Secretary Clinton Chairs the UN Security Council *updated*

Secretary Clinton chairs the United Nations Security Council to urge the Adoption of a UNSC Resolution to Combat Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict:

Secy Clinton at the UN Security Council, Wed. Sept 30th, 2009

Transcript of her opening remarks:

The 6,195th meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is before the Council in document S/Agenda 6,195, which reads, and I quote: “Women and Peace and Security,” end of quote. Unless I hear any objection, I shall consider the agenda adopted. The agenda is adopted.

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of 55 countries in which they request to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council’s agenda. In accordance with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the consideration without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provision of the Charter and Rule 37 of the Council’s Provisional Rules of Procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

Secretary Clinton chairs the UN Security Council urging the adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution addressing sexual violence in armed conflict (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

I invite the aforementioned 55 representatives to take the seats reserved for them at the side of the Council chamber. And on behalf of the Council, I wish to acknowledge the presence in the chamber of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Minister Yoda, and the Minister of State for Cooperation and Francophone of France, His Excellency, Mr. Joyandet.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document S/2009/489, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United States of America.

I wish to draw the attention of members to document S/2009/362 containing the report of the Secretary General, pursuant to Resolution 1820. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided.

Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S/2009/489 please raise their hand?

(Show of hands.)

The result of the voting is as follows: The draft resolution received 15 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as Resolution 1888 of 2009. Those against? Abstentions? None. (Laughter.)

(Photo STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

I shall now have the privilege of making a statement in my capacity as the Secretary of State for the United States, and I am very grateful to speak before the Security Council on this important issue. I want to thank everyone who has worked very hard to reach this point on this resolution, and of course, to have it adopted unanimously, because we’re here to address an issue that has received too little attention, not only in these chambers over the last six decades, but I would suggest in all of our halls of government across the world. It is an important issue that goes to the core of our commitment to ensure the safety of the United Nations member-states and their citizens.

Under the UN Charter, the 15 members of this Council bear primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Now, satisfying that responsibility includes us to protect the lives and physical security of all people, including the women who comprise half the planet’s population. This responsibility is particularly acute in circumstances where peace and stability are challenged. Even though women and children are rarely responsible for initiating armed conflict, they are often war’s most vulnerable and violated victims.

The resolution we passed today represents a step forward in our global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children in conflict zones, and it builds on two prior Security Council resolutions: Resolution 1325, which called on all parties in conflicts to respect women’s rights and increase their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts; and Resolution 1820, adopted last year, which affirms the ambitions set out in 1325, and establishes a clear link between maintaining international peace and security, and preventing and responding to sexual violence used as a tactic of war to target civilians. Yet despite these actions by the United Nations Security Council, violence against women and girls in conflict-related situations has not diminished; in fact, in some cases, it has escalated.

Now, reading the headlines, one might think that the use of rape as a tactic of war only happens occasionally, or in a few places, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Sudan. That would be bad enough, but the reality is much worse. We’ve seen rape used as a tactic of war before in Bosnia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. In too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.

Last month, I traveled to Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where over 1,100 rapes are reported every month. I met with survivors of sexual violence. And the physical and emotional damage to individual women and their families from these attacks cannot be quantified, nor can the toll on their societies.

The dehumanizing nature of sexual violence doesn’t just harm a single individual or a single family or even a single village or a single group. It shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings, it endangers families and communities, erodes social and political stability, and undermines economic progress. We need to understand that it holds all of us back. Also, our failure as an international body to respond concretely to this global problem erodes our collective effectiveness. So we must act now to end this crisis not only to protect vulnerable people and promote human security, but to uphold the legitimacy of this body.

Now, the international community has made progress. Many peacekeeping mandates now include Security Council requests for strengthened measures to prevent and respond to sexual violence. In Chad and Sudan, UN peacekeepers have clear instructions underscoring their responsibility to protect local populations against sexual and gender-based violence.

And I recently met with the UN troops in Liberia, who provide an excellent example of the steps a UN mission can take, Mr. Secretary General, both through its own actions and in cooperation with the host government to prevent violence against women and girls. It is also very important that in Liberia, the United Nations mission includes an all-women police unit from India. That all-women police unit has helped to motivate more Liberian women to become police officers, and the mission has launched a joint UN-Liberian campaign against rape.

Now, these steps are essential, but alone they’re not sufficient. So this resolution identifies specific steps that the United Nations and member-states can and should take to improve the UN response to sexual violence committed during situations of armed conflict. It calls on the Secretary General to appoint a special representative to lead, coordinate, and advocate for efforts to end sexual violence. We expect that person to engage at high levels with civilian and military leaders to spearhead the UN’s activities on this front.

It also calls on the Secretary General to rapidly deploy a team of experts to work with governments to strengthen the rule of law, address impunity, and enhance accountability while drawing attention to the full range of legal venues that can be brought into play, including domestic, international, and mixed courts that bring local and international judges and prosecutors together to strengthen local justice systems.

We must also recognize that ending conflicts outright is the most certain path to ending sexual violence in conflict. So pursuing peace and successful post-conflict transitions should be our highest priority. In states where conflict is taking place and those that are moving beyond it, local police must receive better training, the rule of law must be strengthened, and survivors must be ensured full access to justice and protection throughout the judicial process. We envision that this team of experts called for in this resolution will help us strengthen initiatives like those.

Now, beyond the measures outlined in the resolution, the Security Council should take additional steps. Protecting women and children should be a critical priority for all troops who wear the blue helmet. To reflect this, new and renewed peacekeeping mandates should include language condemning sexual violence and giving further guidance to peacekeeping missions to work with local authorities to end it.

We must seek to ensure that our respective military and police forces, especially those who will participate in peacekeeping missions, develop the expertise to prevent and respond to violence against women and children. And this will be helped by increasing the number of women who serve in UN peacekeeping missions. When I visited the mission in Goma, I was very impressed at how integrated it was in every way, from every country, every kind of person represented, and many women in the leadership as well as in the ranks.

And let us not forget that it is often women who lead the call for peace in communities shattered by violence. We have seen women in this role from Liberia to Rwanda to Northern Ireland to Guatemala. Even when they suffer terrible losses in conflicts they had no part in starting, women have the will to reach across divisions, find common ground, and foster understanding. As they seek peace, so must we by making sure they are part of all efforts. So I urge UN member-states to make sure their foreign assistance programs include measures to prevent and respond to violence against women and children, and to ensure that women are included in designing and implementing those programs.

In his speech at the General Assembly last week, President Obama challenged nations of the world to assume responsibility for the challenges confronting us. Certainly, the challenge of sexual violence in conflict cannot and should not be separated from the broader security issues confronting this Council. It is time for all of us to assume our responsibility to go beyond condemning this behavior, to taking concrete steps to end it, to make it socially unacceptable, to recognize it is not cultural; it is criminal. And the more we say that over and over and over again, the more we will change attitudes, create peer pressure, and the conditions for the elimination of this violation.

When I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I was told of an old proverb that says “No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come.” Well, I hope our work today and every day going forward will hasten the time when thousands of women around the world will be able to feel comfortable in walking the streets of their cities and villages freely again – to work outside their homes, collect firewood and water without fear, play with their children, spend time with their husbands, enjoy all the blessings of life in freedom, peace, and security. That is our dream for a better future for them and for us, and I thank this body for the strong commitment that this resolution represents. (Applause.)

Thank you so much. I resume now my function as president of the Council. I kind of like being a president, so I – (laughter) – this may go on a little longer than anticipated. (Applause.) And I shall now invite the distinguished Secretary General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon to take the floor.

Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Secretary Clinton’s remarks after the adoption of the resolution:

Transcript of their remarks:

AMBASSADOR RICE: Good morning. It’s my great pleasure to introduce to you somebody who needs no introduction, our tremendously distinguished Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who chaired this morning a historic session of the United Nations Security Council. I’m extremely grateful for her leadership and her partnership in this and in so many other ways. And I will give her to you in just a second.

