(Continued) Honouring the promise of international law to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence - Security Council, 10190th meeting

Statement.
I now give the floor to the United Kingdom.
Thank you president.
We reject the points made by Russia and China Today's meeting is fully in line with the decisions and procedure of the Council.
The United Kingdom, alongside France and Germany, triggered the snapback procedure in full accordance with Security Council Resolution 2231.
We did so because of Iran's significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA Iran's nuclear escalation has been detailed in over 60 IAEA reports over the last six years The snapback process completed on the 28th of September 2025, and no alternative resolution was agreed.
As such, Security Council Resolution 2231 remains in force, and six UN Security Council resolutions have come back into force, including sanctions and the 1737 Committee.
Iran and indeed all UN member states, including members of this Council, are obligated to comply with these resolutions.
Colleagues, all of us want a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, but preventing the Council from discussing these vital issues and undermining the UN architecture that was developed by this council does not bring us closer to that goal.
The United Kingdom will therefore vote in favour of the adoption of the agenda, and we urge all council members to do the same.
I thank the representative of the United Kingdom.
I now give the floor to the representative of France.
Thank you president.
I too would like to react to what has just been said by my Russian and Chinese colleagues and to support what was just said by the representative of the UK.
We'd like to recall a few facts.
Last September, the Security Council carried out the so-called snapback procedure to reimpose international sanctions against Iran.
During this process, this council rejected on the 19th of September 2025 through a clear vote, a draft resolution which would have permanently lifted sanctions on the Iranian nuclear program.
I repeat, the Security Council rejected a draft which would have permanently lifted sanctions on the Iranian nuclear programme.
Consequently, and in accordance with the provisions of resolution 2231, the Council restored the six resolutions established established to restrict the Iranian nuclear programme and to ensure that they were for exclusively peaceful purposes.
The conclusion of this process also prolonged the application of resolution 2231.
This was to be extinguished only if the Iranian nuclear issue could be considered as definitively settled, and that was why the Secretariat has put on shared the information on the sanctions and on the, uh, 1737 Sanctions Committee.
Uh, the resolution 2231 is in force.
The council should be holding a half yearly meetings on this.
We also think that it's legitimate for the council to meet, to provide support to ongoing efforts and to achieve a lasting political settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue.
It is legitimate for us to have different understandings of the situation.
It's normal that we have discussions.
Everyone around this table must respect the decisions of the Security Council.
That brings us all together.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of France for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of the United States.
Thank you Mr.
President.
We strongly reject the assertions made by the representatives of the Russian Federation and China, and fully support the statements that have been made by the representative of the United Kingdom and France.
We are, of course, in support of moving forward with this meeting.
Resolution 2231 remains a matter properly before the Security Council.
Member States have every right and indeed this Council has a responsibility to discuss it.
We are disappointed that we continue to see obstruction from two Council members on this file.
Efforts to prevent discussion do not strengthen multilateralism.
They weaken it The Security Council should never shy away from examining issues that fall squarely within its responsibilities, simply because some members find the discussion inconvenient.
I urge everyone to join us in voting yes to adopt the agenda.
Hold the meeting and allow the Council to proceed with its work.
Thank you sir.
I thank the representative of the United States for her statement.
In light of the request put forward and the remarks made by Security Council members.
I suggest that we put the provisional agenda to a vote.
I will now submit the provisional agenda to a vote.
Those in favour of adopting the provisional agenda.
Nonproliferation, please raise your hands.
Against.
Any abstentions.
The outcome of the vote is as follows.
11 in favour, two against.
Two abstentions.
The provisional agenda is hereby adopted.
Conformément.
In accordance with rule 37 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council, I invite the representative of Germany to participate in this meeting.
It is so decided.
In accordance with rule 39 of the councils Provisional Rules of Procedure.
I invite Miss Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace Building Affairs, to participate in this meeting.
It is so decided.
In accordance with rule 39 of the councils Provisional Rules of Procedure.
I also invite His Excellency, Mr.
Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the delegation of the European Union, to the United Nations to participate in this meeting.
It is so decided.
The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda.
I now give the floor to Miss Rosemary DiCarlo.
Mr.
president as noted in the Secretary General's most recent report on resolution 2231 dated 19th June the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated that it had not conducted any in-field verification activities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement.
This is the instrument that also enabled the agency to verify and monitor the implementation of Iran's nuclear related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The agency also reported a significant deterioration in its situational awareness following the attacks against Iran by the United States and Israel that began on 28th February 2026.
It had now lost continuity of knowledge across all of Iran's declared nuclear facilities.
This loss of continuity extended to the production and current inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows heavy water and uranium ore concentrate.
The agency assessed that this knowledge could not be restored.
Furthermore, since Iran ceased the provisional application of its additional protocol in February 2021, the agency had received no updated declarations and had been unable to conduct complimentary access to any sites or locations in Iran.
Mr.
president, while significant differences remain between the relevant parties on the way forward regarding resolution 2231 and the JCPoA, they have all underscored the importance of a diplomatic solution and indicated readiness to engage with each other for this purpose.
The 17th June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding contains several important agreements on nuclear issues already reached between the United States and Iran.
They include resolving the disposition of stockpile enriched material on site downblending of enriched materials under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and a commitment to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to Iran's nuclear needs.
Today, a framework for further negotiations remains a critical step towards the peaceful settlement of the Iran nuclear issue.
The Secretary-General calls on all parties to engage constructively and in good faith to achieve a peaceful, comprehensive and durable resolution of the Iran nuclear issue.
Consistent with the objectives of resolution 2231 and the broader goal of strengthening international peace and security, and the United Nations stands ready to support these efforts.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Merci, Madame DiCarlo.
I thank Mr.
DiCarlo for her briefing.
I now give the floor to those council members who wish to make statements.
I give the floor to the representative of France.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I'd like to begin by thanking the Undersecretary General, Rosemary DiCarlo, for her briefing.
And the secretary general, who a few weeks ago published his half yearly report on the implementation of resolution 2231.
It is of the utmost importance for the Council presidency to allow the holding of this half yearly meeting in accordance with established practice, and I thank you for doing so.
Mr.
president, since June 2025, the Iranian nuclear issue has given rise to an acute crisis that is seriously affecting international peace and security.
The origin of this crisis is the conduct of Iran, which has persistently violated its commitment under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the JCPoA.
In this context, Iran has accumulated more than 400kg of highly enriched uranium, enriched up to 60%, which is an amount sufficient to produce around ten nuclear explosive devices.
Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon states to have accumulated such a quantity of enriched uranium.
The IAEA has lost continuity of knowledge regarding this material.
As Iran has ceased granting access to IAEA inspectors.
The Board of Governors of the IAEA has found Iran to be in breach of its comprehensive safeguards agreement in June 2025.
On the 17th of June this year, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the U.S.
and Iran to bring an end to nearly four months of open conflict.
This memorandum is a first positive step which provides for a cessation of hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to free passage of shipping, and the launch of negotiations, which within 60 days should result in a robust nonproliferation agreement, which is an essential precondition for the lifting of sanctions.
We note, however, that despite Pakistan and Qatar's good offices, we thank them for those.
And despite the intensive discussions, Iran has violated its commitments under the memorandum.
Iran has not brought an end to its attacks against vessels in the strait, which it was obliged to provide freedom of passage to.
In the last few days, it has carried out further unacceptable attacks on the kingdom of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan, causing the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
France condemns these strikes in the strongest possible terms and we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all our partners in the Middle East.
Iran is responsible for the current situation.
Through these new attacks, it has triggered a cycle of reprisals that should come to an end without delay, which are jeopardizing the conclusion of the 60 day time frame under the memorandum.
For a final agreement to come out of the current deadlock.
It is essential for the current escalation to cease and for Iran to fully comply with its commitments.
This should lead the negotiations to a successful conclusion, which could guarantee should guarantee that Iran will no longer threaten regional and international peace and security.
First, concluding a lasting agreement providing that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon remains a priority.
France supports the detailed negotiations underway with the United States on the nuclear issue.
Only the conclusion and implementation of such an agreement will make it possible, at the right time to consider the lifting of Security Council sanctions.
In parallel with these negotiations, Iran must urgently return to full compliance with its safeguards obligations.
In this regard.
It must, in particular, provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with access and information necessary to verify the status of its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium.
Let me recall that the snapback procedure was completed last September as a result of Iran's violations of its commitments under the JCPoA.
Resolution 2231 remains in force, and the Iranian nuclear issue remains on the council's agenda.
Iran, in this context, is under an obligation to suspend all enrichment and reprocessing activities.
Second, Iran must guarantee the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which must be open and unrestricted in accordance with the law of the sea.
The recent strikes on commercial vessels in Omani territorial waters are unacceptable.
France, together with the UK and other regional and international partners, has taken the initiative to establish an independent, neutral and strictly defensive multinational mission which stands ready to contribute to efforts to restore safe conditions for navigation in this international waterway, including through mine clearance operations.
The involvement of a third party is essential to restore the freedom of navigation without delay, to facilitate the evacuation of seafarers and vessels, and to rebuild trust within the maritime industry on a lasting basis.
This must be carried out in accordance with the framework of the law of the sea, and we will firmly oppose any arrangement that fails to comply with it.
Third, Iran must put an end to its destabilizing activities against states in the region.
This firstly means cutting off all support for non-state armed groups, including Hamas and Gaza.
Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, radical militias in Iraq and in Syria, and secondly, bringing an end to its ballistic missile attacks.
Mr.
president, only the conclusion and implementation of a robust non-proliferation agreement will make it possible to consider the lifting of the relevant Security Council sanctions and lasting de-escalation in the region.
We will continue to work with all of our partners to contribute to efforts aimed at achieving a durable diplomatic solution that will guarantee that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.
Thank you.
Merci.
I thank the representative of France for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Latvia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the DRC presidency for convening this regular meeting on the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 2231.
I also thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her valuable contribution, and I welcome the participation of the representatives of Germany and the European Union.
Mr.
president, while we sincerely welcome the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, it must now be comprehensively implemented.
The recent bouts of repeated escalation are unacceptable.
Cessation of hostilities is crucial for the region and global stability.
Iran must seize any and all threats and attacks against both the Gulf states and maritime vessels.
It is imperative that free and safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz is fully restored.
