UN Human Rights Council
60th session – Item 3
L.28 – General Comment
Promotion and protection of the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations: ensuring justice, remedies and reparation for the victims
EU General Comment
Mr President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the Human Rights Council. This general comment has been agreed by the EU as a whole.
The EU thanks Qatar and Costa Rica for presenting draft resolution L.28 on “Promotion and protection of the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations”.
The EU attaches great importance to both the situation of women and the situation of children in conflict.
Women and girls are distinctly affected by conflict, through inter alia conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary killings, torture, child, early, and forced marriage, and lack of access to health services. At the same time, women are underrepresented in decision-making on peace and security, even though they play a crucial role as agents of change in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building. As we mark the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325, we reaffirm the EU’s commitment to its implementation, as well as our continued focus on gender equality in conflict-affected contexts.
Children are also disproportionately affected by conflict, facing unique vulnerabilities. Not only does conflict hamper their rights to health and education, it also exacerbates the risks of killing and maiming, recruitment and use, sexual violence, abduction, as well as family separation, trafficking and exploitation, in addition to leading to long term harm to children’s physical and mental health.
Mr. President,
The EU would have preferred a resolution that did not conflate the distinct rights of women and children; keeping Women, Peace and Security and Children and Armed Conflict as two distinct yet complementary agendas. In this context, we consider it important to ensure that initiatives build on existing frameworks addressing these issues, ensuring coherence across related efforts. We acknowledge that the core group has taken some of our proposals on board, and we respect the core group’s efforts towards striking a balance that can be accepted by all Member States. In that sense, the EU is pleased to join consensus on draft resolution L.28
In March next year, the EU, together with GRULAC, will once again present our traditional resolution on the Rights of the Child focusing precisely on children in conflict, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Member States on this important topic.
Thank you.