I will apologize for having to leave. I am in the middle of chairing a Council session and consultations on Guinea, and I expect to come back in my capacity as president to brief you on the results of that subsequently. The Secretary of State.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thank you so much, Ambassador Rice. And I want to reiterate my appreciation for your tremendous leadership here, the entire U.S.-UN mission. We thank you for presiding over the Security Council with such distinction this month and for this last week of work that you helped organize for the President, for myself, and for our Administration.

I was very honored to chair the Security Council today on an issue that is of critical importance. As I have said many times over many years, the role and rights of women in today’s world is a critical core concern of foreign policy. It is national security. Of course, it has a moral and human and social and economic dimension. But the more we know about conflicts, the more we realize that women who do not start conflicts are often the victims. But women have tremendous potential for being peacemakers and peacekeepers. So we will do more to prevent violence against women and girls, particularly sexual violence, as we focused on in the resolution today. But we will also do more to end the conflicts that have made women and children their primary victims and women have to be at the table in ending those conflicts and charting new courses for their societies. So I’m particularly grateful to the Secretary General and the Security Council for taking up this important matter.

I look forward to working to make sure that we coordinate efforts, we have mechanisms that will really produce results. This is not about duplication, this is about a commitment that will actually produce the kinds of actions that all of us know are needed. So with that, let me throw it open.

QUESTION: I want to ask you about a letter that you might have received from Foreign Minister Kouchner from France about the extradition of film director Roman Polanski, and if you did receive such a letter, the gist of what it requested.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I have not seen the letter. I have read about the letter that, I think, both Minister Kouchner and perhaps, Minister Sikorski of Poland have sent. But this is a matter that is not before me. This is a matter that is in the justice system of our government. And I will, of course, respond and answer any questions that my counterparts have, but this is a matter to be dealt with in the ordinary course of law enforcement and justice in the United States.

Yes.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you about Mr. Goldstone’s report, which was released yesterday in Geneva, and since you’ve mentioned about impunity, don’t you think the same principles should apply to the Palestinians who live in Gaza facing Israel’s actions? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. We believe that the mandate for the Goldstone report was one-sided, and that many of the recommendations are appropriately dealt with by the institutions within Israel; therefore, we believe that the appropriate venue within the international system is the Human Rights Council. We and other nations will be engaged about that, but we have grave concerns about the recommendations.

Yes.

QUESTION: What role would you like members of the Colombian Supreme Court – Court of Justice in the next coming days – what are your issues regarding – or your interest regarding this meeting?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m not aware that I will be personally meeting. But I believe there may well be, if there is such a meeting, others within our government, including from the State Department. We have worked very closely over many years with the Colombian Government to support the people of Colombia in their struggle against both the narco-traffickers and the drug cartels, as well as the continuing insurgency by the FARC. We are always evaluating what needs to be done. And we also offer, we hope, constructive advice whenever possible to assist the Colombian Government and the Colombian people.

Yes, yes. Yes, right there. Yeah, yeah.

QUESTION: Hello, Madame, how are you? Iran seems unwilling to step down from its position that it will not suspend enrichment of uranium. Are you – on the eve of these talks, are you at all considering any such formula to step down from your demand of suspension of uranium in order to make these talks in Geneva go forward? What is your message on the eve of these talks?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am certainly looking forward to the talks commencing in Geneva. We have made it very clear, through the P-5+1 and also through bilateral approaches to Iran, that we support what the international community has said with a unified voice. The P-5+1 statement that we issued last week here in the United Nations clearly set out the dual tracks that we are proceeding on.

On the one hand, Iran has a choice – to comply with its international obligations – and that would mean not only offering inspection, but ending its activities absent the kind of monitoring and supervision that would guarantee that what they’re doing is solely for peaceful purposes, and the alternative track, which is greater isolation and international pressure.

I’m not going to prejudge the outcome of this meeting which has not yet started, but we obviously are doing everything we can with others in the international community to make the choices to Iran very clear.

Thank you all. Thank you all very much.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s a United Nations matter.

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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