We reiterate the importance of diplomacy and dialogue and support much needed negotiations regarding further elements, key among them the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme.
While we wish for continued diplomatic engagement and successful future talks, the legal reality so far has not changed.
The UN sanctions against Iran remain in force.
They reflect international law and all UN member states, including the member of members of this Council, are obliged to respect and implement them.
We therefore appreciate that.
21st report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231, which cites the latest report of the IAEA of 14th June The situation remains precarious.
The agency has not been able to conduct any in-field verification activities at the affected facilities.
Despite the binding safeguards agreement, and effectively has lost the continuity of knowledge of the most important aspects of the Iranian nuclear programme, including its nuclear material and nuclear related activities at undeclared locations.
Mr.
president, recent events show that Iran continues to disregard international law.
If however, Iran has serious.
If Iran was serious about reaching a sustainable, long term solution to the issue of its nuclear programme that would enable the lifting of international sanctions against it.
The path forward is very clear Iran must respect and implement its binding agreements under international law, most notably the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including its obligations under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.
Enrichment of up to 60%, as previously reported by the IAEA, inspectors cannot be reconciled with any peaceful purpose.
Iran must meaningfully engage in serious negotiations, cease its escalatory nuclear programme, and grant unhindered access to the IAEA inspectors to all relevant sites.
Until then, the sanctions will remain in place.
Mr.
president, Latvia will continue to constructively engage on this issue in order to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
We must uphold council council decisions, including the 1737 sanctions regime, until the actions of Iran substantively change.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Latvia.
I now give the floor to the representative of Greece.
I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing and the Secretariat for its continued work on the implementation of resolution 2231.
Still an essential framework for this Council.
We have taken note of the Secretary General's report and the IAEA Director General's report to the Board of Governors.
Greece's commitment to the global non-proliferation architecture is unwavering, and the NPT and the IAEA being its indispensable cornerstones.
Mr.
president, we remain deeply concerned by the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
It must commit, clearly and unconditionally to an exclusively peaceful nuclear policy.
The IAEA has reported a serious loss of continuity of knowledge over Iran's activities, including the size, composition and whereabouts of its enriched uranium stockpile.
Key aspects of Iran's activities cannot be verified.
Safeguards issues remain unresolved.
Iran is not implementing the additional protocol or modified code 3.1 to be unequivocal NPT safeguards obligations permit no suspension under any circumstances.
We call on Iran to restore full, effective and constructive cooperation with the I e without delay.
That means all necessary information and access, and the immediate, full and safe return of the agency's inspectors.
Only reliable, impartial, continuous verification can restore international confidence that Iran's program is exclusively peaceful.
Mr.
president, diplomacy remains the only effective, sustainable path for the Iranian nuclear issue and for the wider conflict and escalation gripping the region.
Greece is concerned by yet another escalation in the area in rare and rare affirms our full solidarity with Bahrain, Kuwait and other neighbouring countries in the.
That continue to be targeted.
We support negotiations between the United States and Iran and hope they can resume soon, leading to a credible, verifiable, sustainable and durable peace.
A negotiated outcome is the only path that addresses proliferation concerns, prevents further escalation and contributes to regional stability.
The preliminary agreement between the two countries should guide the steps ahead.
The objectives that underpinned the JCPoA remain valid.
Robust verification and monitoring.
A pathway to sanctions relief and support for regional de-escalation.
Any future understanding must rest on full respect for international law.
The UN charter, the NPT, Iran's safeguards obligations and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
It must deliver clear, verifiable and lasting assurances to the international community.
In closing, Mr.
President, restoring international peace and security, including maritime security with full and unconditional return to the status quo ante in the Strait of Hormuz, demands that we safeguard the non-proliferation regime.
Greece urges maximum restraint and calls for dialogue and diplomacy as a matter of urgency.
The stakes for regional and international peace and security are too high for any other course.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Greece for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.
Thank you, Mr.
President, for scheduling this meeting.
And thank you to Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for your briefing.
We meet at an important moment following the signing of the Us-iran Memorandum of Understanding last month.
The United Kingdom condemns the recent Iranian attacks in the region and on commercial shipping.
But we stand.
We continue to stand in solidarity with our Gulf and regional partners.
The fragility of the current situation underscores the urgent need to keep the diplomatic track process on track.
We stand with our partners in calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, and we welcome reports that both sides are returning to talks.
Colleagues, the UK's long standing concerns over Iran's nuclear program remain relevant and serious.
As a result of Iran's significant non-performance of its JCPoA commitments, the United Kingdom alongside France and Germany, triggered the snapback process.
That process was completed on the 28th of September 2025.
As a result, council resolution two, two, three one remains in force and this council should continue to remain seized of the Iranian nuclear issue.
The provisions of the six resolutions that were previously lifted have also come back into effect, including a binding, two way arms embargo.
We call on all UN member states to fully comply with the provisions of the relevant resolutions.
The Us-iran Memorandum of Understanding of Understanding underscores that Iran shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.
That requires clear, verifiable and meaningful steps by Iran, including full cooperation with the IAEA and effective monitoring of all nuclear material and facilities Verification is not a technical detail.
It is central to trust, to confidence and the long term success of any agreement.
The end result must be a negotiated settlement that strengthens international and regional security, that prevents nuclear proliferation, and provides the international community with confidence that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful We are prepared to respond positively to credible, verifiable progress by Iran, and the UK stands ready to support efforts to help translate the Us-iran Memorandum of Understanding into a lasting diplomatic settlement and to address the difficult issues that remain.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.
President.
We're compelled to once again express our disappointment, owing to the fact that the majority of Security Council members are continuing to indulge the attempts of some States to cast doubt on objective procedural reality.
They are the ones who bear responsibility for all of the negative ramifications of the decision taken to hold a meeting on a non-existent agenda item.
In addition to all of the legal free for all instigated at the Security Council in connection with the Iranian nuclear programme narrative, we're grateful to colleagues who demonstrated a principled and objective position and who did not support the holding of this meeting.
Mr.
president, the position of the Russian Federation regarding the supposed reinstatement of anti-Iranian Security Council resolutions is well known to all.
We have set out our position on many occasions at official UN meetings, at dozens of such meetings.
In fact, the last such meeting being the Security Council briefing on the work of the so-called 1737 Committee, which took place about a month ago.
Hence, we will not delve into the details of the reasons why the UK, France and Germany had no right to trigger the snapback.
We won't delve into those details.
All interested parties can refer to our many statements, as well as to the letters disseminated at the council by Russia, China and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Instead, we'd like to draw your attention to the fact that even Western colleagues who without a doubt should have a good grasp of Security Council procedures, understand how baseless their assertions are, their assertions to the effect that, uh, resolution 2231 remains valid, and that its full mandate and reporting cycle is being maintained.
This was aptly demonstrated by the fact that the instigators of today's meeting, by how selectively they interpreted the President's Note s stroke 2016, stroke 44, and the rationale for holding the meeting.
We see this as further confirmation that resolution 2231 is no longer in force, and of the fact that certain elements stemming from the resolutions mandate are simply being used by some Western countries, not because this is what procedure calls for, but rather because it is in keeping with their position on Iran.
However, if the politically motivated actions of Western states and delegations, loyal thereto come as no surprise, the fact that the leadership of the UN Secretariat has joined their ranks is categorically unacceptable.
The Sg's report is not just a document drafted by Mr.
Antonio Guterres, one for which he bears personal responsibility.
In fact, the publication of this report is an example of the flagrant violation by the SG of his Mandate and Security Council decisions, which were set forth in resolution 2231.
We won't delve into the contents of the report, and there's not much to delve into.
What we will note is that the continued publication of such reports, in addition to other illegal steps unauthorised steps taken by the Secretariat, for instance, notifying Member states about the entry into force of anti-Iranian Security Council resolutions, the reinstatement of the 1737 committee website and its sanctions list, as well as attempts to establish the composition of its group of experts.
Well, they are nothing but a violation of rule 100, article 100 of the UN charter.
We reject such arbitrary actions taken by the Secretariat.
We call for the leadership to fix these immediately.
President.
Turning to the Iranian nuclear programme as a whole, we cannot but draw your attention to the cynical attempts by Western States to lay their own fault at somebody else's door.
It's an open secret that the JCPoA implementation crisis was prompted by the unilateral withdrawal of the US from that agreement back in 2018.
Thus, it's very strange to hear from the US delegation these very strong pronouncements supporting Security Council Resolution 2231.
What happened next? The next.
The crisis was exacerbated as the European members to the nuclear deal were not able to uphold their commitments.
As a result, the UK, France, Germany and their cheerleaders not only decided to further escalate the situation by seeking the snapback being triggered, but in practice they supported the US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, including on peaceful atom infrastructure, which was under is under IAEA safeguards.
And from these delegations, we continue to hear concoctions about a supposed threat emanating from the Iranian nuclear program.
And it must be said that they're based entirely on their fabrications.
After all, the Iranian leadership has confirmed and continues to confirm the fact that it has no plans to acquire a nuclear weapon and the IAEA not once I underscore this, not once did the IAEA verify the transfer of nuclear materials to military uses in Iran.
Every time we see the EU and the US colleagues demanding for Iran to engage in serious talks, well, they're saying this although Iran was attacked twice at the height of such diplomatic efforts, and despite this, Iran actually continued its contacts with the US.
Moreover, we regularly hear at Security Council meetings absurd allegations being levelled at Iran, allegations that on its territory, the IAEA has not been undertaking its verification activities for a year now.
And yet the delegations levelling these obligations can't even name what actually happened.
What transpired in June of 2025, what made the work of IAEA inspectors impossible? It was the first series of US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
We get the impression that some Security Council members, ignoring the root causes of the current escalation in the Middle East, are beginning to believe their own alternative reality, the one they crafted.
They don't want to accept what is patently obvious.
They are refusing to call a spade a spade.
Mr.
president, the Russian Federation categorically rejects attempt attempts to continue to escalate tensions without any grounds for doing so surrounding the Iranian issue.
We also reject attempts to use the Security Council for political score settling with Iran.
These actions undertaken by Western countries first create a threat to the very tense situation in the region, especially in light of the latest events and second, further exacerbate the procedural crisis at the Security Council, which is having a negative impact on the council's work across various spheres.
In first and foremost, as regards subsidiary bodies.
Currently, the Security Council should have entirely different issues on its agenda.
We bear responsibility for creating enabling conditions for de-escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts, kickstarted with the assistance of Pakistan and other states.
They are what instills hope of resolving any contradictions and misunderstandings using peaceful means.
We urge Western colleagues to focus on this kind of work, rather on their phantom pains.
Regarding U.N.
Security Council Resolution 2231.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Bahrain.
Mr.
president, at the outset, I would like to thank the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for convening this meeting on implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231.
I also thank USG DiCarlo, USG for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for her briefing.
We also express our appreciation for His Excellency as the Secretary General for presenting the 21st report, which underscores the importance of following up on the implementation of the resolution.
As the existing legal framework governing the Council's consideration of the Iranian nuclear programme, and also the resolutions pivotal role in the maintenance of international peace and security.
Mr.
president, since 20 the 28th of February, our region is witnessing one of the most dangerous waves of escalation in its modern history.
As a result of Iran's brutal, unjustified attacks against the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, using ballistic missiles and drones targeting civilian objects, energy facilities and vital infrastructure.
In addition, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation, creating an unprecedented reality for the global economy, international trade and energy and food supplies.
These attacks have caused significant losses of life and property and have had serious repercussions for citizens and residents.
Manifested in a sense of insecurity and erosion of confidence and destabilization.
They continue.
The situation continues to affect the people of the region, and it underscores that security and stability can only be achieved through lasting peace.
Compliance to international law and respect for the sovereignty of states.
Mr.
president, in this context, the Kingdom of Bahrain wishes to convey three main messages.
First, the Kingdom of Bahrain stresses that diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing the Iranian nuclear issue cannot achieve their objectives unless they are reflected in Iran's regional conduct.
Resolution 2231 was the product of years of diplomacy in which the council invested its hope to address the issue through peaceful means.
However, the findings of the Secretary General's report and the assessments of the IAEA confirm that this objective remains out of reach and has not yet been achieved.
The experience has also demonstrated that the problem was never the absence of agreements, but rather the absence of commitment to their implementation.
Today, the same pattern repeats itself.
Only hours after the announcement of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Iran rushed to undermine its peaceful content by resuming its attacks against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sisterly state of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and threatening the security and freedom of international navigation, and targeting the commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including the Qatari tanker and the Saudi tanker with yarn.
And just as Iran has failed to comply with the obligations of resolution 2231, it similarly did not honour its the commitments it undertook in the recent memorandum of understanding, nor did it heed the international community's calls as expressed in the resolution 2817, which called on Iran to cease its attacks against the states in the region.
This reinforces the impression that for Iran, diplomacy is not a path for resolving disputes, but rather a means of managing crises and gaining time, while its positions and aggressions on the ground are expressed through ballistic missiles, drones and the support, financing, training and arming of Iran's proxies.
What Iran is doing today is not an isolated development.
It's an extension of a negotiation approach that has become accustomed to using agreements as a means of easing pressure, while actions on the ground continue in the opposite direction.
This gives rise to the question that the council must ask itself.
Until when will the international community continue to address Iranian commitments in isolation from its record of non-implementation? And for how long will diplomacy remain hostage to promises that do not translate into compliance? Second, no diplomatic progress will be sustainable without full and transparent compliance with international obligations and full cooperation with the IAEA.
The Secretary general's report confirms the continued challenges related to verification and monitoring, and the loss of the continuity of knowledge regarding the Iranian nuclear programme.
It is, therefore a necessary condition to restore full cooperation with the agency to rebuild confidence.
Third, restoring confidence is not limited to the nuclear programme, but it also extends to its entire hostile conduct in the region.
We cannot speak of sustainable security or confidence building, while attacks against states of the region continue while targeting maritime passages, commercial vessels, tankers, uh while Iran continues to support its proxies and finance and arm them.
These practices constitute a single pattern that undermines security and weakens confidence in diplomacy Mr.
president, the experience has proven that agreements alone are not enough.
Security Council resolutions will not achieve their objectives unless they are accompanied by effective implementation mechanisms and compliance.
If the council has played a pivotal role on this file, it is now called upon to safeguard its the credibility of its resolutions and their implementation, and to confront confront any conduct that undermines their objectives.
The success of any diplomatic effort remains contingent on the commitment of all parties, especially Iran.
In conclusion, the Kingdom of Bahrain calls upon the Security Council to continue discharging its responsibility, its responsibilities by the charter and to ensure the full implementation of its resolutions, including 2231.
The Council should not allow for its resolutions or international obligations to become mere texts without implementation, in order to preserve the council's credibility and to promote peace, security and stability in the region and the world.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank Bahrain for that statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Panama.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We greet and thank the Undersecretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, whereas Rosemary DiCarlo, and we thank her for her briefing.
We greet here the representatives of the delegations who honor us with their participation today.
We take note of the Secretary General's 21st report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231 of the 2015, which provides an update regarding the status of implementation of the resolution and includes a summary of the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, on its activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
We note with deep concern the I e findings, which highlight the persistent obstacles preventing the agency from fully carrying out its verification and monitoring responsibilities under the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons NPT Safeguards Agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the JCPoA.
We are equally concerned that the commitments undertaken under the J.
POA have not been fully implemented for more than five years now.
This has prevented the IAEA from providing credible assurances regarding the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, and has significantly constrained the fulfilment of its mandate in recent.
In light of the recent attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities and their effects and consequences.
We reiterate our call on Iran to cooperate fully, immediately and on a sustained basis with the IAEA.
By facilitating the access it requires, providing the necessary updated information and ensuring the conditions that enable the agency to carry out its verification activities independently and effectively.
Such cooperation is essential to restoring confidence and contributing to regional and international stability.
We place our hope in the continuation of dialogue between the United States and Iran as a constructive step towards easing tensions, containing risks and ensuring a cessation on of attacks on vessels serving international waterways, and restoring free navigation and advancing towards a sustainable, comprehensive diplomatic solution, strengthening regional stability.
We hope that the agreements reached will complement the binding non-proliferation commitments already made.
Further, we trust that a full return to compliance with international obligations, together with verifiable cooperation with the IAEA, will remain the essential foundation for a diplomatic resolution to the outstanding concerns.
And finally, president, we call on all parties to act responsibly and to refrain from taking any measures that could further exacerbate tensions.
Thank you very much.
I thank the representative of Panama for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.
Thank you.
President Pakistan expresses its deep concern at the escalation in tensions in the region, which is in no one's interest.
The cycle of violence and instability must end for the good of regional and international peace, security and prosperity.
All efforts should be made to restore normalcy and bring the parties back to the negotiations table.
Pakistan calls on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability.
Evidently, there is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve the shared goal of peace and stability in the region.
President, we reiterate our support for the resolution of all outstanding issues, including the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful means, diplomatic engagement, and sustained dialogue.
We have always emphasized that diplomacy and dialogue should remain the guiding principles for achieving negotiated settlement of all contentious issues, in accordance with the rights, obligations and responsibilities of the parties concerned.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed last month, offers a viable roadmap to address all outstanding issues through diplomatic means.
The two parties agreed to address issues through negotiations in order to reach a mutually acceptable settlement.
Any interruption in this diplomatic process would complicate the issues further.
Pakistan urges all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad MoU, which remains an enduring foundation for understanding mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond.
Pakistan, along with partners, has been making constructive diplomatic engagement in supporting de-escalation, ceasefire efforts and the broader pursuit of stability in the region.
We are heartened by the expert level talks held so far, and the positive progress made on issues related to the aspects of the Islamabad MoU, and we look forward to continued constructive engagement between the parties.
President, as these sensitive negotiations continue, we should avoid any actions or messaging that may contribute to misunderstanding.
All our efforts and energies should be devoted to advancing the implementation of the Islamabad MoU.
Pakistan will continue its efforts to realize the objectives of the Islamabad MoU achievement of a comprehensive final deal and advancement of peace and security for the benefit of all in the region and beyond.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of China.
President China voted no in the procedural vote on the provisional agenda.
We register our regret about the result of the vote.
Following the signing of the MoU between the US and Iran, tensions in the Middle East eased temporarily.
The ceasefire, however, is currently facing setbacks and challenges, complicating the prospects for negotiations.
The proper settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue bears on the restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East, and concerns the shared interests of the international community.
The parties involved should advance negotiations with rational and pragmatic attitude.
I would like to emphasize three points.
First, it is vital to maintain the cessation of hostilities of hostilities.
Pursuant to the memorandum, the US and Iran commit themselves to respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Permanently halting military activities across all fronts, and establishing a roadmap for negotiations and the lifting of sanctions.
China welcomes these commitments and highly appreciates the efforts made by Pakistan and relevant regional countries in this regard.
China urges the parties concerned to filter out distractions, renounce the use or threat of force, safeguard and implement the outcomes of the MoU, reach a solution that addresses each other's concerns.
Lift sanctions on Iran the soonest, and strive for substantive progress in the political settlement process.
Second, it is imperative to uphold a correct sense of right and wrong.
Addressing the Iranian nuclear issue requires respecting the legitimate demands, as well as lawful rights and interests of the parties concerned.
Iran should continue to honor its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons as a as a state party to the NPT and a non-nuclear weapon state.
Iran enjoys the legitimate right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
The peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program must be ensured through strict IAEA safeguards.
The unilateral withdrawal of the US from the JCPoA triggered the Iranian nuclear crisis.
Furthermore, it was the two rounds of U.S.
strikes on Iran that rendered Iran's nuclear facilities inaccessible to IAEA inspections.
The U.S.
should take concrete actions to create favorable conditions for political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.
Third, the Security Council should play a constructive role.
The memorandum between the U.S.
and Iran states that the final agreement will be endorsed by the Security Council, fully demonstrating the council's pivotal position in seeking a political settlement of the issue at hand.
Security Council Resolution 2231 expired on October 18th of 2025.
The Security Council has ended its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue.
The priority now for the council is to uphold objectivity and impartiality, allow time and space for diplomatic efforts, foster a positive and favorable atmosphere for negotiations, and avoid becoming a tool for a few countries to advance their own political agendas or exert pressure.
President.
Since the eruption of the conflict in the Middle East, China has been actively working to end hostilities and promote peace.
