LOC23:15
20:15 GMT
NEW YORK, Jan 30 (KUNA) -- At the start of 2014, humanitarian organizations appealed for aid to help 52 million people in urgent need of assistance and protection, yet by end of year, the number had gone up by almost 50 percent, to 76 million people, UN Humanitarian Envoy announced.
Speaking at Protection of civilians in armed conflict, on behalf of Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination Valerie Amos, the Assistant Secretary General Kyung-wha Kang stressed to the Security Council the need for protection has increased dramatically in recent years, mainly as a result of armed conflict.
The overwhelming majority of these people, she said, are civilians affected by conflict and the majority of those civilians are women and girls.
The European Union welcomed during the debate the focus on the needs faced by women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict settings.
"Women and girls face discrimination and violations during all phases of conflict," said the Deputy Head of EU delegation Ioannis Vrailas.
Furthermore, the EU official said that the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of war is just one of these violations.
"We must end impunity for crimes of sexual violence, which must be properly investigated and prosecuted," he added.
In this regard, the EU emphasized the significant advancement in international law made by the Rome Statute of the ICC, as well as non-permanent International Criminal Tribunals in combating sexual violence in conflict.
UN operations, he noted, need to be staffed and equipped in a way that allows staff to better interact with the local population and civil society organisations, with the overarching aim of responding to warning signals and reducing the risk of atrocity crimes. (end)
mao.bs