A/RES/51/115 Page 2 international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 19497 and the Additional Protocols thereto, of 1977,8 Recalling its resolution 3074 (XXVIII) of 3 December 1973, entitled "Principles of international cooperation in the detection, arrest, extradition and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity", as well as Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/77 of 9 March 1994,9 General Assembly resolutions 48/143 of 20 December 1993, 49/205 of 23 December 1994 and 50/192 of 22 December 1995, and relevant resolutions of the Commission on the Status of Women, Reaffirming the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 798 (1992) of 18 December 1992, in which, inter alia, the Council strongly condemned those acts of unspeakable brutality, Welcoming the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed in Paris on 14 December 1995,10 as a key mechanism for achieving a durable and just peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Taking note of the previous report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, regarding rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, inter alia, states that only sporadic cases of rape and sexual violence have occurred since the previous report of the Secretary-General,11 Convinced that the heinous practice of rape, in fulfilling the policy of ethnic cleansing, constitutes a deliberate weapon of war, and recalling its resolution 47/121 of 18 December 1992, in which it stated, inter alia, that the abhorrent policy of ethnic cleansing was a form of genocide, Desirous of ensuring that persons accused of authorizing, aiding and perpetrating rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia will be brought to justice without further delay by the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, where appropriate, Underlining, in this context, the need for the protection of the rape victims and the provision of effective guarantees of privacy and confidentiality of the rape victims, and desirous of facilitating their 7 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970-973. 8 Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513. 9 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1994, Supplement No. 4 and corrigendum (E/1994/24 and Corr.1), chap. II, sect. A. 10 See A/50/790-S/1995/999; see Official Records of the Security Council, Fiftieth Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1995, document S/1995/999. 11 A/50/329. 97-77161 /...