Blog by Donatella Benjamin and Stacy Ciulik, SI Representatives to the United Nations in Geneva.
On 24 June 2025, the Annual Full-Day Discussion on the Human Rights of Women took place during the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council. The first panel discussion commemorated the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, also known as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and was titled: Panel 1: Gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings .
Opening Remarks:
In his opening statement, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk emphasized the very distressing fact that gender-based violence in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings is on the rise.
It was disheartening to hear that the Human Rights Office and the Council’s Commissions of Inquiry have documented thousands of cases of gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Israel, occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Haiti, and Sudan. Volker Türk added that fighters are often instructed to victimize women, to force them to flee their communities and to silence those women who dare to speak out.
Despite the many resolutions, including the landmark Resolution 1325, gender-based violence and sexual violence are crimes which are seldom prosecuted.
This significant event, which coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, included the panellists:
- Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
- Ms. Grace Achan, Co-founder of the Women’s Advocacy Network Uganda
- Ms. Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Ms. Clara Sandoval, Director of Programmes at the Global Survivors Fund
The Global Survivors Fund (GSF) Director of Programmes, Ms. Clara Sandoval, gave the most compelling talk during the morning session.
She called upon all member states to act upon “the right to reparation for every woman and girl silenced, violated, discriminated against, and stigmatised by conflict-related sexual violence”. Ms. Sandoval explained how reparation allows for the mental and physical rehabilitation of those traumatized. When healing and reparation transpire, the trauma is not passed on to the next generations and a healthy life becomes possible.
Reparation is a strong signal from societies that the crimes committed were wrong and the victims are innocent. This sign is essential for healing to begin and for lives to be rebuilt.
“At GSF, we talk about co-creation. Survivors must be given the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to every stage of the reparation process. They need to feel that they are truly at the centre, that they are provided with safe and trusted spaces and are accompanied throughout the journey.”
The peacebuilding work, which is the center of the Global Survivors Fund’s work, cannot be sustainably maintained without reparation.
Clara Sandoval requested the members of the Human Rights Council to support reparation for victims to heal their societies by specifically:
- Ensuring independent monitoring of the implementation of the right to reparation in UN Member States, including for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, through the work of country and thematic special procedures;
- Reviewing systematically the status and implementation of the right to reparation of UN Member States through the Universal Periodic Review process;
- Driving forward a resolution and coordinate international action to secure the freezing, confiscation and repurposing of the assets belonging to the perpetrators of human rights violations and linked crimes for the benefit of victims and survivors; and
- Organising a second, high-level, full day discussion in 2026 on the right to reparation of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence with a specific focus on financing of reparation.
We should never forget that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of reparations because trauma continues for generations.
