifestations of gender inequality and a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights. It attacks not only individuals but tears apart the social fabric of entire communities, leading to cycles of trauma, social stigma, and insecurity that echoes across generations. In context of forced displacement and migration, where insecurity and lack of services prevail, women and girls face disproportionate risks to their lives, dignity, and safety. As a state party to CEDAW and the Belém do Pará Convention, and as a member of the shared commitments of the Security Council on Women, Peace, and Security, Panama actively and coherently supports the full implementation of Resolution 1325 and its subsequent resolutions. At a local level, we have also taken decisive steps to prevent and respond to gender-based violence with a comprehensive legal framework that addresses violence against women and human trafficking. Our inter-institutional mechanisms, led by the Ministry of Women, provide essential services for survivors, including psychological social and legal support. Moreover, the Panamanian Observatory on Gender-Based Violence generates data used to guide effective public policies. We recognize that sexual violence in context of active conflict functions not only as a form of physical and psychological abuse, but also as an economic and strategic tool used by armed groups and criminal networks. Panama reiterates that these crimes must be firmly sanctioned and that survivors must be at the center of the response, one that ensures access to justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition. In the face of such cruelty, we recognize the resilience of survivors and the transformative potential of justice dignity, and coordinated action. We also acknowledge that communities can be rebuilt and that peace must be rooted not only in the end of conflict but in the promotion of human rights, accountability, and inclusion. It is therefore my pleasure to announce that Panama will host the annual Open Debate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence during our presidency of the Security Council in the month of August. Alongside the office of our SRSG here, Ms. Pramila Patten. So we invite all of you to engage with us in this important conversation. It is heartening that we have continued Malta's work as another Security Council member for this term. We stand in solidarity with all survivors and with those working tirelessly to support them. And we also renew our commitment to a world where such violence is no longer tolerated, but actively and decisively eliminated. Thank you.

I thank the Deputy Permanent Representative of Panama and I give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Lithuania, His Excellency Rytas Paulauskas.

Thank you very much, Moderator. I also thank Special Representatives for organizing this commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. I expressed Lithuania's deep appreciation for Ms. Pamela Pranden and her office for the leadership and also for the vital, tireless work you are doing. Lithuania remains firmly committed to standing with survivors, not just in the immediate in the aftermath of the violence, but in the long journey towards healing. Breaking the cycle of the intergenerational trauma requires more than reaction. It requires holistic, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered responses. It requires community-based solutions, accessible long-term services, and legislative changes that empower survivors and prevent future violence. It is essential for giving survivors a voice, and for ensuring that violations are not forgotten or overlooked. We recognize the increasingly complexity of the situation and the widening funding gaps. It is clear that Member States must step up. This responsibility cannot be carried by a few. It is a collective obligation. We must also look beyond our traditional partnerships and work together to engage new and emerging donors to strengthen this crucial work. I am pleased to note that this Monday we confirmed our continued financial contribution to support the important work of the Office through UN Action. We are proud to be a part of this joint effort to combat sexual violence in conflict and to support the survivors. We also wish to commend the important work being carried out by the UN Action in Ukraine. The project United Action to Empower Survivors of the Conflict-related sexual violence is a remarkable example of how survivor-centered, locally anchored, and system-wide action should look like. Through this project, essential healthcare and holistic services are expanding. The project is empowering not just individuals but entire communities through survivor-informed media practices, survivor relief centers, trauma rehabilitation, and crucial legal and economic support.. And these actions are saving lives and restoring dignity. Finally, we call on all Member States to continue supporting the UN Action, the only system-wide coordination platform that bridges the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding spheres in the fight against conflict-related sexual violence. Through this network, we can work cohesively to deliver sustainable solutions support survivors in their healing journeys, and address the root causes to prevent the atrocities from ever occurring again. I thank you.

I thank the PR of Lithuania and I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Myanmar, His Excellency Kyo Mo Tun.

