Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

“In the course of 2024, more than 4,600 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including as a tactic of war, torture, terror and political repression, were documented, marking a staggering 25 percent increase from 2023, which was itself a 50 percent increase from the previous year,” the UN’s envoy on sexual violence in conflict told the Security Council.

Briefing the Council today (Aug 19), Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, warned that even as needs rise, funding for women’s frontline organizations is collapsing. “We are told there is no money for lifesaving aid, even as military expenditure soars, and the world spends more in 24 hours on arms than it does in a year on addressing gender-based violence in conflict,” she said.

Patten’s remarks drew on the Secretary-General’s latest annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, published on 14 August and covering the period from January to December 2024.

She noted that women and girls accounted for 92 percent of verified cases last year, with victims ranging in age from one to 75 years old. “Sexual violence against children increased by a shocking 35 percent over the past year, with incidents of gang-rape rising dramatically, inflicting enduring, generational harm,” she said.

From Darfur, Ikhlass Ahmed of the Darfur Advocacy Group described how sexual violence remains widespread. “Hardly a day goes by without a new report of rape of a woman or girl,” she told the Council, adding that more than 30 women and girls have been detained by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher for over seven months. “These stories and these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, as survivors often remain silent due to stigma and fear of retaliation,” she said.

Ahmed also reported at least 174 attacks on health providers and facilities since the conflict began, including clinics serving survivors of sexual violence. “In April, the RSF burned down a women-led community kitchen in Zamzam Camp, deliberately killing volunteers Hasanat Musa, who was pregnant, and Nana Bahar Idris,” she added.

Before the debate, the signatories to the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security – Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, the UK, and the US – delivered a joint statement on conflict-related sexual violence, at a stakeout ahead of the meeting.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Panama’s ambassador to the UN, Eloy Alfaro de Alba, called for accountability and greater support for survivors. “We call for an end to impunity for sexual and gender-based violence and demand accountability as the norm for these crimes,” he said. “We stress the urgent need for sustained, flexible and predictable funding for victims and survivor-centered responses, including through a multi-partner Trust Fund on CRSV.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkmsdv_peyw

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The commemoration of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad will be observed with a brief ceremony organized by the UN Staff Union’s Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.

Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Operational Support (accompanied by survivors of that bombing) will lead the Wreath-laying ceremony, he will lay a wreath in front of the plaque honouring those who lost their lives in Baghdad, followed by a moment of silence.

The ceremony also marks the observance of World Humanitarian Day designated by the General Assembly in 2008 to coincide with the date of the bombing in Baghdad. The Day also honours humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMzTdiWRXXI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

On World Humanitarian Day, USG Gilles Michaud speaks from Gaza, honoring humanitarian workers and calling for their protection. Local colleagues—who make up 90% of the workforce—are the backbone of life-saving operations worldwide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZJeiVaeqM