Hosted by

• Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions, Belgium
• Janez Lenarčič, European Union Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management

Read Commissioner Lenarčič's remarks from the event: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_22_5746

Background

International humanitarian law (IHL) aims to provide protection to the most vulnerable in the inhumane context of war. Yet, violations of these basic norms of humanity continue to be widespread in contemporary conflicts. Even more so, very few of the victims of these violations have access to justice, and most perpetrators never face responsibility for their crimes. Such impunity silences the survivors, emboldens the perpetrators and consequently undermines the confidence in and commitment to IHL. It also undermines the prospects for sustainable and inclusive peace and development.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is among the most widespread forms of violations of IHL. It is a reality in all humanitarian crises. Women and girls but also men and boys are at risk of facing sexual and gender-based violence, often deliberately used as a weapon of war. In 2021, the number of girls subjected to sexual violence increased, as reported by the Secretary General in his recent report on Children and Armed Conflict. Cases of sexual violence continued to be vastly underreported and characterized by widespread immunity for the perpetrators. The victims face stigmatization, are concerned about their safety and fear reprisals, and often do not have access to adequate services.

The international community has taken steps to address these violations, such as public denouncements, the establishment of a strengthened international normative framework through UNSC resolutions, and efforts to increase the knowledge among non-state armed groups of the applicable rules. These are encouraging developments, but compared to the thousands of UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence, they are rare exceptions, and impunity continues to prevail. 

The objective of this session is to investigate how we can support justice and accountability for serious violations of IHL, which will in turn buttress our efforts to consolidate the commitment to IHL. The session will focus in particular on strengthening early and sustained action to prevent sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, and ensure protection for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.