Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining this virtual donor roundtable. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is proud to be part of the network for UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, and I am grateful for your commitment.
We cannot accept a world in which rape and other horrifying acts of sexual violence are used as a tactic of war; a world where women and girls are exploited, and vulnerable to conflict-driven human trafficking, and to the use of sexual and gender-based violence by terrorist groups.
Through joint projects under the previous UN Action Trust Fund, UNODC and our sister agencies have demonstrated, in countries ranging from Myanmar to Somalia, that we are stronger and more effective when we work together, coordinating and complementing mandates and expertise.
Our combined efforts, supported by sustainable funding, are needed now more than ever to promote comprehensive and quality services for survivors of sexual and other forms of gender-based violence.
The COVID-19 crisis has increased risks, in conflict settings and beyond.
Global reviews by UNODC have found that the pandemic has hampered the ability of criminal justice institutions to support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable.
I appeal to all donors to work with us to address these challenges, by contributing to the UN conflict-related sexual violence multi-partner trust fund.
To conclude, I would like to pay tribute to all survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and to all those who support them.
You can count on UNODC to continue working with Member States, UN partners and civil society to step up survivor-centered approaches to end sexual violence in conflict, and achieve justice.
Thank you.