As a party to the JCPoA and a permanent member of the Security Council, China has consistently upheld an objective and impartial stance, stressing the need to resume talks and preserve the political settlement process.
China has addressed multiple letters to the council and the DGA to articulate our views and proposals.
China stays committed to playing an active and constructive role in achieving enduring peace in the Middle East, and will contribute its wisdom and efforts toward peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.
Thank you, president.
I thank the representative of China for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Colombia.
Mr.
President.
I thank the Undersecretary General, Miss DiCarlo, for her briefing today.
The Secretary General's report on the implementation of resolution 2231 is no merely technical account.
It is also a warning regarding the deterioration of elements that for years allowed the international community to rely on objective assurances regarding the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.
What we are seeing today is not the result of an isolated event, rather the consequence of unmet commitments, the erosion of trust and the weakening of the incentives underpinning the framework that was agreed in 2015, particularly as a result of the reduced cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has contributed significantly to undermining the verification architecture.
Supported by resolution 2231.
Against this backdrop, Colombia welcomes the recent diplomatic progress achieved between Iran and the United States, facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar.
The memorandum of understanding is an encouraging sign and offers an opportunity that should not be missed.
Mr.
president, agreements such as this demonstrate that consensus building remains possible.
More importantly, they pave the way towards a negotiated solution with regard to the verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear program.
In this regard Colombia believes that the experience of the JCPoA offers a valuable lesson.
That instrument not only managed to establish limits and verification mechanisms, but also demonstrated that balanced technically sound and transparent agreements can be reached even in situations marked by profound mistrust.
Today, as avenues for dialogue begin to reopen, that experience can serve as a useful point of reference, reminding us that lasting progress can only be built on respect for international obligations and genuine political will.
What is at stake here is not only the situation surrounding Iran's nuclear issue, but also the ability of states to forge and preserve common rules and to trust in those as tools for managing their differences.
When trust disappears, uncertainty takes over, and when uncertainty becomes the guiding principle for international action, the logic of confrontation gains ground.
To that end, the Security Council has a responsibility to help create the political conditions necessary to consolidate the progress achieved and transform this opportunity into sustainable results.
Thank you very much.
I thank the representative of Colombia.
I now give the floor to the representative of the United States.
Thank you, Mr.
President, for convening the Council for this discussion that stresses the continuing relevance of resolution two, two, three, one.
And thank you, Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for your presentation.
The proliferation challenge posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran demands this council's sustained attention, and this body must remain fully engaged.
The Secretary General's 21st report, published June 9th, makes plain that except for paragraphs seven, eight, 16 and 20, resolution 2231 and its associated practice, practical arrangements remain operative.
Through the snapback mechanism established under resolution 2231.
The council reinstated resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835 and 1929.
The measures, reinstated last September were designed to address a nuclear program that is long sought to advance beyond the international community's line of sight.
Last month, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution which received broad international support and reiterated the body's concern with Iran's continued noncompliance with its IAEA obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards agreement.
The IAEA has reported that since the military strikes of June 2025, it has lost the continuity of knowledge regarding previously declared inventories of nuclear material at all affected Iranian facilities.
And since late February 2026, that loss of continuity extends to every declared nuclear facility in Iran, with the exception of Bushehr, Iran has not engaged the IAEA on unresolved safeguard issues, has not provided updated information and declarations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and additional protocol, and has denied inspectors access to its highly enriched uranium stockpile and other previously declared low enriched uranium stocks for over a year.
In defying its treaty of Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons, the NPT required safeguards agreement.
Iran also contravenes its obligations under the resolutions reinstated last fall.
Over the last week, Iran has taken actions that defy the substance and the spirit of the understanding established between our two countries.
We have witnessed Iran deploy cruise missiles and UAVs weapons that are restricted under the Security Council resolutions against commercial vessels lawfully transiting Omani waters and infrastructure in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.
Iran's leaders have a historic opportunity to transform their country for their people.
The decision is theirs.
We made progress in our discussions with Iran with the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The door to diplomacy remains open and is our preferred path to resolve concerns related to Iran's nuclear program.
We hope Iran chooses to come back into compliance with its obligations and to engage seriously in talks toward reaching a final deal.
While dialogue remains possible, we cannot negotiate.
While Iran reneges on the basic obligations, simple obligations such as don't shoot at civilian objects.
But to be clear, the United States stands ready to hold Iran to account for its acts that defy international peace and security.
If you shoot at civilian objects or ships, we will respond.
Until a final deal is reached and endorsed and adopted by this Council to lift sanctions under these resolutions, Member States must implement the reinstated resolutions in good faith.
They represent the Council's most effective, peaceful instrument for constraining, escalation and preserving international security.
Fundamentally, Iran has contravened international law and this council's resolutions.
Such transgressions cannot be met with council equivocation and obstruction.
In subverting the 1737 regime, U.N.
sanctions architecture that this body elected to impose, members not only contradict the will of this council, they also constrain the non-kinetic tools available to resolve conflict.
Again, President Trump prefers peace, and we urge fellow council members to join us in upholding the instruments of this body.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I thank the representative of the United States.
I now give the floor to the representative of Denmark.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
And let me also thank Undersecretary DeCarlo for her briefing and the Secretary General for his report on the implementation of resolution 2231.
Mr.
president, Denmark supports all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
We express our concern about the recent escalation in the region and strongly condemn Iran's latest attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and on the neighboring countries, which pose a threat to the safety and stability of the entire region.
We urge all parties to show restraint.
We call on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation.
The ceasefire must be respected and the memorandum of understanding must be fully implemented.
Mr.
president, Denmark has repeatedly made its position clear Iran must never acquire or develop a nuclear weapon.
In light of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and its previous enrichment activities, its lack of cooperation with the IAEA constitutes a nuclear proliferation crisis.
We remain fully committed to a durable, long term, negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
To achieve this objective, reliable and impartial information about the status of Iran's nuclear program is imperative.
We, therefore call on Iran to comply with its obligation to provide verifiable declarations about the quantity and whereabouts of nuclear material and related activities to the IAEA, whose monitoring and verification work will be key.
In any future deal, the IAEA inspectors must be allowed to adequate access to all of Iran's nuclear facilities.
We urge Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA and comply with its legally binding obligations under the NPT and its safeguards agreement, as well as with the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors.
Mr.
president, the reinstatement of six Security Council resolutions as a result of the snapback, as approved by this council, requires Iran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water and to discontinue this construction of related facilities.
Denmark calls on all UN member States to fully implement the restrictive measures under these fully reinstated resolutions.
Mr.
president, in closing, Denmark has always supported diplomatic efforts as the only way to bring about a durable solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
It remains fundamental for maintaining peace and security in the broader Middle East and beyond.
We stand ready to work with all parties to this end.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Denmark for her statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Liberia.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
We join in thanking the Under-Secretary general for her briefing and in welcoming the distinguished colleagues participating.
Mr.
president, we navigate a highly sensitive moment for this Council, a profound procedural division now exists among members, and it regards the operational status of this resolution and its legacy mechanisms.
Liberia notes these differing legal positions, yet we believe that our collective focus must transcend procedural stalemates and be subordinated to a higher universal imperative.
The integrity of the Non-Proliferation treaty and our shared responsibility to protect humanity from the catastrophic risks of nuclear proliferation amid acute regional volatility and recent hostilities, the erosion of verification architecture represents an unacceptable danger to global security.
History proves that when multilateral communication fractures, the space for miscalculation grows exponentially.
No single power block benefits from a monitoring vacuum.
Therefore, as a nation fundamentally committed to its NPT obligations, Liberia emphasizes two principles to bridge current divisions.
First, transparency must outlast political disputes.
Technical cooperation with the IAEA is a fundamental legal obligation under the NPT Safeguards Agreement, and this is distinct from the obligations from the political life cycle of resolution two, two three, one.
We call on all relevant actors to facilitate full, unimpeded monitoring, access to accurately reconstruct nuclear baselines.
Second, we must seize the existing diplomatic window.
Liberia welcomes recent mediations and the Interim Memorandum of Understanding aimed at lowering regional tensions, rather than leaning into rigid punitive measures that close diplomatic doors.
This council should universally support the current 60 day negotiation framework to secure a verified and permanent settlement.
Mr.
president, resolution two, two, three one stands as historical proof that even the most complex security crisis can be resolved through reciprocal good faith diplomacy Liberia urges all major powers to exercise maximum restraint and unite behind a credible diplomatic pathway.
Our common commitment to non-proliferation must remain absolute.
I thank you for your kind attention.
I thank the representative of Liberia for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
At the outset, we thank USG DiCarlo for her briefing.
Somalia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the maintenance of international peace and security under the United Nations Charter.
We recognise the indispensable role that the IAEA verification and monitoring play in safeguarding enriched uranium and ensuring nuclear safety and global stability.
Mr.
president as we gather here today, Somalia is deeply concerned by the continued attacks on the sovereign territories of the brotherly countries of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as well as the broader pattern of military escalations across the Middle East.
These renewed attacks and escalations risk further destabilizing and carrying profound implications for regional security and the global economy.
Somalia reiterates that all member states must respect their obligations under international law, including the charter, which prohibits the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations Charter.
In this regard, we call for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these brotherly countries in the Gulf We urge all parties to engage in dialogue and avoid any action that could escalate tensions or threaten regional peace and stability.
We also reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and emphasize that international law and the United Nations Charter must be upheld and respected.
Mr.
president, Somalia welcomes the June 17th signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar.
We stress the importance of maintaining momentum toward a more permanent end to all hostilities, and we urge all parties to honour their commitment in good faith and recommit to a comprehensive non-proliferation dialogue to restore confidence.
Furthermore we reiterate our call for the establishment of a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and for all regional states to join the treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, without exception.
We also reiterate the importance of guaranteeing the freedom of navigation and international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.
We call all parties to refrain from actions that undermine maritime security and the free flow of commerce upon which the global economy depends.
To conclude, Mr.
President, the challenges before us require a collective response grounded in the principle of good neighbourliness, genuine dialogue, mutual respect, and renewed commitment to multilateralism.
Somalia remains committed to engaging constructively with all council members toward a durable, negotiated resolution that prevents further escalation and stress addresses the legitimate concerns of all stakeholders.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Somalia for his statement.