Thank you, Mr. Moderator. Dear Excellencies, dear colleagues. I would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Argentina and other co-hosts for organizing this important event. Today's topic resonates with Myanmar, where CISV has dramatically worsened throughout the military coup since February 2021. I thank SISG Patton for highlighting CISV in Myanmar, among others. In Myanmar, the military junta's forces have systematically perpetrated sexual violence and other horrific abuses. Victims include not only women, girls, men, and boys, but also LGBTQI individuals, political activists, and pro-democracy supporters.— aging from as young as 4 years old to as old as 84 years old. The violence takes many forms, including forced nudity, sexual humiliation, and torture in detention facilities. Rape and gang rape have become established tactics and weapons of war for the perpetrators. The psychosocial impacts of such CRSP have already been witnessed, not only on the survivors, but also their family members and their friends. The military junta's violence extends beyond this. Other grave violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and the destruction of homes and villages— through intensification of indiscriminate aerial bombings on civilians and civilian infrastructure, continue to prevail across the country on a daily basis, causing immense human suffering. Many political leaders, including State Councillor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, are still in prisons. Today is the 80th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. People inside and outside the country are celebrating her 80th birthday by praying and demanding for her immediate and unconditional release, as well as all political prisoners. Dear Excellency and colleagues, in commemoration of the International Day for Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the NUG has launched an educational handbook to raise awareness about this critical issue. Our message is clear: a future Federal Democratic Union is committed to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, and prevent further incitement of violence, including sexual violence. Therefore, the international community needs to act decisively in addressing the root cause of the issue. The elimination of CISV in Myanmar will not be possible unless we unite to ending the military dictatorship, its unlawful military coup, and decades-long impunity. Human dignity is not a weapon of war, but a fundamental principle strictly adhered to by all, at every time, everywhere, especially in conflict situations. I thank you.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Myanmar, and I now give the floor to the Chargé d'Affaires of the Mission of Nigeria, Ambassador Sindof N'Dawny.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegation, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Let me at the outset also add our voice of thanks to the co-chairman organizers for this very, very important event. We are gathered here to honor survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to express our commitment to the global mandate, as well as reaffirm our shared legal and moral obligation to end this heinous crime of war. It is a moment to reflect on the progress so far in addressing the scourge of sexual violence in conflict and forge a way forward towards its elimination. Based on the theme, addressing the intergenerational effects of conflict-related sexual violence calls for an overarching global strategy to break the circle of sexual violence, promote healing, address the mental health, as well as provide psychosocial support to all survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Mr. Chair, Nigeria has faced the inhumanity of sexual violence in conflict within the country, particularly in the context of the insurgency in the northeastern region, where non-state actors perpetrate this crime through mass abduction of women and schoolgirls. Rape, exploitation, sexual slavery, and forced marriages. Over the years, sexual violence has been employed as a deliberate tactic of the conflict in the region to terrorize populations, establish power through trauma and fear, degrade the communities, destabilize regions, and obstruct peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts. In our view, addressing conflict-related sexual violence requires a coordinated intergovernmental response, survivor-centered approach rooted in justice and accountability, especially in regions such as the northeast of Nigeria affected by protracted conflict and prolonged forced displacements. As a nation, Nigeria has taken steps to address this conflict related crime through a long-term multidimensional approach, including facilitating collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels, the civil society, and intergovernmental organizations. We have taken measures to strengthen our legal and institutional frameworks, provide medical, psychosocial, and legal support to the victims of sexual violence, and enhance the capacity of our security and judicial systems. We recognize that while we have recorded some progress, more still remain to be done. We must break the culture of silence and stigma and protect survivors and witnesses, ensure accountability for perpetrators, integrate the prevention of sexual violence into all peace and security efforts, as well as ensure meaningful participation of conflict-related sexual violence survivors and their communities in our peace processes. Nigeria stands in solidarity with victims of conflict-related sexual violence across the world. We believe that the elimination of sexual violence in conflict is a cornerstone of peace, justice, and development. As we unite today, In this commemorative spirit, let us reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of all relevant international frameworks to conflict-related sexual violence in a manner that is commensurate with the gravity of the crime. I thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Charge d'Affaires of Nigeria, and I now give the floor to Ambassador Jonathan Müller, Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel.

Excellencies, colleagues, thank you very much. As we once again have witnessed here today, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and terror is regretfully not new. It has been employed by groups like ISIL, Boko Haram, the Taliban, al-Shabaab, Ansar al-Din and al-Qaeda. And now we must add Hamas to this deplorable list. On October 7th, Hamas carried out one of the most brutal campaigns of sexual violence in recent history. Women and girls were targeted in their homes and on the streets. Some were taken across the border and paraded as trophies. Others were filmed, humiliated and violated. To this day, 53 of our hostages remain in captivity.— subject to conditions we can barely imagine. Moreover, conflict-related sexual violence does not end with the victim. It ripples through families, through communities, through societies, often inflicting trauma that spans generations. It is designed not only to destroy bodies, but to dismantle identity, dignity and social cohesion. That is why the international response matters so deeply. After October 7th, instead of standing in solidarity with survivors, much of the world hesitated. Instead of firm condemnations, we witnessed a campaign of denial. Women's testimonies were dismissed as propaganda and their accounts were buried under layers of doubt and disinformation. In the space left by this silence, conspiracy theories spread, which were often amplified by algorithms and accelerated by toxic —ideology. The consequences of that silence have been devastating, not just for Israelis, but for the global fight against sexual violence in conflict. Sexual violence is not a matter of narrative, it is a matter of fact. The obligation to address it does not depend on the nationality of the victim or the identity of the perpetrator. While women and girls are disproportionately affected, Men and boys too are vulnerable, especially in hostage situations. That is why, today, we repeat the call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held in Gaza. For over 622 days they have been trapped, many of them facing the continued threat of sexual violence behind closed doors, far from the world's eyes. Israel has been working closely with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on this issue.. And we will continue to do so, and we will continue to push for justice, for recognition, and for accountability. Above all, we will continue to raise our voices for the victims of October 7th and for those who still wait to come home. I thank you.

I thank the Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel, and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark, Ambassador Erik Lawson.

Thank you, Moderator, and thank you to organizers and all panelists, Excellencies, colleagues. It's an honor to join all of you today to mark the 11th observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Today we stand in solidarity with survivors and with all those working to end this appalling violation of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. Let us be clear: conflict-related sexual violence is a clear violation of international law, and it may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. But beyond legal definitions, it is a profound human suffering, a denial of dignity, humanity, and hope. Conflict-related sexual violence Targets individuals, but its aim is far broader: to tear apart families, fracture communities, destabilize societies long after the fighting ends. And this violence shatters lives, and, and too often justice is elusive. Survivors face stigma instead of support, silence instead of solidarity. And yet, even in the face of such darkness, survivors show extraordinary resilience and their courage, speaking out, demanding justice, reclaiming their dignity, just as we have also heard here today. And thank you for that. Denmark is proud to support these efforts. We remain committed to a survivor-centered approach, one that prioritizes justice, access to healthcare services and psychosocial support, and the reintegration of survivors into their communities. The Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict is indeed spearheading these efforts, and Denmark proudly supports the team of experts on accountability and the rule of law and the office's work on expanding knowledge and practices on the use of targeted sanctions for these crimes. Accountability and deterrence are key in the eradication of conflict-related sexual violence. As a global community, we must recognize that this is not a distant problem. The effects of conflict-related violence echo across borders and generations, and so must our response. We must amplify the voices of survivors. We must challenge the stigma that too often surrounds them, and we must hold perpetrators accountable under international law. We must invest in prevention, in protection, in justice. Let me end by recalling the powerful message that unites us today: End Rape in War. Let this not be a slogan, but indeed a call to action and a commitment we renew every day until conflict-related sexual violence is no longer used as a tactic of war. Thank you.

