Seminar Concept Note

United Nations Peace Operations Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence:

The Role of Member States and UN Peacekeepers

Date and Time: Wednesday, 26 February 2020: 09:00 – 12:30hrs

Venue: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Multipurpose Room, Rijnstraat 8, The Hague

Co-hosted by: the Embassies of Norway, Rwanda and Bangladesh, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Context

“Rape and sexual violence in conflict are tactics of terrorism and war, used strategically to humiliate, degrade and
destroy, and often to pursue a campaign of ethnic cleansing. They should never be downplayed as war’s inevitable
by-product. Sexual violence is a threat to every individual’s right to a life of dignity, and to humanity’s collective peace
and security.”
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

Today’s armed conflicts increasingly expose civilians to extreme violence, exacerbated by State actors as well as non-
State armed groups. One of the most devastating forms of hostilities waged against civilians is Conflict-Related
Sexual Violence (CRSV). Motivated by political, military or psychological objectives to control territory, population
or resources, CRSV is frequently and deliberately used to target vulnerable populations, devastating the lives of
women, men, girls and boys in conflict areas around the globe. Due to its grave consequences, CRSV is considered a
major impediment to international peace and security, as illustrated by the quote above and recognized by the
Security Council.

Striving to eradicate sexual violence in conflict, an international normative framework has been established over the
past two decades. This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
mandate through UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000); which was followed by seven additional Resolutions
recognizing sexual violence as a weapon of war and tactic of terrorism that can constitute war crimes, crimes against
humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.

Notwithstanding these developments, trend analyses confirm that sexual violence continues to be used as part of
the broader strategy of conflict in numerous countries around the world.1 There is, therefore, continued need for
concerted efforts by various actors, including United Nations entities and Member States, to end this scourge. Sexual
violence is no longer seen as an inevitable by-product of armed conflict: United Nations Peace Operations are today
mandated to prevent and respond to CRSV. A challenging task in which Member States and the peacekeepers they

1
See the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on Sexual Violence in Conflict (S/2019/280).

1
deploy play key roles. Efforts are required to better understand the responsibilities of peacekeepers to protect
civilians from sexual violence and to further strengthen prevention and accountability on CRSV.

Leading up to the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, a series of events on CRSV and UN Peace
Operations are therefore taking place in New York, Oslo and the Hague, creating a platform to discuss the
complexities in mission areas, challenges faced, good practices and recommendations for ways forward to address
CRSV. As part of this, the Embassies of Norway, Rwanda and Bangladesh to The Netherlands together with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are hosting a seminar on CRSV and UN Peace
Operations on 26 February 2020. The seminar will discuss the operationalization of the CRSV mandate in UN Peace
Operations with a particular focus on the role of Member States and UN peacekeepers.

Goals and Objectives

The seminar will be field oriented. Having vast experience from UN Peace Operations on three continents, the
speakers will provide insights into how UN Peace Operations address CRSV in mission areas; highlight current
challenges faced on the ground; discuss the key importance of leadership and the presence of female peacekeepers;
as well as coordination between military, police and civilian mission components and external partners. The seminar
will provide an opportunity for Member States and other stakeholders to interact with peacekeeping experts
including two former Force Commanders of UN Peace Operations: Major General Mrs Kristin Lund (Ret.) and Major
General Mr Patrick Cammaert (Ret.). Representing the third largest Troop-Contributing Country worldwide, a
representative from the Ministry of Defence of Rwanda (TBC) will provide insights into the specific contributions
made to address CRSV. Challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations for enhancing the operationalization of
the CRSV mandate in UN Peace Operations will be further explored during a panel discussion.

Questions to be discussed will include:

 What is being done to enhance the protection of civilians by UN Peace Operations?
 How can UN Peace Operations enhance efforts to prevent and respond to CRSV?
 Which initiatives are currently undertaken by the United Nations and Member States to address the challenges
faced in mission areas?
 How can Member States support UN Peace Operations to strengthen the implementation of the CRSV mandate?

As co-hosts of the event, representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, as well as the Embassies of Norway, Rwanda and Bangladesh to the Netherlands will provide remarks
focusing on their work, commitment, and contributions to United Nations Peace Operations to prevent and respond
to CRSV.