性的暴力被害者の司法アクセスに関する国連総会決議採択における大菅大使ステートメント
令和4年9月2日
(As delivered)
Mr. President,At the outset, I would say that I would refrain from saying something that has little relevance to the important agenda that we have before us.
I would like to thank all the delegations that participate in this debate under the agenda item 133, “International cooperation on access to justice for survivors of sexual violence,” an item newly created in this 76th Session of the General Assembly under the strong political leadership of Sierra Leone.
It has been a great honour and privilege for the Permanent Mission of Japan to take part in this initiative and I wish to express my deep appreciation to Sierra Leone for choosing Japan to be the partner. We are grateful to the kind words extended to Sierra Leone and Japan. On behalf of our two Permanent Missions that have co-facilitated the 5 months-long intergovernmental process, I would like to thank all the delegations for their constructive engagement and valuable inputs.
All survivors of sexual violence have the right to be free from stigma, and to live with dignity. All survivors of sexual violence are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights, fully recover from their wounds and further develop their human potential. This is a critical issue of human security.
By adopting this first ever General Assembly resolution devoted solely to international cooperation on this important agenda, the Member States will commit to offering helping hands to sexual violence survivors. It will be a huge step towards ensuring protection and empowerment to all survivors of sexual violence, including those in conflict situations and humanitarian crises but also in any community in the world, developing and developed alike.
Frankly speaking, the negotiations were not easy. Every country has its own domestic context, constituencies and national policies that make itself happier with or without some languages in the text, which is perfectly normal. With this in mind, the co-facilitators made their best efforts and worked tirelessly to strike the best balance among the different positions expressed during the informal consultations. Our only wish is that our first baby will be blessed by everyone in town, by being adopted by consensus of all Member States.
To our deep regret, draft amendments to four paragraphs of the draft resolution L.80 have been submitted. Those paragraphs will have to be consolidated through voting. However, once the language in those paragraphs are sealed, in one way or another, it is my most sincere wish and hope that the draft resolution L.80, amended or not, will be adopted without voting.
The positions of the delegations will be clearly registered through the paragraph votes. They will be on the official record if the delegations wish to make explanations of positions. Some delegations might chose to dissociate themselves from consensus. That’s okay if they so wish. But asking for a vote, and voting against or abstaining will be an enormous setback for such an important global and universal agenda that no one in our countries will deny.
Who would dare object to promoting international cooperation to help the survivors of sexual violence by improving their access to justice, remedies, and assistance? Japan commends existing initiatives such as the Spotlight Initiative and the Generation Equality Forum. By adopting this draft resolution by consensus and implementing it, we will have more of these encouraging initiatives to support one another, domestically and internationally.
Mr. President,
The restrictions under the COVID-19 or the geopolitical tensions in recent years might have withered our will-power to strive for achieving consensus in the intergovernmental negotiations of the UN, and might have lured delegations towards decision taking by vote. I appeal to all the delegations once again to exercise maximum flexibility and restraint for the sake of consensus on such an important global agenda.
Thank you.