S/2017/249 and has used that platform to give hope and voice to countless sexual violence survivors. Historic verdicts were handed down by the International Criminal Court in the case against Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese courts against Hissène Habré, and the Supreme Court of Guatemala in the Sepur Zarco case, reaffirming global commitments to hold individuals accountable for conflict-related sexual violence at the highest levels. At the World Humanitarian Summit, leaders pledged to make protection from sexual violence and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care the norm in humanitarian programming. Yet, even where laws, policies and response protocols are in place, a resurgence of hostilities, fuelled by the proliferation of arms and the proximity of combatants to civilian populations, leads unfailingly to renewed patterns of sexual violence. Peacebuilding, which entails restoring civic trust in national institutions and between communities, therefore remains one of the most critical indirect strategies for preventing conflict-related sexual violence and addressing its root causes. I thus consider the systematic engagement of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture to be a crucial aspect of this agenda. III. Sexual violence in conflict-affected settings Afghanistan 16. Chronic instability, combined with impunity, discriminatory cultural practices, and access constraints contribute to the underreporting of sexual violence across Afghanistan. In 2016, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) verified 11 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against women, girls and boys committed by parties to the conflict including the Afghan National Border Police, the Afghan Local Police and the Taliban. Of these case s, just two perpetrators (members of the Afghan National Border Police) were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in accordance with the Elimination of Violence against Women Law. The 11 incidents include four documented cases of bachah bazi, involving the sexual abuse and enslavement of boys by men in positions of power, many of whom are linked to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces. Efforts led by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to criminalize this practice resulted in draft legislation in March 2016, which remains under review. 17. The limited presence of women in the Afghan National Police (1.8 per cent), contributes to the underreporting of sexual violence. As part of efforts to recruit and retain more women, the Ministry of Interior Affairs established a mechanism to curb sexual harassment against female officers. On 31 January, the President inaugurated a fund to sponsor emergency services for women survivors of life -threatening violence, such as medical treatment and shelters. The revised Penal Code incorporates provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on sexual violence as a war crime, a crime against humanity and an act of genocide. Following the 2015 launch of its national action plan on S ecurity Council resolution 1325 (2000), the Government has adopted measures to implement and monitor its commitments, although funding for those activities has yet to be specified. 17-05090 7/33