EU Statement – UN Security Council: Open debate on Women, Peace and Security on Honouring the promise of international law to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence

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Madam President, Distinguished Participants,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, as well as Andorra, and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

We thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo for organising today's open debate, as well as today's briefers for their sobering remarks. We reiterate our strong support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and her team in delivering on their important mandate. We commend their continued commitment to objective and evidence-based reporting in the implementation of this mandate. The annual report is an essential contribution by the United Nations to documenting and addressing conflict-related sexual violence.

We are deeply alarmed by the escalation in the volume and brutality of conflict-related sexual violence reflected in the report, with verified cases that have more than doubled in 2025 alone, and with the real numbers probably being much higher, due to significant underreporting because of insecurity, stigma and limited access to services.

We are gravely concerned by conflict-related sexual violence committed by State actors, terrorist organisations and armed groups, wherever and whenever it occurs - be it in the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Sudan or elsewhere. The gaps in services to survivors, the limited capacities of the UN system to address and report violations, and the persistent impunity reflected in the report are deeply disturbing and underscore the urgent need to strengthen prevention, protection and accountability.

Permanent members of the Security Council bear a special responsibility to maintain international peace and security, and in doing so, to uphold and promote respect for international law. The report lists, for the first time, Russian armed and security forces for committing conflict-related sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in the context of the illegal and unjustified Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's continuing violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Ukraine, including the systematic and wide-spread use of rape and other conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence by Russia as a weapon of war. We reaffirm the EU's commitment to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, including investigations by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, and for the rights of victims to justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition to be upheld.

The EU reiterates its continued support for Ukraine's efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence through a survivor-centred and accountability-driven approach. The EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine supports the investigation and prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence, in partnership with the Office of the Prosecutor General and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

The Secretary General's report continues to list Hamas for sexual violence against civilians and hostages during and in the aftermath of the 7 October terror attacks. It also lists this year for the first time the Israeli armed and security forces for cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. We call upon all parties to comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law. We underline that there must be steps to prevent and address sexual violence, access granted for UN investigations, as well as accountability and access to justice for all victims.

Madam President,

We call on all parties assessed in this report to heed the call of the Secretary General to cease acts of sexual violence, take measures to address and prevent its occurrence, allow unfettered access to relevant UN bodies for monitoring purposes and cooperate with relevant entities. For example, the report highlights the engagement of the DRC with the Special Representative and the subsequent downward trend of cases attributed to the Congolese National Police.

Efforts must continue to end impunity and ensure accountability for all violations and abuses of international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law wherever they take place, to prevent recurrence and break cycles of violence. The European Union and its Member States apply this principle consistently, including by holding our own armed forces, missions and operations accountable, through a code of conduct. The same standards should apply to all actors. Allegations of conflict-related sexual violence must be investigated thoroughly, independently, and without delay wherever they occur. United Nations instruments, including the listing mechanism established through UNSCR 1960, give us the tools in this regard. We also call on States to build their national accountability mechanism to prosecute perpetrators of sexual violence.

Madam President,

The EU remains strongly committed to the prevention and elimination of conflict-related sexual violence, wherever and whenever it occurs, as well as to guarantee a gender-responsive, survivor-centred and trauma-informed approach in all efforts.

To prevent and respond to sexual violence in a survivor-centred way, based on UN Security Council Resolution 2467, the EU supports UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict through a more than EUR 1 million project, equipping partners with the tools and training. In Mali and Cameroon, EU-funded partnerships with UNFPA provide survivor-centred protection, psychosocial support and sexual and reproductive health services in conflict-affected areas. In Sudan and Chad, two EUR 3 million EU-funded projects strengthen the prevention of and response to gender-based violence by training local service providers, supporting community-based organisations and empowering women. The EU also supports reparations and redress through the Global Survivor Fund, which provided interim reparative measures to nearly 4,000 survivors in 2025 alone in more than ten different fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Madam President,

In closing, the European Union believes that the focus must remain firmly forward-looking in addressing conflict-related sexual violence. The objective is not only to document and respond to conflict-related sexual violence, but to ensure that it is prevented, that accountability is consistently enforced, and that survivors have access to comprehensive and sustained support. This requires closing the gap between existing normative frameworks and their implementation in practice. The tools are available; the challenge lies in their systematic application, adequate resourcing, and political will to act consistently across all contexts. We will continue to do our part and call on the international community to do the same.

Thank you.

1. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.