I will now deliver a statement in my capacity as the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Distinguished members of the Council, the Democratic Republic of the Congo would like to thank the Secretary General for the 21st report.
The DRC remains unswervingly committed to the principles of multilateralism, the respect for international law and the central role of the United Nations in promoting international peace and security.
In this spirit, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to international efforts seeking to prevent nuclear proliferation, as well as to the peaceful settlement of disputes by means of dialogue and diplomacy.
My delegation has taken note of the remarks contained in the Sg's report, in particular, those related to recent assessments by the IAEA assessments, which spotlight the difficulties the agency has encountered in exercising its verification and monitoring activities.
This situation underscores the importance of preserving the conditions necessary for the agency to discharge its technical mandate effectively in the interests of transparency, mutual trust and in furtherance of the international non-proliferation regime.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo would like to reassert the importance of upholding the independence, impartiality and technical capacity of the IAEA.
On this note, we would like to highlight ongoing positive cooperation with the agency.
This is important so as to bolster trust and promote a lasting solution to the concerns surrounding the Iranian nuclear programme, and this in accordance with applicable international non-proliferation obligations.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken note of the diverging positions expressed by council members on the issues on our agenda today.
Without prejudice to the different assessments expressed on this issue, my delegation remains convinced that the Security Council should be able to continue its work in the spirit of responsibility, mutual respect and constructive dialogue, upholding the authority, the credibility, as well as the smooth functioning of this organ, is a responsibility that falls to all of us collectively.
My delegation is of the view that nuclear non-proliferation is one of the key pillars of our collective security.
Furthermore, we stand convinced that no lasting solution can be found without a resolute commitment to dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations.
It is in this spirit that we encourage all initiatives likely to promote the restoration of trust between the parties and creating conducive conditions to further diplomatic efforts.
Far from being wishful thinking, this call encapsulates the unstinting commitment of the DRC to the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, as well as our conviction that dialogue is the only possible path towards a lasting settlement.
My delegation is disquieted by the deterioration of the regional security context, as well as by the ramifications of the recent hostilities, the ramifications they're having on the prospects of a lasting settlement.
These developments recall the urgency of prioritising restraint and avoiding any actions which might further fuel tensions, as well as of upholding the necessary preconditions for de-escalation.
Stability in the Middle East remains a serious challenge to international peace and security.
Now more than ever, it requires us to make a collective commitment to diplomacy by way of conclusion.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo would like to reiterate its commitment to the objectives of nuclear non-proliferation, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the central role played by the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security.
Differences of opinion which Member States may harbour should never distract us from our primary responsibility, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
That responsibility being the maintenance of international peace and security.
It is in this spirit that the Democratic Republic of the Congo will continue supporting all initiatives which might help promote a de-escalation dialogue, as well as lasting negotiated solutions solutions which are mutually acceptable.
I resume my function as president of the council.
I now give the floor to His Excellency, Mr.
Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.
Merci, monsieur le président.
Thank you.
President.
In order to address the Council today, on behalf of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
I would also like to thank Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Secretariat for their work related to the implementation of resolution 2231.
We take note of the 21st report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 2231, and thank USG DiCarlo for her briefing.
The European Union welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S.
and Iran and encourages continuation of negotiations, which would provide an opportunity for regional stability and the full restoration of freedom of navigation and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
This is essential for regional stability and the global economy.
We again commend Pakistan, Qatar and other regional partners for their mediation.
We firmly believe that diplomacy is the only way to sustainably resolve all outstanding concerns, including on Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs and its destabilizing activities in the region.
Parties should continue engaging in good faith in efforts to reach a sustainable agreement, and can count on Europe to support diplomacy.
The EU has decade long engagement and expertise negotiating with Iran on the nuclear file and beyond, and is ready to use its sanctions.
Lifting leverage provided Iran changes its behavior on the ground in a verifiable way.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will continue to engage to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, in line with Unscr resolutions 22, 31, 1929 and 1803.
Colleagues, despite all diplomatic efforts, Iran's escalating nuclear trajectory over the last six years continues an urgent and profound nuclear proliferation concern in the region.
As of June 25th, Iran's stockpile of uranium, enriched up to 60%, comprised 440kg.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to further verify, and for 2025, cannot draw any safeguards.
Conclusions with respect to nuclear material previously declared due to Iran's persistent lack of cooperation, IAEA director general has reported that the agency has lost continuity of knowledge regarding the previously declared inventories of nuclear material in Iran and its enrichment capacities, including low and highly enriched uranium.
Iran must not ever be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
We call on Iran to return to full compliance with its legal obligations under the treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its Binding Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.
It is critical and urgent that Iran re-establishes full cooperation with IAEA to allow the monitoring of clear and verifiable steps that Iran should take in relation to negotiations on its nuclear program.
The European Union fully supports the impartial role of the IAEA and its director general in their critical work to uphold the implementation of safeguards, nuclear safety and security, and to provide clarity on Iran's nuclear program.
The High Representative will remain engaged with all relevant parties, including Iran, and spare no effort to support political and diplomatic efforts to find a negotiated solution in all areas of concern, and to promote conditions for greater regional cooperation.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Merci.
I thank Mr.
Lambrinidis for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.
Merci beaucoup, monsieur le président.
Thank you very much, president.
The Security Council today.
I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her valuable briefing on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
We greatly appreciate the Council's continued engagement on the critical issue of the Iranian nuclear program, which poses a threat to peace and security, which requires collective action.
The JCPoA, endorsed by resolution 2231/10 years ago, was a landmark agreement that successfully concluded years of negotiation.
The recent memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States was a diplomatic breakthrough, and we thank all those involved, including Pakistan, Qatar and all other mediators on this achievement.
We condemn Iran's recent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against regional states, and strongly encouraged to continue the negotiations.
In these uncertain times, it is essential to emphasize the following a very verifiable agreement that addresses the urgent concerns regarding Iran's nuclear activities is indispensable.
Germany, together with its E3 partners, stands ready to support negotiations as well as the implementation of future agreements with diplomatic and technical means.
We are furthermore prepared to assess and support lifting nuclear related sanctions, but only after concrete, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear program and Iran's return to full compliance with its legally binding obligations under the NPT and all relevant Security Council resolutions.
Until we reach this decisive point.
We must continue to ensure that established UN nations procedures, such as the 1737 Sanctions Committee remain intact.
And allow me, Mr.
President, to highlight the following two points.
First, we deeply regret that two members of the Security Council continue to block any progress regarding the implementation of the reinstated Security Council resolution, whether it be updating the sanctions list or establishing a panel of experts We consider and deeply regret that the United Nations as a whole, and the Security Council in particular, are undermined by this approach.
Second, we reiterate that the essential role of the International Atomic Energy Agency and that Iran must resume full cooperation with the agency, allow its inspectors access and disclose the location and quantity of all enriched nuclear material, in particular the stockpile of highly enriched uranium, for which there is no civilian justification.
Mr.
president, it is in all of our interests that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
Germany, with its E3 partners, France and the United Kingdom, will continue to do its utmost to ensure a sustainable and verifiable solution that addresses all concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program.
I thank you very much.
I thank the representative of Germany for the statement.
There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.
The meeting stands adjourned.
I know.
The 10,190th meeting of the Security Council is resumed.
I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than three minutes, in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously.
The flashing light on the microphone will prompt speakers to bring their remarks to a close after three minutes.
I now give the floor to the representative of Paraguay.
Thank you very much, Madam President.
The delegation of the Republic of Paraguay is grateful for the convening of this open debate, and we congratulate the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for placing at the heart of our discussions a fundamental issue.
The distance that continues to exist between exist between the commitments made by States and the reality of thousands of survivors of conflict related sexual violence.
International law has made significant progress.
We now have institutions, norms and mechanisms to prevent these crimes, to protect victims and to demand accountability.
However, for too many women and girls, this protection continues to be an unmet promise.
The persistence of these crimes means that we have to ask ourselves not only what new laws we need, but also why we haven't been able to fully apply those that already exist.
Paraguay believes that sexual violence related to conflict cannot be seen as an inevitable consequence of war.
It is a grave violation of international law, and in many situations it is deliberately used to terrorise populations, destroy communities, to cause displacement, and to prolong the effect of conflicts long after the cessation of hostilities.
For this reason, prevention calls for institutions that are able to identify risks, early warning systems, capacity building and the political will to act in the light of signs.
Preventing also means preventing impunity, because those wherever those who commit crimes do not go unpunished, it just further fuels these crimes at the international level and the national level.
Paraguay recognises the protection of the population and the promotion of a culture of peace As some of the main drivers of our state policy.
This reaffirms that security is not only there to respond to threats once they emerge, but also to strengthen institutions to anticipate risks, and to establish the conditions that contribute to preventing risk and protecting people.
Therefore, the international community's response cannot conclude with convicting those perpetrators.
For the survivors justice should have a concrete meaning.
Access to psychosocial and medical support possibilities to rebuild their lives.
Effective access to justice and reparations.
Madam president, last year, we commemorated the 25th anniversary of resolution 17 35.25 of a century later, we have to recognise that the meaningful participation of women in peace buildings and and processes and rebuilding societies remains insufficient.
It is not enough to protect women during conflict.
It is essential to recognize them as protagonists of peace.
Their effective participation should be incorporated from the beginning of mediation and peace building and sustaining peace, not as a formality, but as a way to address the root causes of conflicts, address the needs of communities, and to reduce the risk of recurrence of violence.
This has taught us, as Paraguay, that the consequences of war are not merely merely the silencing of arms.
We need to support entire communities.
We need to also ensure that women can continue to build their lives within our nation.
This is not, therefore solely a normative issue.
It is also a belief borne out of our national experience.
Societies that include women in peace building reduce their abilities um to.
Repeat the errors of the past.
We have in.
When justice substitutes impunity and when women are fully involved in decisions, then we know that we have prevailed in this area.
This is a responsibility that we cannot continue to delay.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of Paraguay for that statement.
And I now give the floor to the representative of the Maldives.
Thank you, Madam President.
I thank the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict for the briefing.
Sexual violence in conflicts is not an accident of war.
It is a weapon used to terrorise displays and destroy dignity.
The Maldives condemns in the strongest terms all of all forms of conflict related sexual violence.
The Secretary General's report is clear.
Verified cases rose sharply in 2025.
