Ambassador Tammy Bruce
Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations
New York, New York
AS DELIVERED
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Thank you, Madam President, and congratulations on the DRC’s presidency, and I appreciate your remarks that you just delivered. And of course, a thank you to our briefers as well.
The United States welcomes this opportunity to consider how both the Security Council and all UN Member States could do more to prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, to provide support for victims, and to ensure perpetrators are held to account.
Often rhetoric matters, but we know, and survivors know, that actions matter most. The President of the United States, President Trump and the United States, is leading the way on ending conflicts around the world. At the same time, while conflicts rage on, it is imperative that we take action, individually and collectively, to protect the most vulnerable – most often, girls and women.
Sexual violence is a scourge in war and in domestic life. Every woman in this room, knows of what I speak, directly and indirectly – as have our mothers, sisters, friends, and spouses.
Unfortunately, the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence fails to support tangible actions. Instead, it focuses on words – empty rhetoric, often in pursuit of ideological positions that undermine national sovereignty. This dynamic hampers our ability to make real and lasting change on the ground.
Reports like this one clearly demonstrate the degree to which the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict has drifted away from the purpose of the United Nations and from the needs of Member States, reinforcing the United States’ January 7 decision to cease participation in the Office’s activities.
The United States condemns sexual violence as a tactic of war, and in general in all cases, and we are prepared to use all the tools at our disposal, including targeted sanctions, to impose real costs on perpetrators and their networks. And we have done so.
In February, the United States Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against three commanders of the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) for their actions in El-Fasher, Sudan. Since the beginning of Sudan’s civil war, the RSF has committed widespread atrocities, including rape and other sexual violence against women and children.
Last month, Treasury also announced sanctions against two commanders from M23 and FDLR armed groups with documented histories of human rights abuses, including sexual violence, in eastern DRC.
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We encourage all UN Member States to join the United States in strengthening their own accountability mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence are held responsible.
The United States will continue to uphold our commitments and to call for concrete actions to protect those most at risk.
Many of us have spent decades using rhetoric to try to change society, but this body and the UN has options to take action, and that is what we require in the 21st century. In the modern age, with the number of women in this circle and in this room, there is no excuse.
Violence against women and children, sexual and otherwise, condemns the potential of humanity itself. It cannot be seen as an artifact of the human condition. As civilized people, we can overcome that, and we must.
Ending sexual violence in conflict is of course of paramount importance. That is why we are here, but we will only have it successful, it will only be possible, when we take it seriously when it also happens during peace.
Thank you, Madam President.