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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000893 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IO, AF, S/GWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM SOCI KPKO KWMN UNSC CG
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CLINTON CHAIRS UNANIMOUS ADOPTION OF 
UNSCR 1888 ON CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000893  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
  ¶1.  (SBU) Summary. Secretary of State Clinton chaired the 
unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1888 
on conflict-related sexual violence which was co-sponsored 
by 68 UN member states including 10 members of the Security 
Council.  Russia, China, Libya, Uganda and Vietnam did not 
co-sponsor the text.  All 15 members of the Security 
Council made statements, including Alain Joyandet, French 
Secretary of State for Cooperation and la Francophonie, 
Bedouma Alain Yoda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Burkina 
Faso, as well as Secretary General Ban ki-Moon. 
Delegations were unanimous in their praise of U.S. 
leadership on the resolution's action-oriented nature, with 
many lauding its appointment of a Special Representative 
dedicated to sexual violence, and plans to deploy a team of 
experts to conflict areas.  End summary. 
 
¶2.    (SBU) On September 30 Secretary of State Clinton 
chaired 
the unanimous adoption of UNSCR 1888.  In addition to the 
members of the Security Council, dozens of non-governmental 
organizations and representatives from non-Council member 
states attended this open session.  Applause broke out 
following several interventions, including after Secretary 
Clinton's remarks, a rare occurrence in the typically stoic 
Security Council.  UNSCR 1888 was co-sponsored by a diverse 
list of 68 UN member states, including 10 members of the 
Security Council (see paragraph 9 for complete list of 
co-sponsors).  Russia, China, Libya, Uganda and Vietnam 
were the Security Council members who refrained from co-s 
ponsoring the text.  The Secretary delivered the U.S. 
statement, emphasizing that the Security Council bears 
primary responsibility for maintaining international peace 
and security, which includes protecting the lives and 
physical security of women and children.  She urged member 
states to ensure that assistance programs include measures 
to prevent and respond to violence against women and 
children and include women when designing and implementing 
these programs.  UN Secretary General Ban pledged to impleme 
nt the elements of 1888 and ensure that gender equality is 
advanced among United Nations staff.  He commended the 
United States for its leadership on the resolution and 
stated that, "the Security Council is sending an 
unequivocal message," with the passage of 1888. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs Bedouma 
Alain Yoda focused on the widespread, "scourge of sexual 
violence," in Africa and stated that these acts create 
greater hatred among parties and makes peace harder to 
achieve.  French Secretary of State for Cooperation and la 
Francophonie Alain Joyandet alerted the Council to the 
tragedy now occurring in Guinea, where acts of sexual 
violence were being committed against women. Joyandet 
emphasized the need to rapidly implement the components of 
UNSCR 1888, including by filling the new Special 
Representative (SRSG) post and ensuring that the team of 
experts and women's protection advisors be effectively 
constructed.  He emphasized that the new SRSG should remain 
in close contact with the Special Representative on 
Children and Armed conflict, as acts of sexual violence are 
often focused on minors, including in the Democratic 
Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 60 percent of rapes are 
committed against children. 
 
Praise from Council Co-sponsors 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.     (SBU)  Delegations were unanimous in their 
praise of U.S. leadership with Turkey, Burkina Faso and 
most others praising the resolution's substantial and 
action-oriented nature.  All speakers acknowledged that 
perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence should not 
enjoy impunity for their crimes.  UK Permanent 
Representative John Sawers lauded UNSCR 1888's creation of 
steps, "to name and shame parties to armed conflict that 
perpetrated sexual violence," and highlighted the creation 
of the team of experts and measures to improve information 
flow within the UN system.  Mexico and Costa Rica also 
specifically named the team of experts as a welcome 
component of the resolution, with Costa Rica recommending 
that it would be timely and appropriate to build on 
initiatives such as the UN Standing Police Capacity. 
Sawers noted the DRC Foreign Minister's statement during 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000893  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
the recent General Debate which called sexual violence in 
his country one of the most shameful and serious crimes 
experienced by humanity in the twenty-first century; the UK 
welcomed steps taken by DRC forces to end these 
atrocities.  Sawers ended his intervention by emphasizing 
that the Security Council must, "never again relegate the 
question of systemic sexual violence to being a secondary 
issue." 
 
Recognition of SRSG's Importance 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.    (SBU) Mexico suggested that the SRSG work in a 
coordinated manner throughout the UN system, taking into 
consideration the broad relationship between UNSCR 1888, 
UNSCR 1820, as well as resolutions concerning children and 
armed conflict.  Costa Rican Permanent Representative Jorge 
Urbina emphasized that the SRSG should not carry out 
operational activities, but strengthen those already in 
place to avoid duplication of effort.   Turkish Permanent 
Representative Ertugrul Apakan stated that the appointment 
of an SRSG is, "an important, yet a most necessary and 
belated step," and demonstrated the international 
community's commitment and political will to preventing 
sexual violence against women.  Croatia and Austria were 
similarly enthusiastic, with Croatian Permanent 
Representative Ranko Vilovic stating that the idea, 
"deserves special praise."  France, and Turkey also 
specifically commended the resolution's creation of an 
SRSG. 
 
¶6.    (SBU) Mexican Permanent Representative Claude 
Heller stated that the significant number of resolution 
co-sponsors demonstrated the resolve of the international 
community, and urged the Council to pay close attention to 
ongoing negotiations on the establishment of a gender 
entity and commit to renew the SRSG's term in two years. 
Japanese Permanent Representative Yukio Takasu encouraged 
countries to provide women and children with a full range 
of services to protect and empower them via a human 
security approach.   As the Chair of the Human Security 
Network, Costa Rica also emphasized the importance of human 
security, including prevention, protection, women's 
participation, accountability, assistance to victims and 
data collection.  Austria noted its plan to focus on the 
issue of protection of civilians in armed conflict during 
its Security Council presidency in November. 
 
Statements from China, Libya, Russia, 
Uganda and Vietnam 
---------------------------------------- 
 
 
¶7.     (SBU)  Chinese Permanent Representative Zhang 
Yesui welcomed the "flexible spirit" of the negotiations 
and underscored China's condemnation of all acts of 
violence against women, including conflict-related sexual 
violence.  Zhang appealed to all parties to armed conflict 
to respect both international human rights law and 
international humanitarian law, and emphasized that 
Governments bear the primary responsibility to prevent 
sexual violence.  He stated that women's participation and 
concern for their rights should be central to the peace 
processes and civil society groups should play an active 
role.  Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin 
focused on a comprehensive approach to women's rights, 
stating that sexual violence should not be considered 
separately from other issues of gender equality and women's 
empowerment, including their participation in peace 
negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. 
 
¶8.    Vietnamese Permanent Representative Le Luong Minh 
welcomed the increasing awareness of sexual violence since 
the passage of UNSCR 1820 and emphasized that women's 
empowerment will ensure that their, "voices are heard, 
rights respected and needs met."  He proposed the creation 
of a broad strategic framework to protect women and girls 
to include social, economic and development issues.  As the 
next President of the Security Council, Vietnam will 
convene an open debate October 5 on "Responding to the 
needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations for 
sustainable peace and security."  Ugandan Permanent 
Representative Ruhankana Rugunda welcomed the resolution's 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000893  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
adoption, while emphasizing that strong rule-of-law and 
capacity-building measures are needed to ensure 
perpetrators are brought to justice.  Libya also focused on 
impunity, recalling the Council's visit to the DRC and 
other African countries suffering from conflict.  Libyan 
Permanent Representative Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham 
stated that it is, "indispensible that legislation be 
adopted to ensure that perpetrators, whether in Iraq, the 
DRC or Palestine," be brought to justice. 
 
Cosponsors of Resolution 1888 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9.     UNSCR 1888 co-sponsors are Albania, Argentina, 
Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Costa 
Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, 
Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, 
Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, 
Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 
Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, 
New Zealand, Liberia, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, 
Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, 
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, 
Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 
Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, and United States of 
America. 
RICE