In its discussion of the situation in Mali, the Council should support key elements regarding women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution, and the cessation of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence. The UN presence to be established must be equipped with all the needed resources, including strong gender expertise, to independently monitor the adherence of all parties to the conflict to international humanitarian and human rights law, and must submit public and regular reports to the SC on its findings. The Security Council should make sure that the authorized military force of the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) mandated by SCR 2085 (2012) must be subjected to strict vetting procedures, and pre-deployment training should reach best practice standards, particularly regarding sexual violence in conflict. Concerted efforts must be made to ensure comprehensive protection of civilians, in particular women. There must also be an urgent upscale in specialized gender-based violence (GBV) service delivery, with humanitarian organizations leading the GBV response requiring continuous support from the GBV Sub-Cluster leadership.