Statement by H.E. Ambassador UMETSU Shigeru, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the Event to Commemorate the 15-Year Anniversary of the Mandate on Sexual Violence in Conflict

 
Thank you very much, Excellencies and Dear Colleagues.
 
I would like to thank all of the co-hosts for organizing this event and extend a special thanks to SRSG Patten and her office for their invaluable work over the years, and as well to all the speakers and panelists for their important contributions to this meeting.
 
The world is grappling with increasing instability, driven by both protracted and emerging armed conflicts. Among the gravest yet often overlooked crimes in these settings is sexual violence. Now, more than ever, it is critical to rally the attention and collaboration of the international community to address this pressing issue.
 
Japan has supported the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict since 2014 and UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict since 2017. The Team of Experts is the only Security Council mandated mechanism to work side by side with Member States by providing technical assistance and strengthening their capacity to address accountability for sexual violence through domestic justice systems. Japan calls on Member States to support and make use of this important mechanism.
 
Japan also invites Member States to engage with UN Action’s vital network. UN Action, through coordinating the UN’s holistic, multi-sectoral response, ensures that the UN acts as one in providing essential, life-saving services to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Japan is committed to supporting the Office’s entities through bolstering capacity, including by deploying Junior Professional Officers, as well as through funding projects across Somalia, the Middle East, the DRC, Mali, and, most recently, Sudan.

Out of growing concern that the issue of sexual violence in conflict continues to be under-addressed, Japan began supporting the core budget in 2020 to assist the Office in strengthening its functions, and total contributions across the entities have reached approximately 16 million USD to date.
 
In 2022, Japan and Sierra Leone co-facilitated the first ever General Assembly resolution on survivors of sexual violence, titled “International cooperation for access to justice, remedies and assistance for survivors of sexual violence,” which we remain proud of and committed to.
 
Furthermore, Japan has integrated the WPS agenda as one of the main pillars of its foreign policy. The year 2025 marks the 25^th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 and Japan will co-chair the WPS Focal Points Network with Norway in order to further promote the agenda, including the Security Council resolution 1888, as another component of Japan’s commitment to the crucial work of eliminating sexual violence in conflict.
 
Japan will continue to strive towards this goal alongside the OSRSG-SVC and the broader international community.
 
Thank you very much.