Women and girls were overwhelmingly targeted.
Yet fear, stigma and lack of access still keep many survivors silent.
The council has built a strong normative framework through resolution 18, 20, 1888 1960, 21, zero six and 2467, and the international humanitarian law prohibits rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The task now is to turn these obligations into protection and deterrence.
The Maldives, therefore, makes three practical recommendations First, the council must enforce compliance.
Every relevant council mandate should include a built in mechanism to monitor violations, report on non-compliance and trigger consequences.
The Maldives should.
The mandate should require parties to cease conflict related sexual violence, release abducted women and children and sexual slavery and forced marriage, and allow unhindered humanitarian access.
Second, accountability must create deterrence.
The council should make conflict related sexual violence a criterion in all relevant sanctions regimes.
Targeted measures should apply to commanders, armed groups, officials and enablers responsible for these crimes.
Member states must investigate, prosecute and exclude these crimes from amnesties.
These processes must survive, must be survivor centred.
Survivors must have access to legal aid, safe reporting channels, witness protection, reparations and reintegration perpetrators.
Perpetrators must know that these crimes are not cost free.
Third, protection must be sustained.
UN must close women protection adviser gap including during transitions and drawdowns.
Frontline responders and women led organisations need safe access, predictable funding and protection from reprisal.
Madam president, these calls are not abstract.
The urgency of strong action is clear in the Secretary General's documented findings concerning Israel.
The report documents continuing patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians detained by Israel.
It verifies incidents affecting 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl.
These include rape, gang rape, attempted rape, violence to genitals, forced nudity, strip and search, cavity searches, and and the threat of rape.
Over 9000 Palestinians remained in Israel detention, including over 4000 without charge or trial.
The Maldives calls on Israel to immediately cease all acts of sexual violence.
Israel must implement time bound commitments under Security Council resolutions 1962, 106 and 2467.
Israel must grant unfettered access to relevant UN bodies to investigate all allegations.
Israel must investigate, prosecute and punish all perpetrators of sexual violence against Palestinians.
These violations do not occur in vacuum, in a vacuum.
They are inseparable from Israel's prolonged occupation, denial of rights and impunity.
Accountability must therefore go hand in hand with the realization that Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
Survivors need protection.
They need justice.
They need.
They need services and reparations.
And they need this council to act with consistency.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of the Maldives for that statement I now give the floor to the representative of Iraq.
Madam president, I am delighted to be taking part in this Security Council open debate honouring the promise of international law to survivors of conflict related sexual violence.
CRSV at the outset, I would like to congratulate the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its Security Council presidency in the month of July.
I should also like to thank the presidency for convening this meeting, and I'd like to thank Srsg Pramila Patten.
Dealing with the CRV.
I thank the other Briefers as well.
CRSV is not only a serious violation of human rights, it is also a threat to international peace and security.
This is a dangerous instrument wielded by terrorist and extremist groups so as to sow fear, tear apart communities, and undermine the dignity of women, girls and entire societies.
This is why honouring the promise of international law calls for moving from legal commitments to concrete measures aimed at prevention, accountability and rehabilitation.
Madam president Iraq was hit hard by the vile crimes perpetrated by Daesh, in particular sexual violence, slavery and human trafficking crimes.
Crimes which targeted women and girls from various sectors of society.
This very painful experience showed us that doing justice for victims doesn't just boil down to legal prosecution, it requires a comprehensive approach, which places survivors at the heart of the entire effort respecting their dignity, protecting survivors from stigmatisation and reprisals, as well as guaranteeing access to support for survivors.
It is important to strengthen legislative frameworks and national institutions in addition to accountability mechanisms, and this in accordance with international law.
At the same time, we must uphold national sovereignty and the legal and social specificities of each state.
We must bolster social reintegration of survivors, survivors, and to help children affected by such violence and born of such sexual violence, especially addressing the stigmatisation which they're subjected to.
Madam president, protecting women and girls, guaranteeing their empowerment is a national priority for Iraq.
We seek to bolster women's and girls participation in public life, guaranteeing their access to education, health and employment.
Women should actively participate in the crafting of prevention and protection policies.
Furthermore, we must strengthen international cooperation, bolster national capacity and guarantee specialised services are made available to survivors Iraq has taken important steps so as to translate these principles into concrete deeds, because we're cognisant that doing justice for survivors doesn't boil down to legal accountability.
It also means recognising their suffering and repairing the damage done to them.
A law on Yazidi Yazidi female survivors adopted in 2021.
While this law was adopted to do justice for survivors through compensation and help with social reintegration, this attests to our national efforts aimed at mounting a humanitarian response underpinned by the principles of justice and reparations.
We are very much committed to continuing our cooperation with the United Nations, with a view to protecting survivors and ensuring that international law is an instrument for building a more prosperous, fairer societies.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Iraq for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Sudan.
At the outset, we thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its capacity as the president of the Security Council for the month of July for convening this vital debate Mr.
president, today I speak on behalf of millions of Sudanese women, the contact who have shown extraordinary strength, resilience and unwavering commitment to their families, societies and communities throughout this difficult chapter in our nation's history Madam president, since the outbreak of the war of aggression in my home, conflict related sexual violence has been used systematically as a weapon of war by the rebel militia.
This is not incidental violence.
It is deliberate, strategic, and designed to terrorize, humiliate and destroy the social fabric of Sudanese communities.
The number speaks for themselves.
2250 incidents of conflict related sexual violence had been documented since the war began.
Among identified survivors, 2200 are children, a devastating indicator of how this war has targeted the most vulnerable among us.
A further 190 documented cases involved sexual slavery, underscoring the severity and organised nature of these crimes.
We must also be clear eyed.
These figures capture only a fraction of the true scale stigma, fear of retaliation and lack of access in militia controlled areas continue to suppress reporting, meaning the real toll on Sudanese women and girls is almost certainly far greater.
Madam president, this war of aggression persists and intensifies for one central reason.
The sustained flow of arms, weapons financing and political cover provided by its foreign backers, most notably the United Arab Emirates.
This external support prolongs the suffering of Sudanese women and children and enables the continued commission of grave violation against them.
On behalf of my country women.
We call on this council to firmly condemn these violations, to hold accountable those states and actors, enabling them, and to list the militia as a terrorist group.
Madam president, Sudan remains committed to its National Comprehensive Plan for the Protection of Women and Girls through strengthening prevention and early warning mechanisms, ensuring dignified Survivor Centre services, expanding access to justice and advancing gender responsive security sector reform.
In line with this Council's women, peace and security agenda.
Therefore, we call this council once again to support our national efforts to prevent and respond to conflict related sexual violence and to support child protection and reintegration.
Madam president, in conclusion, there can be no sustainable peace without the protection of women and children.
There can be no genuine recovery without justice and accountability, and there must be no place for immunity for the crimes of conflict related sexual violence.
Sudan looks to this council collective commitment to the women, peace and security agenda to help ensure that protection, justice and accountability are not aspiration, but realities for Sudanese survivors.
I thank you I thank the representative of Sudan for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Canada.
Canada has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of 66 members of the Group of friends for women, Peace and Security, representing all five regional groups of the UN and the European Union.
We thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo for convening this important debate and express our appreciation to the Briefers.
We also thank the Special Representative of the Secretary General and her office for their continued leadership.
The group takes note of the Secretary General's report on conflict related sexual violence, which provides a stark and concerning warning.
Confirmed cases of CRS rose sharply in 2025 amid escalating and protracted conflicts.
Restricted humanitarian access, attacks against frontline responders, and severe funding cuts that have reduced life saving support for victims and survivors.
We know that behind the confirmed cases, there are many unreported due to stigma, fear of violation, violence, retaliation, impunity and lack of services and information.
There continues to be a persistent gap between commitments and compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.
The group of friends reaffirms five points.
First, we strongly condemn all use of conflict related sexual violence by state and non-state actors, including its use as a tactic of war, terror, torture, political repression and control over communities and resources.
Such acts violate international law and may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide.
They are neither inevitable nor beyond prevention.
Prevention requires deliberately addressing the conditions that enable their perpetration to break the cycle of impunity and ensure accountability.
States must investigate reported violations and prosecute the suspects.
Second, as established with the survivor centered approach in UN Security Resolution 2467, survivors must receive urgent, comprehensive, and trauma informed support.
This includes clinical care, sexual and reproductive health care services, mental health and psychosocial support, legal assistance, socio economic reintegration, and access to justice and reparations.
Often overlooked children born of csvt face statelessness, stigma abandonment and risk of recruitment.
They require dedicated protection and support, including legal recognition and psychosocial services.
We are deeply concerned that this year's report found that funding cuts in 2025 shuttered women and girls safe spaces and women led humanitarian organizations on the ground.
The cuts reduce gender based violence services and weakened national response capacities.
This in turn, erodes victims and survivors ability to seek support.
We call on member states to provide predictable, flexible and sustainable funding to victim and women led organizations, survivor networks and the United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict Network.
Protecting these services is not only essential, but reflects states obligations to ensure non-discriminatory, discriminatory access to health care, justice assistance and remedy for victims.
Third, humanitarian access and protection are indispensable.
Victims and survivors cannot be reached when humanitarian personnel, health care workers are threatened, attacked or denied access.
We call on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian and UN personnel and to provide safe, rapid and unhindered access to conflict affected, occupied and detention settings.
Arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and attacks against medical personnel violate international law and has a severe impact on the affected population.
Fourth impunity must end.
The Secretary General's report underscores that more than 65% of listed parties are repeatedly committing violations without facing any consequences.
We urge all states to investigate and prosecute these crimes promptly independently and impartially, regardless of the perpetrators rank or affiliation.
We further urge the Security Council to list to use the listing mechanism more systematically and to enforce de-listing conditionalities rigorously, including through targeted sanctions, mandate, language monitoring, reporting referrals were appropriate and sustained engagement through the informal expert Group on women, Peace and Security.
Fifth, we support women's full, equal, safe and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels of peace and security decision making.
We must emphasize the particular value of victim and survivor leadership in shaping effective prevention, accountability, and reparations This includes ceasefire negotiations, peace agreements, electoral processes, and transitional justice.
Women should participate in the design of transformative reparation frameworks.
Secretary.
Security sector reform, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, and peace operation transitions.
We also stress the importance of maintaining dedicated expertise including for continued forensic documentation.