I thank the DPR of Denmark and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of France, His Excellency Jai Damadhikari.

Thank you, Excellencies, dear colleagues. I would like to begin thanking Argentina and of course the SRG, Mrs. Paton and Mrs. Ms. Gamba for convening this important event. I think we are gathered today to say that the victims of sexual violence in conflict are not alone. In Sudan, DRC, in Haiti, and also in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in 2022, women, but also boys and girls, are fighting the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence used as a weapon of war. Their resilience compels us to act. I would like to emphasize briefly 4 points. First, the fight against impunity for conflict-related sexual violence is a collective fight. We must support national authorities so that legislations punish sexual crimes and victims can access justice and reparations. In this regard, we commend the work and of the team of experts of the Special Representative. Very concretely, France supports the upcoming establishment of an international network of prosecutors, prosecutors and judges in the wake of the International Conference of Prosecutors held in March 2024, which France co-sponsored. We also welcome the efforts of the ICC to investigate these crimes. Second, we must target the perpetrators and the heads of command chains. We call for targeted Security Council sanctions against perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. We support strengthening the expertise of the panels of experts of the sanctioned committees in this respect and aligning their work with the annex of the Secretary-General's annual report on conflict-related sexual violence. Third, we must work hand in hand with civil society to support victims and ensure their access to essential health services and reparative measures. France supports the Global Survivors Fund, founded by Nadia Murad and Dr. Mukwege, and we fund women's rights organizations on the ground, including through the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund. Fourth, the fight against conflict-related sexual violence must remain at the core of the UN mandate on peace and security. We fully support the mechanisms established by the Security Council to collect information and report on sexual violence. We emphasize the importance of the— sorry— we emphasize the importance of the upcoming reports of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflicts, on conflict-related sexual violence, which will list parties committing such violence and will seek engagements with them to end these violations. These lists must be complete, objective and impartial. 25 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, we must also preserve the human rights component of peace operations and ensure the presence of women protection advisers and peacebuilders. To conclude, as a member of the Security Council conducting feminist foreign policy, France will continue to champion these efforts and support the mandate of the Special Representative. Thank you.

I thank the Deputy Permanent Representative of France and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Colombia, Juan José Quintana.

Thank you, Mr. Moderator. Colombia is strongly committed to addressing conflict-related sexual violence because we are convinced that this phenomenon should not become invisible. Its physical, psychological, social, and intergenerational impacts demand decisive responses from all of us. During its presidency of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in conflict, Colombia advanced an agenda centered on victims and restorative justice, promoting differentiated and comprehensive approaches to CRSB. In this context, we have identified certain good practices that could be followed to guide international action on this matter. First, the implementation of a comprehensive and victim-centered approach that involves medical assistance, psychosocial support, economic inclusion, breaking away with the stigmas, and effective access to justice. Second, restorative and transformative justice aiming not only at reparation but at the transformation of the social relations marked by conflict and violence. Third, the protagonismo victims, whose voices must guide public policy, processes of reparations, and the reconstruction of the social fabric all along. Fourth, the recognition of reproductive violence, highlighting it as systemic violence in conflict contexts with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive rights. Fifth and last, the incorporation of innovative victim-centered approaches within the work of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. Our own tailor-made experiment in post-conflict transitional justice. These include novel legal concepts such as testimonial injustice, when a person's testimony is discounted because of their identity, the recognition of sexual violence as intrinsically political violence, and the continuum of a violence approach which sees sexual violence not as a byproduct of war, but as part of the structural violence directed at women. These approaches have been essential in transforming research methodologies and in ensuring access to justice without re-victimization. Victims are experts in their own experience. Their voices must be at the center of political and judicial decisions. Listening, acknowledging, and providing reparations is not only a moral and legal obligation, but condition for sustainable peace. Colombia reaffirms its commitment to prevention, restorative justice, comprehensive reparation, and the leadership of survivors of CRSB as agents of change. Let me conclude by echoing Dr. Denise Mukwege's words at the PSVI 2024 conference held in Bogotá. I quote, one woman raped is one too many. Silence is the worst enemy. I thank you, sir.

I thank the DPR of Colombia and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria, His Excellency Stefan Präterhofer.

Thank you very much, Moderator. Austria aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union. Let me commend the organizers. Of this meeting and thank all the briefers, including SRSG Patton and SRSG Gamba, for sharing their valuable and moving experiences and views. Conflict-related sexual violence is unlike any other type of violence. It's one of the most cruel tactics of war to inflict harm and suffering on human beings that has traumatic consequences over many generations, most gravely for the individuals affected who endure lifelong physical and psychological impacts, but also for society as a whole. Austria strongly condemns all forms of CRSV. We call upon all parties to conflict to immediately cease such crimes, comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, and allow unhindered access to United Nations teams. Sexual and gender-based violence is unacceptable in any circumstance, and it's particularly despicable when used in a systematic, targeted manner. Such violence affects not only the immediate victims, but also their families, communities, and future generations. The effects of widespread sexual violence during the brutal conflicts of the 1990s, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, or Rwanda, are still being felt today, nearly 3 decades later. The stigma faced by victims of sexual violence continues to result in their socio-economic exclusion. Children born as a result of conflict-related rape are frequently and unjustly perceived as affiliated with an armed group, leading to their exclusion from community networks and contributing to poverty for both the children and their mothers. It is crucial to ensure that perpetrators are swiftly tried and held accountable. In this regard, we reiterate our full support to the International Criminal Court and to United Nations-mandated commissions of inquiry. Moreover, we wish to remind Member States of their obligation, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2467, to adopt a survivor-centered approach and ensure access to medical and psychosocial care. Furthermore, we must make women's and girls' rights a priority across sectors and mainstream WPS across foreign security, defence, development and humanitarian policies. Austria will continue to support the invaluable work of UN Women, the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls, and we underline the importance of local humanitarian and civil society organisations as first responders. Finally, Austria commends the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict for its commitment and determination to fight impunity for sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict contexts. I thank you.

