EU Presidency Statement - Sexual Exploitation

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey; the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and the EFTA countries Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

We would like to thank the Secretary-General for the report on the special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse as set out in document A/58/777.

As we have emphasised before, sexual exploitation, including all forms of trafficking, and related offences, particularly in the case of vulnerable persons depending on international aid, are completely unacceptable. Thus the European Union welcomes the progress made in the development of tools and guidelines to establish a reporting process that is sensitive to the needs of victims and towards the promotion of a culture in which sexual exploitation and abuse are not tolerated. Transparent monitoring and accountability structures need to be established for both civilian and military personnel in each field operation, with appropriate backup at HQ. In this regard, the EU encourages the UN to work more closely with Member States towards greater transparency and accountability.

The European Union underlines the importance of the concrete measures detailed in the report to ensure consistent and coherent implementation of the Secretary-General's bulletin (ST/SGB/2003/13) on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. We urge that all categories of personnel serving under the UN flag be made fully aware, inter alia through appropriate training, of the standards of conduct expected of them. The EU welcomes the proposals of the working group, established by the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, in particular on the appointment of a senior-level female sexual exploitation and abuse focal points in field operations. We believe it is appropriate to have a gender-balanced composition for the investigation teams in such cases.

We would like to underline the importance of incorporating the core principles of the Secretary-General's bulletin into codes of conduct by all parts of the United Nations system. The European Union fully supports the guidelines completed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force and welcomes its ongoing commitment to address the issue.

However, as indicated in the current report of the Secretary-General, the complaint procedures and victim support mechanisms are not yet adequate. Those who are found to have engaged in acts of sexual exploitation must be held accountable and not be eligible for future UN staff duties. In this regard, the European Union stresses the importance of developing appropriate complaints procedures and investigative protocols using the guidance of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force.

The importance of developing these procedures and mechanisms was emphasized for us when we saw the recent report from Amnesty International which said that trafficking of women and girls in post-conflict situations will never end as long as the perpetrators go free and as long as civilian and military personnel are allowed to commit human rights violations with impunity.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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