Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Permanent Missions of Ukraine, Germany, Estonia, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, as well as the Open Society Foundations for gathering us today to galvanize support for the strategic partnership between the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations to address conflict-related sexual violence.
In May, I visited Kyiv and Lyiv, because I could not watch passively from my office in New York as harrowing testimonies of rape, gang-rape, and sexualized torture continued to surface. This visit resulted in the signing of a Framework of Cooperation with the Government of Ukraine, on behalf of the United Nations system. This follows the operational methodology of my mandate, which recognizes that we, as the United Nations, can support, but can never supplant, the primary responsibility of States to protect their populations. The Framework includes five critical areas of focus: firstly, ensuring that survivors and their children have access to comprehensive services; secondly, strengthening the rule of law and accountability; thirdly, building the capacity of the security and defense sector to prevent sexual violence; fourthly, ensuring that sexual violence is reflected in any ceasefire or peace agreement; and finally, addressing concerns related to conflict-driven trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Positive steps have already been taken to translate these commitments into concrete action by the national authorities. In this regard, I would like to sincerely commend the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, H.E. Olga Stefanishyna, who, with the support of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Ms. Levchenko, convened an Inter-Governmental Task Force, including the Ministries of Justice, Defense, Interior, Health, and Social Services, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Office of the Ombudsman, as part of a 鈥渨hole-of-government鈥� approach. Sub-working groups for each of the priority areas, co-chaired by my Office, were swiftly established, and included civil society representation. Through this consultative process, an implementation plan has been developed to guide action on each pillar of the Framework, in a holistic manner. The plan will ensure that the national capacity to investigate and prosecute allegations of wartime sexual violence is enhanced through coordination with first responders and the establishment of a specialized unit within the Office of the Prosecutor General. It will ensure that comprehensive services and effective referral pathways are in place; that security actors are trained to respect and enforce zero-tolerance policies; and measures are taken to mitigate the risk of human trafficking. This will remain a 鈥渓iving鈥� document, in order to ensure agile programming that keeps pace with a fluid and fast-changing environment. I am also encouraged by the support received to date from the donor and diplomatic community, and would like to express my profound gratitude to Belgium, Denmark, the European Union, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States for their contributions, which will support the deployment of dedicated expertise to affected areas, and the provision of multi-sectoral services. Moving forward, our efforts will require sustained political resolve and resources equal to the scale of the challenge.
Finally, the results of our efforts will be measured through the eyes of survivors and frontline civil society actors. I am confident that with sustained support, including from partners in this room, we can ensure that the lofty ideals of international law are felt in the lives of those affected and at risk. Thank you.