I thank the DPR of Austria and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of of Korea, His Excellency Sung-jin Kim.

To begin by thanking Special Representative Patton and Special Representative Gamba for their such powerful remarks. My sincere appreciation goes out to our partners from UN Women, civil society, and above all, the survivors of sexual violence in conflict who readily shared their vivid testimonies with us. Conflict-related sexual violence is the most brutal form of crimes against humanity perpetrated in armed conflict. As we stressed, the impact of intergenerational— leaving behind trauma not only for the victims and their families, but also for for the society as a whole. As we gather here today to renew our commitment, I'd like to simply reiterate what we do already agree in addressing these issues. First, a survival and victim-centered approach should be a cornerstone of all measures to address sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. We have learned from history that recovering the dignity and honor of victims of CRSVs is crucial, as is responding to the needs of survivors, including ensuring access to medical care and psychosocial support. I echoed with what Special Representative Patton said that all these efforts start from listening to their voices, as stressed in Security Council Resolution 2467. Second, we should continue our efforts to hold accountable those responsible for sexual and gender-related crimes. Ending impunity is the only way to deter this violence. In this regard, we strongly support the mandate of the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict. Now, what Korea has been doing in addressing these issues. Korea has made a relentless effort both at national and international levels to support recovery and resilience building for victims and survivors, or CRSV. We have been hosting the annual International Conference on Action with Women and Peace since 2019 to heed the voices of survivors and support women's full and meaningful participation in peace process through the Action with Women and Peace Fund launched last year. This effort is also reflected in our work as a member of the Security Council and WPS shadow committee group including working to ensure full and meaningful integration of the WPS agenda into all aspects of the work of the Security Council. Korea will stand in steadfast solidarity with the victims and survivors and will do our part with action to end the cycle of violence for good. I thank you.

I thank the Deputy Permanent Representative of Korea and I now give the floor to the DPR of Norway, His Excellency Andreas Løvhold.

Thanks a lot, Moderator, and not the least really thanks to the organizers, to Argentina and to the two offices of the two SRGs, to Patton and Gamba. But I would also add that it's not just appreciated, but it's fundamental the work the two offices are doing as kind of the backbone and the foundation of the international community's efforts in trying to address and ultimately eliminate sexual violence in conflict. And not the least, to all the very brave and powerful voices and testimonies from the victims we heard, from Sudan to Haiti to Guatemala. And I think, as also the moderator has said, this should not be the time to be sad or be stuck in fatigue, but take that as an opportunity for action. And I think that was what I heard from from the testimonies is actually to turn the brutality of sexual violence in conflict into progressive and actionable steps to deal with the scourge. So I think that also the combined messages of today, because on the one hand it's the International Day to work together and make more efficient work in eliminating Sexual Violence in Conflict, but it's also kind of a commemoration of the unanimous adoption of a very significant resolution adopted by Security Council to recognise CRSV as a tactic of war and also ultimately as a threat towards international peace and security, and that's why we are here. So let's not be too kind of fatigued-ish about the very dark statistics compared to where we were when the Council adopted that resolution. Let's turn around into action. And I'm not repeating what we heard, but I think also from many colleagues and member states being very clear about the brutality of CRSV as not just a collateral damage thing, but it's a strategic and brutal and tactical mean in war, and it's aimed not just to, to harm on the individual level but systematically entire communities. And it's not just here and now, it has the long-term impact of an intergenerational severe impact, so long-term consequences. So I think just a few takeaways from our side is that what I think all of us agree to is that we need a victim-centered approach. We need to work holistically and thereby also collectively. So we all need each other in, in succeeding in, in this effort. And I think it's also— we must remind everyone and all the parties to armed conflict that they must comply with their IHL and human rights obligations, and thereby also protecting women and girls, men and boys, from sexual violence. And also by saying that we must ensure accountability and we must end the impunity through all the different means we have, including legal prosecution. I think we all agree that these are essential, essential steps towards justice, but the big question is how. And that will always rely on sufficient political will, which we are obliged and responsible to commit by, and collectively. And I think with regard to tools, I mean, Norway has been very strong supporter of using sexual violence as a designation criteria by the Council and in the sanction regime by the Security Council, and will continuing to do so as a tool. Let me just stress one issue that very few have raised, and I think some of the briefers, you touched it, but that is to the collective responsibility we have in the current situation with multilateral— both in the multilateral and humanitarian system is both subject to ongoing budget cuts and meanwhile also ongoing reforms. And in this regard, we stress stressed the importance of ensuring that protection from gender-based violence, including CRSV, remains a top priority in the system-wide reforms that is ongoing, including UNHCR and also the humanitarian reset. Critical gender-based violence services must remain a no— non-negotiable priority as an essential life-saving component of our collective response. And finally, Moderator and colleagues, women may often be the primary victims, as we have heard, but they must always be part of the solution. A survivor-centered approach demands the full, equal, meaningful, and let me also add safe participation of women and survivors in all their diversity. And finally, that also, of course, demands very strong and relevant support by the international community to support the victims politically and financially, and that we remain committed to do so. Thank you.