Women's protection advisers remain essential to monitoring analysis, early warning, engagement with parties to conflict and victim and survivor centered response.
Yet advisors are deployed in very few of the settings covered in the report.
The Security Council should ensure that mandates and transition plans include the timely deployment and retention of women protection advisors, including in peace operations, special political missions, and offices of resident and humanitarian coordinators.
Finally, as we mark more than two decades of the women, peace and security agenda, we recall that addressing conflict related sexual violence is not only a protection imperative, it is central to conflict prevention, stabilization, accountability, and durable peace building and the credibility of this council The group of friends calls on all parties to immediately cease violations.
We call on member states to strengthen prevention and survivor centered response, and on the Security Council to act with unity and resolve.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of Canada for his statement.
I now give the floor to Mr.
Cherry alum, permanent observer of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Merci.
Thank you, Madam President.
Distinguished members of the Security Council Allow me at the outset to recognize the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July under the Democratic Republic of Congo.
And to thank you for convening this important debate.
I also wish to express appreciation to Colombia for its stewardship of the Council during the month of June, and I also would like further to thank the Briefers for the important and sobering contribution.
Madam president, for IGA and its Member States, this issue is immediate, painful and deeply political.
Conflict related sexual violence continue to scar our continent and wider world in ways that are devastating, intimate, and enduring.
It destroys bodies, fractures families, humiliate communities and leave behind injuries that do not disappear when the sound of weapons subsidize.
It is used to terrorize, to punish, to force displacement, to deepen division, and to assert power through fear.
These are the cases before us are grave, but they are not the full picture.
The number in our hands are never the true numbers.
Many cases remain hidden behind stigma, trauma, fear of reprisal, lack of trust in institutions and social exclusion, and the collapse of a weakness of reporting and response system in conflict settings.
Silence is too often imposed on survivors long before justice ever reaches them.
The reality places a profound responsibility on the states, regional institutions and the international community Our member states know that where these crimes are left unaddressed, the damage runs far beyond the individual survivor.
Entire communities lose confidence in the rule of law.
Social trust erodes, reconciliation becomes harder, peace agreements become shallower, and impunity becomes its own language of power.
Madam president Igad's position is clear justice must be at the centre of the response.
Accountability cannot remain selective.
Investigation cannot remain weak.
Prosecution cannot remain dependent on political convenience.
Where conflict related sexual violence is committed, there must be consequences.
At the same time, justice must be accompanied by care.
Survivors need rehabilitation, counselling, Medicare, psychological social support, legal aid, livelihood recovery and safe pathways back into community life.
These services must be funded, strengthened and treated as part of the peace and security agenda itself.
At the present, the gap remains severe in too many settings.
The need is rising while support remains fragmented, under-resourced or absent altogether.
Our view is equally firm that the response of this nature must be nationally owned and nationally anchored, with strong and sustained support from the international community.
Durable process is achieved when national institutions are restrained, national legal and protection systems are supported and regional frameworks are allowed to reinforce local and national efforts.
This is where partnership matters the most across IGAD member states.
Important efforts are being made through the Women Lead Women led Peace initiative.
National plans, community based structures and local mediation efforts at the regional level through the gender department, through our Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and through support to Member States and grassroot actors.
We are working to strengthen implementation and to move from commitment to practice.
Women's participation is indispensable in this effort Women must be present where peace is negotiated, where agreements are shaped, where recovery is designed and where institutions are built.
Their participation is not procedural decoration.
It is a condition for legitimacy, responsiveness and lasting peace.
Political settlements that exclude women leave critical realities outside the room, including the realities of sexual violence, trauma and social repair.
Madam president, the council must also look inward on issues of this nature.
The Security Council has too often appeared paralysed.
That paralysis has exacted a human cost, delayed division.
Selective outrage and inconsistencies have weakened confidence in the international system and have emboldened those who assume that power will shield them from the accountability that must end accountability.
A council that bears responsibility for international peace and security must be able to act with credibility, seriousness and moral consistency, especially when confronted with crimes that strike at the dignity of humanity itself.
This also leads us to a broader truth a Security Council that does not reflect the full political and historical reality of the world will too often fail to see the world fully.
Africa continues to be denied its rightful place in the permanent category of this Council.
That injustice has lasted far too long.
It weakens legitimacy, desert representation, and diminishes the authority of decisions taken on matters that affect our continent so profoundly.
Madam president, our message is firm.
Justice must be key agenda.
Survivor support must be real, funded and sustained.
Women's participation must be across peace and political processes.
Nationally owned efforts must be backed by serious international support.
And this council must reform Act and reflect the world as it is.
I thank you.
I thank Mr.
Grifo for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates.
Madam president, I thank Prime Minister Toluca for convening the open debate, and I thank Special Representative Patten and her office for their important contributions.
The UAE aligns itself with the statement delivered by Canada on behalf of the group friends for women, Peace and Security.
Madam president, the Secretary General's report presents a deeply alarming picture.
Verified cases of conflict related sexual violence continue to rise alongside deeply concerning pattern of violence in a range of actors implicated, including actors with clear obligations to protect civilians.
The UAE strongly condemns these crimes, as well as all forms of sexual and gender based violence.
This alarming trend demands a strong response from the Security Council, particularly as restricted humanitarian access, limited funding and peacekeeping transitions risk, weakening protection and accountability for survivors.
In this regard, I would like to offer three recommendations.
First, we must strengthen the resilience of women and girls through survivor centred responses.
This means safe and timely access to health care, social support, legal assistance and sustainable reintegration opportunities.
Survivors must be included in the design and implementation of gender responsive strategies Second, accountability must remain central to prevention and deterrence.
The UAE continues to call for the inclusion of conflict related sexual violence as a stand alone designation criterion in the relevant UN Security Council sanctions regimes, existing criteria and sanction regime covering violation of international humanitarian law may also be applied to designate those who commit conflict related sexual violence.
These tools must be used consistently, particularly against persistent perpetrators This can be.
There can be no justice for the survivors without accountability and no credible prevention without consequences.
Third, we must remain vigilant that the drawdown and the transition of peacekeeping operations do not create protection gaps that may reverse gains made so far.
The UAE emphasizes the need to integrate conflict related sexual violence considerations into transition planning.
This includes maintaining monitoring and reporting mechanisms and ensuring that the survivor centered services continue without interruption.
Transitions should therefore include clear handover arrangement, continued deployment of women protection advisors where needed, and sustained support for front line service providers.
Madam president, before I conclude, I I strongly reject the baseless allegation against the UAE made by the Sudanese representative who represent the views of the Port Sudan Authority, a party implicated in shameful atrocities in the civil war in Sudan, including conflict related sexual violence, as documented in the SDG report.
The UAE has consistently condemned all acts of sexual violence by all warring parties The Port Sudan Authority should stop deflecting responsibility for the war and engage in good faith efforts to end it.
The suffering of the Sudanese people demands it.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of the United Arab Emirates for her statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia.
Thank you, Madam President.
Your excellencies, the convening of this debate is a reminder that our commitments to the WPS agenda remains unfinished and continue to demand the urgent and sustained attention.
And we thank the Democratic Republic of Congo for this initiative.
I also thank Miss Pramila Patten, Special Representative for the Secretary General on Sexual violence and conflict, and express our full support for her work.
Let me also thank Miss Corinne Jocelyn, founder and director of Haitian Women's Collective, for her brief as well.
Last year, the international community marked 25 years since the adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1325, which codified the vision that sustainable peace requires the full, equal and meaningful participation of women alongside their protection in armed conflict and from violence.
Yet the moment when we should be celebrating progress, the brief US and the Secretary General's report on conflict related sexual violence present a deeply troubling picture.
Verified cases of conflict related sexual violence rose sharply in 2025, characterized by extreme brutality and overwhelming, affecting thousands of women and girls as well as men and boys.
The consequences inflicted on individuals, families and communities are devastating and long lasting.
Madam president, consistent with the plus 25 declaration adopted in October 2025, Namibia reaffirms that there can be no durable peace without accountability and reintegration of survivors.
They deserve credible investigations, independent judicial processes, and meaningful reparations reparations.
We therefore, urge the council to make full use of the tools at its disposal, including sanctions regimes.
For my delegation.
Honouring the promise of international law requires more than prosecuting perpetrators.
It requires ensuring that survivors have access to medical care, trauma counselling, legal assistance, education and livelihoods.
It also means addressing the needs of children born of conflict related rape, who continue to face discrimination, exclusion and barriers to essential services.
At the national level Namibia has consistently translated principle into practice.
We have strengthened national legal frameworks, expanded survivor centred services and integrated approaches responsive to women's needs across our peace building and security institutions.
Namibia's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security prioritises prevention, protection and accountability, including through enhanced training and security personnel of security personnel, community based support mechanisms and partnerships.
We remain steadfast in championing the rights and dignity of survivors advocating for justice, reparations and the full participation of women in peace processes.
Madam president, conflict related sexual violence is not an inevitable byproduct of war.
It is a preventive crime.
Nor is it evidence of a failure of international law.
Rather, it is evidence of a failure of failure to fully implement it.
Our collective responsibility is not to craft new promises, but to deliver on those already made.
Prevention is our most effective strategy and requires political will, strong institutions, adequate resources, survivor centred responses, and unwavering commitment to international law Allow me to emphasise a simple but powerful truth.
Survivors are not asking for sympathy.
They are demanding that the law works for them.
They are demanding justice, protection, recognition and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in dignity.
Our full statement will be circulated via a statement.
I thank you, Madam President.
I thank the representative of Namibia for his statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Thailand.
Thank you, Madam President.
Thailand wishes to express its appreciation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for convening this very important open debate.
We also thank the Secretary-General for his report and the pattern and the briefer for their valuable insights.
The report reminds us that despite the comprehensive framework established through relevant Security Council resolutions, conflict related sexual violence or RS3 remain widespread, with disproportionate and devastating impact on women and girls.
We firmly believe that sexual violence must never be used as a tactic of war.
Thailand urges all parties to conflict to immediately cease all acts of sexual violence and fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in order to protect civilians, particularly women and girls, during armed conflict.
It is also crucial to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.
To contribute to today's discussion, Thailand wishes to highlight three key points.
First, prevention must remain our utmost priority.
