Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

Thank you, Madame Vice Prime Minister, for convening this inter-ministerial roundtable. I wish to express my gratitude to all the representatives of the relevant Ministries present here today for dedicating your time at this challenging moment. I am grateful for the opportunity to be in Kyiv for the signing of this Framework of Cooperation, which addresses one of the most heinous and under-reported crimes that occurs during conflicts. I felt that it was important for me to come here physically for the signing as an expression of the United Nation’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine. I also wish to acknowledge and pay tribute to the strong political will of the Government to address sexual violence that is occurring in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.ÌýÌý

Mandate basis and purpose of the FrameworkÌý

ÌýMy mandate as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict was established by the United Nations Security Council in 2009, to provide coherent and strategic leadership in this area. It was a recognition by the Security Council that sexual violence in conflict represents a legitimate threat to the maintenance of international peace and security, and therefore requires an operational security and justice response to prevent such crimes, as well as comprehensive services for survivors. The elements of this response have been detailed in a series of resolutions of the Security Council, which serve as a normative and substantive basis for the Framework of Cooperation. Crucially, the Framework builds on and will seek to further reinforce Ukraine’s National Action Plan on Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and SecurityÌýÌý

The Framework envisions the strengthening of the partnership of the United Nations and Government of Ukraine through joint actions and programmes to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen survivor-centered responses by supporting and reinforcing national mechanisms and institutions. Therefore, a comprehensive response will require the commitment and initiatives of all the Ministries represented here, as well as other national actors and institutions. It will also require on-going consultation with civil society, and crucially the input of survivors themselves who will serve as a ‘moral compass’ for our joint efforts.ÌýÌý

ÌýCritical Pillars of the FrameworkÌý

ÌýI wish to emphasize five critical areas that I consider at the heart of this Framework:Ìý

First, is strengthening rule of law and accountability as a central pillar of deterrence and prevention of crimes of sexual violence. By holding perpetrators accountable we send a clear and unequivocal signal that there are costs and consequences for committing, commanding or condoning sexual violence. Practically, this will entail support to the justice sector, including for legislative reform efforts and capacity-building of relevant justice sector actors, including training of investigators, prosecutors, judges, police officers and other law enforcement personnel. My Office recently published Model Legislative Provisions and Guidance on Investigation and Prosecution of Conflict-related Sexual Violence that may serve as a tool and resource in this area.ÌýÌý

Second, is strengthening the capacity of the security and defense sector to prevent sexual violence. This will require specific action plans by the military, police, border guards and other government security and defense forces. The resolutions of the Security Council on sexual violence in conflict refer specifically to the issuance of Command Orders prohibiting such crimes and establishment of related enforcement and disciplinary procedures as part of instituting effective ‘zero tolerance policies’. The resolutions also stipulate the prohibition of sexual violence in Codes of Conduct, military and police field manuals or the equivalent, as well as the commitment to investigate and prosecute alleged violations through the military and civilian justice systems, as appropriate. Leveraging the experience that we have gained over the past 10 years in building the prevention and response capacity of United Nations Peacekeepers, we stand ready to support the training of Ukrainian security and defense forces in this area. An Analytical Inventory of Best Practices of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Peacekeeping Operations to Prevent Sexual Violence in Conflict has served as a basis for scenario-based training modules for Peacekeepers and this may also be adapted to serve as a tool in this area.ÌýÌý

Third, is ensuring that survivors of sexual violence, as well as their children, have access to comprehensive services, including sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial, legal, socioeconomic services and reintegration support. There is a critical link between service provision and accountability: only when services are re-established will the survivors be willing to share their testimony. Therefore, there is an urgent need to re-establish the referral pathways to ensure survivor-centered accountability and response. This will entail support to Ukraine’s national health and social services systems by relevant programmatic Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ entities who compose the United Nations Country Team in Ukraine.ÌýÌý

Fourth, even as you address the immediate challenges of active conflict, it is important in the context of on-going negotiations for cessation of hostilities, to ensure that sexual violence is reflected in the framework of a ceasefire agreement, and that sexual violence is reflected in specific provisions of any peace agreement, including those related to security arrangements and transitional justice mechanisms. It is also essential to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence crimes are excluded from amnesty provisions. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has developed specific guidance that serves as a tool for Mediators and Monitors in this area, and this tool may also be adapted to inform your initiatives in this regard.ÌýÌý