I thank the Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway, and I give the floor to to the DPR of Italy, His Excellency Gianluca Greco.

Thank you, Moderator. I'll try to be brief. I thank the Permanent Mission of Argentina, the SSG Patton and Gamba, for the pictures they gave us and the possibility to speak in this solemn occasion. In aligning itself with the statement of the European Union, Italy reiterates its unwavering commitment to the eradication of conflict to related sexual violence, an heinous violation of human rights and of the international humanitarian law that continues to inflict immeasurable suffering on individuals, families, and entire communities. We pay tribute to the survivors—girls, women, boys, and men—whose courage and resilience in the face of trauma inspire our collective responsibility to act. This year's theme rightly brings into focus a dimension of CRSV that is too often overlooked: its intergenerational impact. As the Secretary-General reminds us in his message for this day, these crimes leave invisible scars that transcend time and lineage, perpetuating cycles of trauma, exclusion, and vulnerability. It is necessary to shed light on the devastating reality faced by children born of wartime rape. These children are often denied a legal identity, access to education, healthcare, and inheritance. And are subjected to social ostracism and institutional neglect. Their mothers, in turn, endure deep psychological trauma that affects their ability to provide care and protection, creating environments of compounded vulnerability. CRSV is not incidental. It's a weapon of war, a deliberate strategy used to terrorize, dominate, and displace. Actually, it's a tactic to fracture social fabrics. As a long-standing advocate of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, Italy actively contributes to the efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict, support survivors, and promote accountability. We champion the integration of gender-sensitive approaches in peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and transitional justice mechanisms. Finally, Italy is determined to continue firmly supporting international initiatives for the prevention of sexual violence in conflict and emergency situations in the context of our candidature to the Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 mandate. Excellencies, we must build systems that heal, not just punish. We must listen to survivors, empower affected communities, and invest in solutions that address the long shadow cast by sexual violence—across generations, across borders, and across time. I thank you.

I thank the DPR of Italy, and I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece, His Excellency Mr. Ioannis Stamaticos.

Thank you, Moderator, and let me start by thanking Argentina and the offices of SRSG, PATHEN, and Gamba for organizing this important event. Conflict-related sexual violence, one of the most brutal forms of human rights violations, continues to be used as a tactic of war of torture and repression, targeting not only individuals but also communities and entire societies. Its consequences reach far beyond the immediate victim, leaving families, children, and future generations scarred by trauma, stigma, poverty, and exclusion. The impact is particularly severe for women, girls, and boys, as highlighted in recent reports by the Secretary-General. Sexual violence severely restricts women's livelihoods and girls' access to education while fueling illicit profits for armed groups, including through trafficking for sexual exploitation. Verified cases of CRSV against children rose by 32% in 2024, as SRSJ Gamba has just said. —a figure that likely underrepresents the true scale due to fear, stigma, and lack of access to services. Greece condemns all forms of SRSV. As a current member of the Security Council and chair of the Working Group on Children in Armed Conflict, Greece emphasizes the urgent need for a holistic approach, a survivor-centered, rights-based, and gender-sensitive approach. We must focus not only on prevention and protection, but also on long-term recovery and reintegration, addressing both visible and invisible scars and ensuring justice, including accountability for perpetrators. This calls for the effective implementation of the WPS agenda and the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children. Together, these frameworks provide critical tools to embed gender and child protection perspectives in all aspects of our work, from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. In conclusion, we commend the unwavering commitment of the Special Representatives Patton and Gamba and their teams. Greece remains a steadfast supporter of their mandates and stands ready to contribute actively to global efforts to eliminate CRSV. Only through coordinated, comprehensive action can we break the cycle of violence, heal the wounds of survivors, and rebuild communities grounded in justice, dignity, and peace. I thank you.

I thank the DPR of Greece I now give the floor to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovenia, Sasha Jureko. Your Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Moderator. At the outset, I wish to join others in thanking the Permanent Mission of Argentina, as well as the Offices of Special Representatives on Sexual Violence in Conflict and on Children in Armed Conflicts for convening this important observance. Last fall, we marked 15 years since the establishment of the mandate of the SRSG on sexual violence in conflict. Over the past decade and a half, this mandate has played a vital role in exposing conflict-related sexual violence as one of the most heinous violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Yet despite the growing attention and the efforts of the international community, conflict-related sexual violence is still on the rise globally. Perpetrators remain listed year after year in the reports of the Secretary-General, and this crime continues to be used deliberately as a tactic of war, torture, terror, and control. As we have heard today, the import— the impact of these crimes is far-reaching and intergenerational. Survivors and their communities often live with lifelong trauma, stigma, and marginalization. This must compel us all to act with greater resolve. We must break the vicious cycle of silence, denial, and impunity and replace it with prevention, accountability, and survivor-centered approach. In this context, we wish to reaffirm our strong support to the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the team of experts on the rule of law and the UN Action against sexual violence in conflict. We are pleased to announce that for the first time Slovenia will contribute to the Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Prevention Multi-Partner Trust Fund, specifically for the work of the team of experts. This demonstrates our commitment to support your important work. As we have heard today, the impact of conflict-related sexual violence can't be reduced to a one single-time atrocity. Its devastating effects persists over time, reverberating across generations and borders. This is why we support all efforts that amplify the voices and leadership of survivors and those that foster agency, resilience, and empowerment. I thank you.

