The European Parliament ,

–   having regard to the UN High-Level Conference on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and Non-Governmental-Organisation Personnel held in New York on 4 December 2006 and the Secretary-General's remarks to that conference,

–   having regard to the fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949) and the additional protocols which stipulate that women shall be protected against rape and all other forms of sexual violence,

–   having regard to the UN Declaration of 20 December 1993 on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the United Nations Convention of 20 November 1989 on the Rights of the Child,

–   having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on Women, Peace and Security,

–   having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1265 (1999) of 17 September 1999 on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, and particularly paragraph 14 thereof, whereby UN personnel involved in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building activities must have appropriate training, particularly in human rights, including gender-related provisions,

–   having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and particularly Articles 7 and 8 thereof, which lists rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and forced sterilisation or any form of sexual violence of comparable gravity as crimes against humanity and war crimes and equates them with a form of torture and a serious war crime, whether these acts are systematically perpetrated or not during international or internal conflicts,

–   having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1712 (2006) of 29 September 2006 on Liberia,

–   having regard to the report by Prince Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Advisor to the Secretary-General on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel, entitled "A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations" of 4 April 2005,

–   having regard to the Office of Internal Oversight Services' report of 5 January 2005, on the investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

–   having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on women in armed conflicts and their role in post-conflict reconstruction(1) ,

–   having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas the recent claims concerning children in Haiti and Liberia being subjected to rape and prostitution by UN peacekeepers make this the latest in a sad series of similar scandals, including acts of paedophilia by UN personnel in the Democratic Republic of Congo and trafficking in human beings in Kosovo,

B.   whereas there are nearly 100 000 UN peacekeepers in the world, the vast majority of whom serve loyally and honourably, but whose contributions to peace and security are undermined by the serious instances of sexual abuse committed by a small number of individual UN personnel,

C.   whereas the UN has investigated 319 members of peacekeeping personnel suspected of committing sexual abuse since 2004 and disciplined 179 individuals including soldiers, civilians and police officers,

D.   whereas UN personnel expelled from the organisation for sexual exploitation are rarely prosecuted in their countries of origin,

E.   whereas the whole purpose of peacekeeping missions is to help countries ravaged by civil or international conflict restore stability, guarantee public security and install the rule of law,

1.  Expresses its profound shock at the odious crimes attributed to UN personnel, including the trading of sex for food;

2.  Condemns the acts of UN peacekeepers in Haiti and Liberia that have subjected children to rape and prostitution;

3.  Condemns all acts of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as other criminal acts committed by UN personnel in violation of human rights as well as flagrantly inconsistent with, and in betrayal of, the peacekeeping and humanitarian mission of the organisation itself;

4.  Emphasises the particularly heinous nature of these acts of preying on extremely vulnerable and weak local populations that should be protected, not abused, by UN personnel;

5.  Calls on all Member States of the UN sending personnel on peacekeeping missions to follow up all claims of sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly those which concern minors, and to bring those individuals who have committed sexual abuse to court as quickly as possible;

6.  Calls on the UN Secretary-General to carry out further investigations into UN peacekeepers' and humanitarian aid workers' role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people in order to put in place an effective monitoring system and enforce the UN's policy of zero tolerance;

7.  Welcomes the recent UN High-Level Conference of 4 December 2006 that addressed the issue of preventing sexual misconduct by field personnel and the Secretary-General's announcement about a forthcoming strategy to assist victims of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as the use of DNA sampling to prevent further instances of abuse;

8.  Expresses serious concern over reports of a 'culture of silence' in some UN missions, stemming from the fear of punishment and retaliation; calls on the UN to take all necessary steps to create a working environment that allows staff to report instances of abuse without fear of retaliation;

9.  Emphasises that, despite current measures and the United Nation's long-standing 'zero tolerance' approach, allegations of sexual misconduct persist, that, unless the United Nations can urgently put a stop to this behaviour, it will have a detrimental impact on the credibility and moral authority of the institution as a whole and that, ultimately, some Member States may reduce the number of their troops at a time when there is a strong need for peace-keeping missions;

10.  Stresses the difficulty faced by the United Nations with respect to disciplining troops guilty of sexual misconduct because of the fact that ultimate responsibility for training and disciplining troops remains the preserve of Member States; urges the countries concerned, therefore, to implement disciplinary procedures wherever possible;

11.  Welcomes the ambition to create a binding UN treaty on the prosecution of peacekeepers who commit sexual abuse;

12.  Stresses that such a treaty should also include policies preventing UN personnel charged with such abuse from being rehired, the setting up of a fund to assist victims of abuse, and measures to improve the training of UN personnel in respecting human rights;

13.  Calls on the United Nations to take steps to ensure the protection of vulnerable people, particularly women, children, and refugees, in areas where its troops are operating; calls, further, on the United Nations and the European Union to support measures to empower women in conflict and post-conflict situations so that they are less vulnerable to sexual exploitation;

14.  Welcomes the national campaign to combat Sexual Exploitation and Abuse launched by the Government of Liberia on 4 December 2006, in conjunction with the UN and civil society organisations, and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's call to the international community "not to misuse [its] wealth and power to sexually exploit children and women";

15.  Recognises the work of the UN peacekeeping missions in the promotion of peace and security all over the world;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretary-General of the UN and the governments of the Member States of the UN.

(1) Text Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0245