The Foreign Ministers of the G8 met this week in London as part of the UK’s one year G8 Presidency. As their statement made clear, they addressed between them the major issues of the day: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East Peace process. But G8 Ministers were not just fire fighting. The focus of the British Presidency continues to be as much about the long term, strategic need to prevent conflict, and about practical ways to manage its consequences, in particular the devastating impact on the innocent men, woman and children caught up in its wake.
As I discussed this week on Vatican Radio, one of the most devastating aspects of modern conflict is the use of rape as a weapon of war. At the urging of the United Kingdom, which under William Hague has made this a foreign policy priority, Foreign Ministers endorsed a Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. This set out practical ways of dealing with the culture of impunity that surrounds sexual violence in conflict, ensuring that we increase the numbers of perpetrators brought to justice, and starting the process of building a strong and effective international coalition to tackle the problem. The scale is huge. UN estimates suggest that 500,000 women have been raped since 1996 in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Pope Francis discussed conflict and its consequences with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 8 April. The UK, with the G8, is responding to the Pope’s call for urgent action. We look forward to Holy See’s support for this important initiative.
Countries that have come through conflict can be helped back to health. The G8 focused in particular on Burma and Somalia, looking at strengthening the re-engagement of both countries with global economic structures and responsible investors, the surest route to long term political and economic recovery. Dealing with cycles of conflict and instability take time, and sustained effort. The G8 does not have all the answers. But it retains the will, and sense of global responsibility, to continue to try. That is the essence of Britain’s G8 Presidency.