I thank the DPR of Slovenia, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ukraine, Mr. Sergey Igor Nezinskiy, Executive Director of UA Experts and Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

Thank you, Moderator. Thank you, Permanent Mission of Argentina, for invitation. And let me say thank you also for the chairing the meeting, Pramila Patten, who not only leadership— got leadership, but leadership with justice. It's very important, especially for Ukrainian situation. Dear honorable participants, during our conversation, Ukrainian civilians still under bomb attack. A lot of victims, witnesses, children, they are still in the shelter now, and very difficult to explain the voices of these people, but our event And name of our topic is Hearing Their Voices. And this day, Ukraine announced advocacy campaign, One Voice Against CRCV, where the very famous Ukrainian flower, the name ripak, translated in English as a rapeseed flower, as the symbol of solidarity of CRCV victims in support and captures public attention And of course, it's not silence the problem, and we're trying to announce for more and more attract our advocacy campaign participants. Ukraine welcomes this important platform and stands in solidarity with all survivors on conflict-related sexual violence across the world. And since the beginning of the full-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation, sexual violence has been used systematically to terrorize civilians, including women, men, and unfortunately children. We responded from day one with political will, coordinated action, and survivors' center reform. Uh, did you know that the youngest victim was 4 years old? The oldest was 82. 70% of those in Bucha City raped— it's where men— but Ukraine since 2024 announced register of damages, official database in government for the human defenders, for witnesses. But beyond monetary compensation, Ukraine is looking at holistic reparative measures. The new law and implementation plans emphasize access to free healthcare, long-term psychological support, a livelihood program, and measures like memorialization of public acknowledgment of survivors' suffering. Ukraine is working to support children born of war alongside their mothers. These children and their mothers may face unique social stigma and physiological challenges. Ukraine's new survivor support law implicitly acknowledges this issue. Moreover, Ukraine is coordinating with international experts on best practice, learning from Bosnia, Rwanda, and others to develop guidelines on how to talk about the parentage as these children reach adolescence, how to provide trauma-informed parenting support to their mothers and how to foster a positive identity for the child. This is one of the hardest, actually, conversation and one of the most necessary. We must ensure these children grow up with care, not shame. And sometimes mothers— more than 3 and a half years of this war— sometimes do not thinking about, reparation. They thinking about simple social services for the children. Children garden, school, quotation of these services. Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian authorities are systematically documenting CRCV cases for prosecution and ensure that CRCV crimes are not invisible in broader war crimes proceeding. 5 Russian soldiers have been convicted in absentia for CRCV crimes. A total of 49 have been notified of suspicions. In 2024, together with Global Survivor Fund, which provided compensation over 500 CRCV survivors. Now, the best— the model of real action, it's actually the main key lesson as we As we said, political will, survivor-centered approach, plus donor and NGO partnership equal visible results. Please, do not forget about Ukrainian victims and survivors. Acting for survivors together. No pasaran. Slava Ukraini.

I thank the distinguished representative of Ukraine and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan, Mr. Ono Sho, Minister, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at that mission.

Thank you, Mr. Moderator. I'd like to thank the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Office of the SRSG for Children in Armed Conflict, and the Permanent Mission of Argentina for organizing this important event. I'd also like to thank each of the speakers for their valuable insights. As we have discussed, sexual violence is one of the gravest yet often overlooked crimes in conflict settings. Recognizing the profound harm and generational consequences of CRSV, Japan has championed the CRSV mandate through consistent contribution to the Office of the SLSG on sexual violence in conflict among several countries through non-core funding since 2014 and core funding since 2020, which are indicated in this annual report of the TOE. Most recently, Japan supported Human Actions Project in Sudan titled Mitigating Risks and Enhancing the Response to gender-based violence, including CRSV, in conflict-affected states in Sudan, which operated in highly challenging environments in West and Central Darfur and served over 8,000 women and girls. While the project focused on addressing immediate protection risks for displaced women and girls, it also empowered survivors of CRSV through income-generating and vocational training conducted in safe spaces, which enables women to improve their own socioeconomic status. This year, Japan is supporting the Team of Experts project on strengthening access to justice for victims and survivors of CRSV in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project aims to increase registration of CRSV CRSV incidents to law enforcement and judicial authorities in IDP camps and areas especially affected by displacement or the presence of armed groups. It also aims to provide technical and logistical support to investigations and prosecution of CRSV and to enhance judicial cooperation with neighboring countries to ensure the pursuit of CRSV cases across borders. Moreover, Japan supports the vital work of the Office of SRSG on sexual violence in conflict through funding as well as through bolstering capacity, including by contributing junior professional officers. CRSV is not a one-off incident, but rather perpetuates circles of poverty violence and trauma. Therefore, Japan remains committed to investing in the protection and empowerment of women and girls, as well as to strengthening judicial systems to tackle CRSP, to break these cycles and enable a future of hope for survivors. Japan will continue to strive toward— strive towards the elimination of sexual violence in conflict alongside UN partners and broader international community. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of India, First Secretary of Third Committee Expert, Ms. Bhavika Mangalanandan.

