Speech

The UK remains determined to work with partners to end conflict-related sexual violence: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Women, Peace and Security.

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Kariuki CMG
Published
19 August 2025
Location:
United Nations, New York
Delivered on:
(Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

President, conflict-related sexual violence shatters lives and undermines peace. 

Impunity remains the norm, and resources to support survivors are increasingly stretched. 

We heard from Ms Ahmed about the scale and brutality of this violence in Sudan. 

We call on the warring parties to comply with their Jeddah commitments and cooperate with investigations by both the International Criminal Court and the UN-mandated Fact-Finding Mission.  

Heightened conflict in eastern DRC has caused an unprecedented spike in sexual violence. 

Mass displacement and food insecurity have left women and girls vulnerable to forced prostitution as a means of survival.    

In Ukraine, there is mounting evidence of Russian-perpetrated sexual violence against both civilians and detainees. 

UN reports suggest more than 2 in 3 detainees are affected.    

We have seen reporting of sexual violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and we continue to call for all reports of abuses by all parties to be fully investigated.  

And we have heard harrowing reports of widespread, systematic, and deliberate acts of sexual and reproductive violence in conflict-affected parts of Ethiopia.   

The United Kingdom remains committed to this agenda. 

In the last year, the UK appointed a new Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict and convened multiple UN discussions on sexual violence in Sudan, DRC, Ukraine, and other contexts.

I will outline three priorities. 

First, we call for greater action to support survivors, ensuring their voices are at the heart of any response. 

The UK-founded International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict drives survivor-centred international action. 

I commend Ukraine’s chairpersonship of the Alliance this year. 

Second, we must work together to end impunity, ensuring that survivors can access justice without fear or shame. 

The UK is supporting efforts to deliver accountability, including through our work with the UN Action network and UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict. 

Third, there must be adequate and sustained resourcing to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. 

The UK has continued to provide vital funding, enabling thousands of survivors to access medical, legal and psychosocial support. 

25 years on from the landmark Security Council resolution 1325, we urge members to make strides in fully implementing this resolution and the subsequent resolution 2467 on a survivor-centred approach.

President, the UK remains resolute in our determination to work with partners to end the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence, support survivors, deliver justice and end impunity once and for all.

Updates to this page

Published 19 August 2025