NATIONAL STATEMENT: ANNUAL UNSC OPEN DEBATE ON CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE
“Identifying innovative strategies to ensure access to lifesaving services and protection for survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones”
Statement delivered by H.E Beth Delaney, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
19 August 2025
Thank you, Chair.
We thank Panama for its leadership in convening this important debate.
We also thank today’s briefers for illustrating the enduring impacts of conflict-related sexual violence on victims, survivors and communities.
Chair, sexual violence in conflict is not an incidental aspect of conflict, it is a deliberate and systematic act of war. It terrorises communities, fractures societies and undermines steps towards peace.
Last year, over 4500 verified cases of conflict-related sexual voilence were recorded, an 83 per cent increase over two years, including mass atrocities in our region in Myanmar.
But even these numbers do not represent the scale of the issue. Behind each verified case are countless survivors who remain invisible and are denied basic care and justice.
These systemic failures of protection demand ambitious, comprehensive and survivor-centred responses that include mental and physical health, education, legal redress and economic empowerment.
Chair,
Australia’s commitment to gender equality, human rights, and preventing and responding to CRSV is enduring and multilayered.
First, we know that preventing armed conflict is key to preventing conflict-related sexual violence.
This is why Australia invests in gender-responsive conflict prevention and peacebuilding which seeks to dismantle structural inequalities underpinning violence – including through our partnerships with the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators and the Pacific Women Mediators Network.
And in South Sudan, Australian peacekeepers have helped champion a new patrolling methodology, specifically designed to prevent conflict-related sexual violence from occurring.
Second, through our partnerships with the ICRC and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, we facilitate the provision of multidisciplinary services to survivors, including sexual and reproductive health rights.
Finally, we protect survivors’ rights by strengthening accountability and facilitating their access to security and justice services.
The Gender Justice Practitioner Hub – established with the support of Australia – provides practical tools and assistance to practitioners working to deliver effective justice for survivors.
Australia also supports the critical work of the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, to strengthen the capacity of national authorities to hold perpetrators of such crimes to account.
Chair,
In this 25th anniversary year, we must confront a sobering reality. The Women Peace and Security agenda is under threat. We are witnessing a dangerous rollback, where commitments are diluted, funding is diverted, and the voices of survivors are frequently sidelined.
In this context, we call on all Member States to reaffirm their commitments under Council resolution 2467, and the preceding nine resolutions on WPS.
Every survivor deserves safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their life. Let us ensure that when these grave violations occur, survivor-centred access to lifesaving services and protection are not the exception, but the norm.
Thank you.