A/65/219
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, for action plans to ensure that parties that are listed
will enter into agreements with the United Nations to prevent such violations, hold
individuals accountable and take action to provide support to the victims.
25. Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) also breaks new ground through its
establishment of a focused mandate of the Council dedicated to sexual violence in
conflict. These developments have brought a new momentum to address this critical
issue, and also represent new challenges in terms of coordinated action among a
broad array of United Nations and civil society partners. Beyond the specific focus
of the Council on addressing impunity of perpetrators of sexual violence, at the
level of the General Assembly the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has been established, with a broad
mandate to coordinate the global efforts of the United Nations on gender-related
issues as a whole.
26. Although these developments at the level of the General Assembly and
Security Council represent critical and complementary advances, it is clear that
action at the national level related to the prevention of and response to sexual
violence is ultimately of paramount importance. Emphasis must be placed on the
development and implementation of comprehensive national strategies to combat
sexual violence, particularly in conflict situations and where children are more
vulnerable. In this connection, United Nations organizations stand ready to provide
technical support to national authorities in developing such strategies, and donors
are encouraged to ensure that adequate resources are available for these efforts.
27. Sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeeping personnel and humanitarian
workers remains a challenge and represents a crisis of credibility for the
international community as a whole. Since the General Assembly requested the
Secretary-General to report on such incidents, there has been an increase in the
cases that have been reported, especially in the context of abuses in internally
displaced person and refugee settings. The creation in 2002 of the Inter-Agency
Standing Committee Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
in Humanitarian Crises represents a step forward in enhancing protection measures.
However, even greater commitment is required in implementation of accountability
mechanisms and delivery of assistance to survivors. This is a collective
responsibility of United Nations entities, regional organizations in the context of
their peacekeeping engagements, NGOs and individual Member States in their
capacity as troop-contributing countries.
E.
Internally displaced children affected by armed conflict
28. In the previous report of the Special Representative to the General Assembly,
concerns related to internally displaced children were highlighted and the report
included an annex specifying the rights and guarantees for this vulnerable group
(A/64/254, annex I). The Assembly acknowledged the guarantees in its
resolution 64/162 on the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons.
These rights and guarantees include the principle of non-discrimination, the right to
documentation, protection from violence and abuse, the right to essential services,
and the requirement that when dealing with internally displaced children the best
interest of the child must prevail.
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