Thank you, Moderator, Excellencies, and dear colleagues. I take this opportunity to thank the Permanent Mission of Argentina for organizing today's discussion. To mark the International Day for Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. And I thank the distinguished speakers for sharing their very heartfelt experiences and deep insights. The intersectionality of gender and conflict is a critical area that needs attention, especially as sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, and terror continues amidst a thriving culture of impunity, as we clearly heard. Today. My delegation joins others in condemning this heinous act and its perpetrators. Today's conversation is equally important as the landmark Resolution on Women, Peace and Security marks 25 years. The resolution built the framework for recognizing the impact of armed conflict on women and the indispensable role that women play in peacebuilding. A multi-faceted approach is essential for national governments to fulfill their role in eliminating sexual violence in armed conflict. This includes prosecuting and deterring such crimes in conflict situations, ensuring no impunity for the perpetrators, adopting a survivor-centered approach in the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence. It is equally important to break the nexus between terrorism Trafficking and sexual violence in armed conflict. UN must prioritize supporting national efforts in this regard. Regarding India's own commitment, our nation's dedication to Women, Peace and Security agenda is demonstrated through a comprehensive approach to combating conflict-related sexual violence. I am proud to mention that India was the first country to deploy an all-women formed police unit to Liberia in 2007. Under the UN Mission. Indian female peacekeepers have played a crucial role in— crucial mentoring role in preventing conflict-related sexual violence. India was also the first country to contribute to the Secretary-General's Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual violence and abuse, and also signed the Voluntary Compact on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse with the Secretary-General in 2017. Recognizing the pivotal role of empowered women as agents of change. The Indian government recently amended its constitution to reserve one-third of the seats in national and state legislatures for women. Our focus has been on women-led development, placing women in leadership position to script India's growth story. Uh, Excellencies, India colleagues, allow me once again to reiterate India's conviction and commitment to contribute towards elimination of sexual violence in conflict. Thank you one and all.

My thanks to the representative of India and my pleasure now to give the floor to the representative, the distinguished representative of Tunisia, Third Committee expert, Ms. Marwa Djabo Bessadok.

Thank you so much. Muchas gracias, Argentina, por organizar este Excellent evento en español. Y también muchas gracias a Bibiana que para organizar este, que está trabajando mientras está embarazada. It's hard to speak after my fellow citizen Aya Chebbi who spoke on behalf of the African youth. She has been very active, and her message was strong and vocal, just as like Tunisian women have always been. So the focus on the intergenerational impact of gender-based violence in conflict is both urgent and essential. Addressing this issue is critical to breaking cycles of trauma and advancing justice and peace. We commend the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Her sustained commitment to survivor-centered response and accountability continues to shape and strengthen the international agenda. In every war, women's bodies are among the first targets. Sexual violence used as a tactic conflict reflects one of the most brutal expressions of power and domination. Even amid war, destruction, and displacement, the urge to control, violate, and dehumanize women through sexual violence continues. This cruelty is deliberate. It aims to terrorize, silence, and dismantle entire communities, often leaving leaving scars that endure long after the conflict ends. Nowhere is this suffering more— is more visible than in Palestine, in Gaza, where women and girls face unbearable hardship under prolonged conflict and occupation. Their protection and dignity must be upheld, and their voices must not be forgotten. Addressing gender-based violence In conflict requires legal frameworks that prohibit these crimes, national systems that support and protect survivors, and institutions capable of delivering justice. Long-term recovery also depends on access to healthcare, psychological support, education, and economic inclusion for women and their children. Children are very important at this topic. In Tunisia, The traditional justice process has underscored the importance of truth-telling, reparation, and institutional reform. Survivors must be heard, supported, and empowered to shape post-conflict recovery. We welcome the efforts of the United Nations system to provide concrete tools, early warning indicators, prevention frameworks, and coordinated field responses that helps strengthen national capacities and ensure survivor-centered approaches. Tunisia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to women's rights, gender equality, and the elimination of all forms of violation— of violence against women and girls, including in conflict and humanitarian contexts. Advancing this agenda requires justice, strong institutions, and the full preparation of women in peace and the participation of women in peace and development processes. We remain fully engaged and stand ready to work with all partners to carry this effort forward. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Tunisia. If this was an aircraft, we are beginning our descent. The distinguished representative of the United Kingdom, First Secretary Mr. Patrick Mr. Coyle, you have the floor.

I would like to thank the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Armed Conflict and Children in Armed Conflict, and also the Permanent Mission of Argentina for their efforts in organizing today's meeting. And I want to particularly thank our briefers and the survivors who have spoken today. The UK remains unwavering in its commitment to preventing and tackling conflict-related sexual violence. The devastating impact of CRSV is profound and long-lasting, affecting survivors, their families, and communities. My Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord Collins of Highbury, is driving international action to support survivors, deliver accountability, and end impunity. The UK continues to work closely with survivors, civil society, member states, and the UN to prevent and respond to CRSV. In the past year, we have called urgent discussions at the UN on rising rates of sexual violence in Sudan, DRC, and Ukraine. Our advocacy is matched by support on the ground, from providing medical services for survivors of CRSV in Sudan to helping survivors in the DRC, in the DRC, to access justice. Over 55,000 survivors of CRSV received UK support in the past year. The intergenerational effects of CRSV are pronounced. In 2023, there was a 25% increase in CRSV against children. Children are affected as victims and survivors, as children born of rape and as children experiencing the intergenerational trauma in their families and communities. The UK launched the Platform for Action on the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of CRSV CRSV to drive international action, action to address the inequality, stigma, and inclusion— exclusion these children often face. One key pillar of the UK's commitment to tackling CRSV is our long-standing partnership with the Office of the CSRSG for Sexual Violence in Conflict and with UN Women. We are proud to contribute funding to the work of UN Action Network and the team of experts on the rule of law and sexual violence in conflict. We are also proud to have supported the Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict and to have funded UNICEF's monitoring and reporting mechanism, ensuring perpetrators are held to account. The UK will continue to fight the scourge of CRSV alongside partners in the UN and on the ground and ensure survivors are at the center of our response. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain, Councillor at the Permanent Mission, Mr. Francisco Javier López Lorenzana.