Thailand is convinced that the most effective way to eradicate SIV is to prevent conflict from taking place.
Thailand underscores the need to address the underlying causes and structural drivers for conflict and instability, such as poverty and a lack of opportunity and trust that early warning mechanisms and preventive diplomacy can serve as an effective tool for conflict prevention.
As part of our participation in UN peacekeeping operations, Thailand advocates for the inclusion of sustainable development initiatives in an effort to prevent a relapse into conflict and ensure sustained peace.
Second, protection and assistance for survivors must be strengthened.
Thailand supports the important work of UN peacekeeping operations in monitoring and reporting SIV, including through the timely deployment of women's protection advisers in all UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions to engage with communities and parties to conflict and to ensure that all protection and assistance efforts are gender sensitive and cater to the specific needs of women and girls.
A survivor centred approach must be at the heart of our response.
We must ensure that survivors have timely access to relief and rehabilitation services and are protected throughout judicial proceedings.
They should be able to recover in safety and dignity, free from stigma and discrimination, and have the support needed to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into their communities.
Third, participation of women is key to addressing SIV.
Thailand recognises the role of women in strengthening civilian protection and survivor support in order to ensure that gender perspectives are integrated into such a force.
In line with the women Peace and security agenda, Thailand supports increasing the deployment of women in peacekeeping operations to help ensure that we are effectively addressed.
Thailand also calls for full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes.
When women are included in negotiations.
Peace agreements are far more comprehensive and durable, and also reducing the likelihood of renewed conflict and consequently, the risk of SIV.
Madam president, ending Chr3 requires sustained commitment and meaningful cooperation from all stakeholders.
We must work together to fulfil the promise of international law, including relevant Security Council resolutions, and translate our collective commitment into collective, concrete action on the ground.
Thank you, Madam President.
I thank the representative of Thailand for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Uruguay.
Thank you, Madam President.
Uruguay aligns itself with the statement delivered by the group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.
And we'd like to make the following comments in our national capacity.
We'd like to thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo for convening this important debate.
And the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, for her briefing and leadership.
We express our concern not only at the considerable rise seen in 2025 in cases of conflict related sexual violence verified by the UN, but also by the extreme brutality with which they were perpetrated.
Disproportionately affecting women and girls, and even including persons with disabilities, and covering a heartbreaking age range from just one year of age up to 70 years old.
We are particularly concerned that the real number of cases is probably much higher than this, given that the fear of the fear of stigma and reprisals, insecurity and impunity which prevent many victims reporting these crimes.
This represents a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, as well as, and is used as a tactic of war, terrorism, political repression, forced displacement, or a way to control communities.
It further represents a threat to international peace and security.
Uruguay strongly condemns sexual and gender based violence in the context of armed conflicts and the impunity with which the perpetrators act, both in the case of state and non-state actors, and we appeal for their investigation and accountability in the light of these international crimes, not only through the International Criminal Court.
Victims and survivors must be at the heart of all responses and should receive necessary comprehensive assistance, including medical attention, sexual and reproductive health services, psychosocial support, psychological support, legal assistance and reintegration measures in this context.
It's concerning that UN funding cuts have led to a reduction of essential services and have had a serious impact on the assistance available for victims and survivors, heightening their vulnerability and weakening their trust in institutions.
It's vital to guarantee their access to these services to combat impunity and ensure the investigation and prosecution of those responsible, regardless of their rank or affiliation.
It's alarming to note, with regard to the parties included in the report's annex that a large um in a large part of these cases, no investigation or corrective measures were taken.
We appeal on all parties to conflict, to immediately halt the conflict related sexual violence, to make commitments, and to adopt concrete plans of action to prevent it, to guarantee safe, rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access, to provide assistance, to enable assistance to the victims and to provide an adequate response response.
Uruguay also supports the recommendation to maintain and include the deployment of women's protection advisers in peace operations and UN offices wherever necessary.
We recognise that such deployments should be supported by sufficient, predictable, sustainable resources to strengthen their work, and they should provide support to national authorities, women's led organisations, survivors networks and community based service providers.
It is particularly concerning that, despite being expressly provided by this council, such specialists are currently only deployed in nine out of the more than 20 critical settings analysed in the report.
Finally Uruguay understands that there can be no effective prevention without training.
While my country is currently not in the midst of conflict or post-conflict situation as a troop contributing country to the UN and with an unstinting commitment to civilian protection, Uruguay has stepped up the training for its blue helmets so as to improve their ability to protect local populations, particularly women and children.
In addition, education in human rights at all levels is another preventive tool.
Uruguay reaffirms its commitment to continue promoting collective measures to guarantee the protection of women and children affected by armed conflicts, and to provide them with a chance to rebuild their lives free of the horrors of war.
In addition, we call on the Security Council and member states, particularly those that are a party to armed conflicts, to take firm and decisive steps to prevent, punish and eradicate conflict related sexual violence.
Thank you very much.
I thank the representative of Uruguay for that statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Georgia.
Madam President, excellencies.
I would like to express our appreciation to the DRC presidency for the leadership in bringing this important issue at the forefront of today's discussion and we thank the Secretary General for his report on this important topic.
Excellencies.
Sexual violence continues to be used as a strategy of warfare and tactic of terror.
While this horrendous crime affects all people, it disproportionately impacts women and girls.
Eliminating sexual violence during conflict must be a priority for the international community.
With this in mind, Georgia joined over 50 states in endorsing the declaration of the London conference, which aims to urgently accelerate action to end conflict related sexual violence and shatter the existing culture of impunity at the national level.
Georgia protects the right of women, the rights of women and girls affected by conflict, including internally displaced women and those living in the occupied regions.
Since 2012, Georgia has been developing national action plans for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.
Our overarching objective is to ensure women's meaningful participation in peace and security processes, and to enhance protection and support for women affected by conflict.
We have achieved significant progress in three priority areas.
First, we have significantly increased women's engagement in the peace and security sector.
Second, we have heavily focused on the eradication of violence by conducting preventive campaigns and provide specialised training on women, peace and security principles to defence personnel, prosecutors and legal professionals.
And third, we have significantly expanded access to state services and commercial grants for conflict affected women and girls, including those residing in the occupied residing near the occupation line and inside the occupied territories.
Despite our efforts, the illegal occupation of Georgia's indivisible parts Abkhazia and region remains the main obstacle to implementing our human rights protection framework for the women and girls on the other side of the illegal occupation line.
Adding to the severity, even after 18 years of its illegal military presence and occupation of Georgia's regions, Russia continues violation of international law, ethnic based discrimination, and abuses against Georgians.
This includes severe violations of their rights related to freedom of movement, education, residence and property.
Dire human rights situation on the ground is further exacerbated by the worrying pattern of targeting young Georgian women by the Russian occupation regime in Sukhumi.
There were several cases of detention of young Georgian women with fictional and absurd charges.
Despite targeting female, deliberate targeting of female citizens of Georgia is a dangerous trend, containing a strong gender dimension aimed at pressuring and humiliating most vulnerable part of the ethnic Georgian population in the occupied regions, who are already victims of constant discrimination, the Georgian delegation constantly raises this protection, security and socio economic needs of IDPs and conflict affected women directly to the Geneva international discussions and the incident prevention and response mechanisms.
Moreover, Georgia has formally submitted the proposal to the GID co-chairs to establish a dedicated working group on women, peace and security within the GI structure.
This initiative aims to promote adopting a gender sensitive approach to ensure an inclusive peace process.
However, there is no reciprocity from the Russian Federation.
Excellencies.
International engagement and monitoring of the situation inside the conflict affected and Russian occupied regions of Georgia is paramount to ensuring substantive peace and prevent sexual violence against women.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Georgia for that statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Burundi.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam president, my delegation would like to thank you for convening this open debate on the implementation of the women, Peace and Security Agenda, an open debate on honouring the promise of international law to survivors of conflict related sexual violence.
CRV.
We'd also like to thank the Srsg on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the other briefers, for their presentations.
Burundi unequivocally condemns all forms of sexual violence committed in conflict situations.
These actions constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.
They put a dent in human dignity and significantly compromise the prospects of peace, reconciliation and development.
My country reiterates its commitment to relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 1325 of 2000 1820 of 2008, 1888 of 2009 and 2467 of 2019.
They form the normative foundation of the fight against CRC.
Madam president, Burundi stands convinced that prevention is the best possible means of eradicating this scourge.
This requires promoting robust national institutions, respecting the rule of law, protecting civilians, and also calls for full, equal and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, mediation, peace building, as well as post-conflict reconstruction.
We believe that the fight against impunity is an imperative.
The perpetrators of sexual violence must be brought to justice in full respect for fair trial guarantees.
On this note, above all, it is necessary to strengthen national judicial systems in keeping with the principle of complementarity and in full respect for the sovereignty of states.
Strengthening capacity.
Technical assistance, as well as international cooperation are vital if we are to allow the states concerned to effectively uphold their responsibilities.
Burundi would also like to underscore the need for a genuinely survivor centred approach.
Survivors should enjoy without discrimination access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance as well as socio economic reintegration measures.
And once conditions are ripe, they should also be able to access appropriate reparations.
Particular attention should be placed on children born of CRV, children who are still confronting multiple forms of stigmatization and exclusion.
We'd like to commend the decisive role played by local organisations, in particular women led organisations, who are often working under very difficult conditions, extremely difficult conditions so as to assist survivors.
Their action deserves heightened support, underpinned by state set priorities and in full respect for national contexts.
Turning now to peace operations.
Burundi believes that transitions and drawdowns of UN missions should be meticulously planned so as to avoid creating security vacuums, which could increase the risks of violence against civilians.
Building national capacity should go hand in hand with this process, so as to ensure that what's been achieved is locked in, that it lasts.
And this in particular on protection.
Lastly, given current financial constraints, it's worth safeguarding the resources being spent on prevention related to CRV as well as providing assistance to survivors.
Heightened international cooperation underpinned by partnerships, solidarity and respect for national priorities remains absolutely vital if we are to achieve this objective.
Madam president, Burundi stands convinced that it is only through collective action rooted in respect for international law, national capacity building, the fight against impunity and international impunity.
It is only this that will allow us to guarantee CRC survivors get justice, protection and dignity as well as the hope that they are entitled to.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Burundi for his statement.
There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.
The meeting is adjourned.