Acting Ambassador Deirdre Brown delivers a joint statement marking the 2025 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine and my own country the United Kingdom.
Today, on 19 June, we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. We pay tribute to victims, survivors and those around the world who dedicate their lives to ending conflict-related sexual violence.
Madam Chair, the global scale and trajectory of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) cases in recent years is deeply concerning. In the OSCE region, we have continued to see evidence of conflict-related sexual violence committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, indicating its potential use as a tactic of war. This has been documented by successive Moscow Mechanism reports, ODIHR Interim Reports and other independent monitoring.
It is vital that we, the international community, take effective action to end impunity for conflict-related sexual violence. Sexual violence in all forms must stop, all perpetrators must be held accountable, and survivors must be supported.
The UN Security Council's resolutions on prevention and response to CRSV are important mechanisms in this regard. Multilateral cooperation and international initiatives such as the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict and the OSCE's mandated work on prevention and accountability for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Armed Conflict highlight the importance of working together towards internationally agreed standards on accountability and support to survivors.
We strongly support the priorities of Ukraine's 2025 chairpersonship of the International Alliance, and its specific focus on raising awareness of sexual violence in conflict settings, strengthening international support for survivors, and mobilising global efforts towards justice.
It is important that conflict-related sexual violence is tackled as part of wider global action to end all forms of gender-based violence, achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity, implement global Women, Peace and Security commitments, empower women's rights organisations, and promote and defend comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
Madam Chair, participating States must continue to work together to promote international action to address and prevent conflict-related sexual violence. We must work to ensure that survivor-centred approaches are at the heart of our collective international response, and that survivors including children born of conflict-related sexual violence receive the support and protection they need.
