Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USUNNEWYORK662
2007-08-10 22:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORKING GROUP TO CONSIDER

Tags:  AORC ASIG KTIA KUNR PGOV PREL UNSC UN 
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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0662/01 2222232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 102232Z AUG 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2440
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000662 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC ASIG KTIA KUNR PGOV PREL UNSC UN
SUBJECT: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORKING GROUP TO CONSIDER
ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000662

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC ASIG KTIA KUNR PGOV PREL UNSC UN
SUBJECT: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORKING GROUP TO CONSIDER
ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE


1. This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5.


2. Summary: On Friday, August 3, 2007, Ambassador Wallace
delivered a strong statement at the meeting of the GA Ad Hoc
Working Group on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual
Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) (by UN staff or related
personnel) in which he reaffirmed USG support for UN efforts
to prevent and discipline incidents of SEA and stressed that
"we must change the culture of impunity that allows such
horrific acts to take place." (See paragraph 6.) The
Chairman of the WG, the Ambassador of Costa Rica, the Special
Representative of the SYG for Children and Armed Conflict,
Radhika Coomaraswamy, A-SYG Lute, the Officer-in-Charge of
the Department of Field Support (DFS),and other delegations
also spoke. At the next meeting of the WG, on September 12,
delegations will have the opportunity to deliver general
statements on the draft policy statement and draft
comprehensive strategy on assistance and support to victims
of SEA contained in UN document A/60/877. The WG recommended
that the substantive session of the WG should take place on
December 3-7, 2007. End Summary.


3. The Ad-Hoc Working Group on Assistance and Support to
Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (by UN staff or
related personnel) held a meeting on August 3, 2007. The WG
is mandated to consider the draft UN policy statement and
draft UN comprehensive strategy on assistance and support to
victims of SEA by UN staff or related personnel. At the
outset of the meeting, Jane Holl Lute, A-SYG and
Officer-in-Charge of DFS, made an impassioned plea to troop
contributing countries (TCCs) to identify with the peril that
the victims find themselves in. Lute outlined the practical
application of a victims assistance strategy, ranging from
physical treatment to possible psycho-social counseling. She
stressed that cost is not a barrier for this program to have
success. While acknowledging that she understood the concerns
expressed by certain TCCs regarding false allegations, she

wished that "I heard the same concern for the victims."


4. In her statement, the Special Representative of the SYG
for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy,
reviewed various elements of the draft strategy, noting that
the costs are very low. She emphasized that the UN must live
up to its ideals and said the Organization "cannot be
remotely seen as being involved in this." Canada, on behalf
of Australia and New Zealand, fully supported adoption of the
strategy and recommended that delegations should make
specific statements at its next meeting and submit comments
in writing to facilitate negotiations. Portugal, on behalf
of the EU, said the draft is a good basis for negotiations
and said member state delegations should include human rights
and legal experts. Pakistan, the only major TCC to address
the WG, said it is clear that all members are committed to
eradicating SEA and that there is a consensus that we should
all work towards adoption of a strategy.


5. The WG recommended that the GA should formally decide
that the WG will meet from 3 to 7 December 2007 and submit a
report on its work to the 62nd GA. Prior to adoption of the
WG,s recommendation, the Secretary of the WG said that it is
anticipated that the additional conference servicing
requirements of approximately $296,000 to hold the December
meeting can be accommodated to the extent possible within the
resources already included in the current program budget.
The Department,s guidance is requested on the composition of
our delegation to the December WG meeting, and also on the
preparations for the September 12 meeting, informal
consultations during the main part of the 62nd GA, and the
substantive session of the WG from 3 to 7 December 2007.


6. Statement by Ambassador Wallace:

I thank the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica for
Chairing this Working Group and for the presentation and
remarks by Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and
Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary-General of the Department
of Field Support.

Our work on a strategy to assist and support victims is
important and we support such efforts strongly. It is only
one part of the response required of us. We must provide
victims the assistance and support they need. It is a larger
and overriding imperative that we end the scourge of sexual
exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers once and for all.