Fifth, the Framework of Cooperation also addresses the concerns of conflict-related trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation/prostitution. This is a critical area of concern given the acute vulnerability of the millions of civilians, predominantly women and children, who have become internally displaced or have been forced to flee across Ukraine’s borders. Risk mitigation measures must be put in place, and this will entail awareness-raising of military personnel, Border Guards, Police and immigration officials. This is an issue that will also require action of neighboring and receiving countries, which is why I will visit Poland and Moldova during this mission, and also go to Brussels to engage the European Union institutions.ÌýÌý

What the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ will bringÌý

Although my Office has primarily an advocacy mandate, it is our role to mobilize the United Nations system and catalyze the implementation of the Framework of Cooperation. In this regard, I Chair Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict which is a network comprised of 21 United Nations entities with programmatic and operational mandates that can be brought to bear to support the implementation of the Framework. The Coordinator of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Action, who is part of my Office and accompanying this mission, will engage the relevant Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ entities at headquarters level to determine what they will be able to bring to the table. At the same time, it is my intention to deploy a Senior Women Protection Adviser to the Office of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, to spearhead coordination of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ entities based here.ÌýÌý

My mandate architecture also includes a Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1888. The Team Leader of this Team of Experts is also accompanying my mission as part of our on-going assessment of specific initiatives on which we can support the justice sector. As a first step, it is our intention to deploy sexual violence expertise into the Ukraine Monitoring Team of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to strengthen monitoring and documentation in this area as a precursor of and contribution to future prosecutions. This deployment, together with the Senior Women Protection Adviser, will work to establish the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence that were mandated by Security Council resolution 1960.ÌýÌý

Finally, I intend to deploy an expert on trafficking who will work with the relevant Ukrainian authorities and regionally with neighboring and receiving countries to put in place measures to mitigate conflict-related trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation/prostitution.Ìý

As part of my advocacy efforts, it is my intention to prioritize the mobilization of donor resources for the implementation of the Framework of Cooperation. As mentioned, I will take this up with the institutions of the European Union next week, and I will also engage with the United States government and Senate in a visit to Washington DC planned for the week of 23 May. In June, I intend to do a resource mobilization tour of Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark – all of whom are committed partners on this agenda.ÌýÌý

ÌýImmediate actions required from Ukrainian institutionsÌý

Given that the Framework of Cooperation will require the concerted action of many Ministries and other national institutions, the overall coordination of your national response represents one of the biggest challenges in the implementation process. Therefore, the leadership of the Vice Prime Minister will be instrumental in convening an inter-ministerial coordination modality. I am greatly encouraged by the strong commitment of the Vice Prime Minister which is already clearly evident. However, to support her leadership role it will also be essential that all relevant line Ministries and other relevant national institutions appoint High-Level Focal Points who are empowered to take executive decisions toward the implementation of the Framework. I look forward to receiving further information on the internal coordination modalities that will be established, as well as the senior focal points that will be designated.ÌýÌý

Finally, and as already mentioned, consultation with NGOs and civil-society partners will be crucial if our collective efforts are to succeed. Therefore, I also look forward to receiving further information on a civil-society consultative modality to the Framework of Cooperation. I look forward to discussing this further with some of the civil society organizations later today in a meeting that will be hosted by Ms. Kateryna Levchenko your Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy.Ìý

Before concluding my opening reflections, I wish to sound a word of caution to all parties to this conflict. It is essential that allegations of conflict-related sexual violence are not used as a means of war propaganda, and state bodies in particular must be cautious in making generic allegations that are not supported by evidence. It is also incumbent upon the United Nations to be balanced in its reporting and not replicate without evidence language used by the media referring to allegations not yet verified. I am confident that Ukrainian authorities will lead by example in this regard, because not to do so will be a dis-service to the victims who demand and deserve truth and justice.ÌýÌýÌý

I look forward to your initial considerations on the Framework of Cooperation from the perspective of the Ministries and institutions that you represent.ÌýÌý

Thank you.Ìý

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