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Panama elegate urges stronger UN resources to combat sexual violence in conflict
Summary
At a Security Council open debate, the representative of Panama and co-signatories backed the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, citing a large uptick in verified cases and pressing for funding, survivor-centered services and accountability.
The representative of Panama told an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the body nd co-signatory countries reaffirm full support for the mandate of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and urged greater resources for her office to ensure timely, reliable information reaches the Council.
Citing the Secretary-General nd his 2026 report, the representative said the number of verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence has increased markedly and is now "more than double" compared with the previous reporting period. The statement said women and girls accounted for 88% of verified victims.
The representative said those crimes "persist where justice is denied and survivors are silenced by stigma, trauma and fear of reprisals," and warned that conflict, displacement, economic hardship and institutional collapse are leaving survivors without protection, access to justice or essential care. She called for an end to impunity and urged support for preserving and documenting evidence to enable accountability.
The statement explicitly named Special Representative Pramila Patten and said the office must be resourced notwithstanding the "severe financial constraints" facing the United Nations system. The speaker also said the Council should back both national and international tribunals and courts in holding perpetrators to account.
Urging survivor-centered responses, the speaker pressed for expanded access to sexual and reproductive health services and for strengthened national capacities to respond. She called on parties to conflicts to "put an immediate end to all acts of conflict-related sexual violence" and urged coordinated measures to protect health infrastructure, support women-led organizations and deploy gender and protection advisers.
The representative closed by reaffirming that "the rights of all women, and their full, equal, meaningful and safe participation, remain essential for international peace and security." The statement was read on behalf of Security Council signatories that included Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, the United Kingdom and Panama.