My delegation recognizes and appreciates the important work
being carried by Conduct and Discipline Teams, the Office of
Internal Oversight Services (OIOS),and other UN personnel,
both at Headquarters and in the field, to end sexual
exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers. Notwithstanding
these efforts, including adoption of a zero tolerance policy
and other standards of conduct, we must regretfully recognize


that egregious acts continue to occur - some two and a half
years following issuance of Prince Zeid's report. As my
delegation stated in the Security Council in February of last
year, acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN
peacekeepers against people they have been sent to protect
constitute one of the greatest stains on the history of the
UN. It is absolutely unacceptable that horrific crimes of
sexual exploitation and abuse have been committed by UN
peacekeepers against individuals they have been assigned to
protect. Thankfully we are not alone in our outrage as other
member states have expressed their grave concerns as well.

During that meeting, my delegation and other delegations
emphasized the necessity of taking firm and decisive action.
We say again that we must take action now not only to pursue
justice and a resolution of crimes that have already been
committed, but also to establish the necessary mechanisms,
training and oversight procedures to ensure that they are not
repeated in existing and future peacekeeping operations. We
said then that we cannot wait months and years while more of
the innocent and vulnerable are exploited and the reputation
of UN peacekeepers continues to decline.

At that meeting, which took place almost a year and a half
ago, my delegation said that as we begin to plan for our next
operation, we do not want to revisit the tragedies of sexual
exploitation and abuse and the headlines that UN peacekeepers
are raping and abusing the very populations that they are
entrusted to protect.

Despite all of the international community's well-intentioned
efforts, we must face the fact that our best efforts are
failing. Such illicit acts continue.

We must change the culture of impunity that allows such
horrific acts to take place. As Under Secretary-General
Guehenno has remarked, "we need to create a culture and
environment in peacekeeping operations that does not permit
sexual exploitation and abuse. This requires action by both
DPKO and Member States."

We call on all member states in the UN system to strengthen
their resolve to improve and fully implement all mechanisms
currently in place to address all aspects of sexual
exploitation and abuse. Most importantly, troop contributing
countries (TCCs) must resolve to investigate and punish
offenders. Unpunished offenders tarnish all of us,
particularly those states that can act but fail to do so. My
delegation notes that several TCCs have taken some form of
disciplinary action against repatriated military personnel.
Pre- and post-deployment training compliance, adequate living
standards for troops, discipline, and command and control
require vigilance, commitment and action by TCCs. Acts of
sexual exploitation and abuse must be prevented from
occurring. There must be real consequences to deter future
acts.

The "boys will be boys" attitude which continues to pervade
peacekeeping operations must be met with a true zero
tolerance policy by all involved in the important work of UN
peacekeeping.

The United States has committed to taking firm and decisive
action in response to any acts of misconduct by our personnel
while serving in UN peacekeeping operations. The U.S.
Congress has also taken action to address this matter. In
2005, Congress passed and President Bush signed the 2005
reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of

2000. This legislation requires the executive branch to
report annually to the U.S. Congress on the actions taken by
the United Nations and other international organizations to
prevent trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse by
employees, contractors, and peacekeeping forces. It also
requires the Secretary of State to report to the U.S.
Congress on the effectiveness of these actions prior to
voting on any new or reauthorized peacekeeping mission.

What cannot be lost in this discussion are the voices of the
victims. Far too often we do not hear those voices. The
victims of such acts must be heard. One horrific account
portrayed in The New York Times is the following:

Bunia, Congo, Dec. 16, 2004
In the corner of the tent where she says a soldier forced
himself on her, Helen, a frail fifth grader with big eyes and
skinny legs, remembers seeing a blue helmet. The United
Nations peacekeeper that tore off her clothes had used a cup
of milk to lure her close, she said in a high-pitched voice,
fidgeting as she spoke. It was her favorite drink, she said,
but one her family could rarely afford. 'I was so happy,'
she said. After she gulped it down, the foreign soldier
pulled Helen, a 12-year-old, into bed, she said. About an
hour later, he gave her a dollar, put a finger to his lips


and pushed her out of his tent, she said.

We must not forget the individual voices of the vulnerable
and exploited. Let them hear from us loud and clear.

It is a moral and ethical imperative that we take action.
Far too much time has passed. The voices of those exploited
are growing weaker, and new voices of exploitation are being
added to the chorus of outrages. We must all act not only as
members of this body but as individual members states as well.

KHALILZAD