Thank you very much, Moderator. Dear colleagues, I would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Argentina and the offices of the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict and Children in Armed Conflict for hosting us today. While aligning with the US statement, Spain is committed to end violence against women and gender-based violence in all its forms, including in conflict. For that reason, we support the mandate and the excellent work of the Special Representative Pramila Patten, and we also express our strong support to the mandate of the Special Representative Virginia Gamba. Our support is both political and through financial contributions to the important work their offices and the mandate holders carry out in the field. When addressing conflict in all its phases, from prevention to reconstruction, we must always take into consideration the gender perspective, especially when dealing with sexual violence, one of the most horrific acts of war. We have at our disposal the framework, the conventions, international law and humanitarian law. We have the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, the resolutions that put the focus in women in all aspects of peace and security, not as a mere receiver of protection, but as a protagonist. But as we have heard today, we need to implement those provisions and make them a reality. There are some positive signs. Accountability for the perpetrators of generalized sexual violence is growing. We are imposing targeted sanctions, and some of those responsible for those crimes are convicted in international courts. However, much remains to be done, as the consequences of rape and sexual violence can be everlasting to the victims and survivors and their communities if we don't act, if healing is not supported, if access to justice and reparations are denied. As we have seen and heard from the testimonies of the survivors today, a brave reminder of the reality of millions of women and girls face every single day. As a country with a feminist foreign policy and a strong commitment to peace, you can always count on Spain to work with you, with the international community, to eradicate sexual violence in conflict and impunity and give support to the survivors. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Spain, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates, Ms. Mayan Tantawi.

Thank you, Moderator. I would also like to thank the Permanent Mission of Argentina as well as the offices of the SRSGs on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Children in Armed Conflict for bringing us together to have this important discussion. On this International Day for— the elimination of sexual violence in conflict. It is not only a moment to reflect and commemorate the hard-won gains achieved over the past 15 years, but also to take stock of where we are and how we can work together to enhance the global systematic response. The UAE remains unequivocal. We condemn in the strongest terms all forms of violence against women and children, including conflict-related sexual violence. Sexual violence. Impunity must be the— must not be the norm. Women and children's bodies must not be exploited as a weapon of war. In light of today's welcome theme on breaking the silence of violence, the cycles of violence, we heard many key recommendations to prevent and counter these heinous crimes. Allow me to focus on three. First, we must invest in strengthening women and girls' resilience through a survivor-centered and trauma-informed approach, which we have heard multiple times today. Economic hardship compounded by the political instability and structural gender-based inequality deepens the risk of sexual violence. Safeguarding women and girls' rights, equal access to services, and full equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of society develops their agency and makes them less vulnerable to these unbearable atrocities. Second, we must enhance the global response to these crimes through robust tools that enhance accountability. The UAE continues to support including conflict-related sexual violence as a standalone designation criterion in relevant UN Security Council sanctions regimes. Perpetrators of these crimes must be sanctioned and held accountable. Accountable wherever they are and whoever they are. Third, we must utilize technology and education to combat the shifting nature of these crimes. When these threats evolve, as they have done so online, we too must— so too must our tools to protect against them. Even commonly used digital technologies such as WhatsApp can provide access to reporting mechanisms mechanisms and protection networks. Education must also be deployed to tackle the root causes of these crimes, such as gender discrimination, hate speech, extremism, and incitement to violence. Education has the potential to promote gender equality and eliminate stigma. To conclude, we stand in solidarity with all survivors and victims who have faced this unimaginable suffering. It is critical that we utilize the well-established normative framework and meetings like today to coalesce the international community to finally bring an end to the heinous crimes of CRSV. The UAE remains a committed partner in this regard. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates, and to land this aircraft, I'm delighted to introduce the distinguished representative of Sierra Leone, spokesperson of the submission, Miss Onike Spencer-Koka.

Thank you, moderator, and I'd like to thank the organizers, um, the organizer Argentina. I'd also like to thank SRSG's Patton and Gamba. And, um, the subject we're discussing here today is— it's a painful one, especially for my country, but we do not get the luxury of looking away. And for that, uh, Sierra Leone also wishes to thank the survivors who spoke here today. In the past months alone, we've been haunted by reports of Sudanese women committing suicide rather than facing the certainty of being raped by armed men. We've heard the horror of hundreds of Congolese women raped and then burned to death in prisons, and of tens of thousands violated since the start of the year. Girls, some of them in the first 5 years of their lives, account for half of the victims of sexual violence in many of these settings. We should not merely condemn and move on to the next thing. Make no mistake, the cost of impunity, unlimited militarization, and weaponized misogyny is the brutal rape of untold numbers of girls before some of them have even learned to read. The funding cuts that are currently hampering international cooperation also have a cost and a price tag. It means that tens of thousands of survivors lose access to medical attention, to psychosocial support, to shelter, to legal aid, to justice, to reparations. It guarantees more broken communities, more women that cannot contribute to the public good, more children born of rape, of conflict-related sexual violence, and into ostracism and resentment, more hate to fuel the next conflict and the next. It will wipe out efforts built over the last two decades to educate the judiciary, the police, and the military about how to prevent or respond to those atrocities. It will boost impunity and take away the consequences of committing those atrocities that so cruelly violate laws, national or international, and represent an attack on our own humanity. In my country, Sierra Leone, we are fully aware of the the experience and consequences of conflict-related sexual violence. And so we resolved to punish perpetrators, to help the survivors, and never let it happen again. This is why we have strengthened our legislation and systems on sexual violence and have prohibited child marriage, and we're better for it. But we do— but we did this in cooperation with the global community of citizens. At this time, with cuts being made to humanitarian funding, We are in danger of having fewer examples of post-conflict recovery and a darker future for us all. Our collective will must be to ensure this is not the reality, not just for this generation, but for future generations yet unborn. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Sierra Leone. And if you listen quietly, that is the sound of touchdown. Thank you to our panelists, member states and regional groups who have taken the floor and for their continued support to this mandate. It's time for lunch.