UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced his intention to offer Commissioner Margot Wallstrom the post of special representative, to intensify efforts to end sexual violence against women and children in conflict situations. "We will continue efforts to end the conflicts in the east (of the Democratic Republic of Congo), restore state authority, facilitate the return of refugees, and protect civilians against all forms of violence including sexual violence," Ban said.

Wallstrom said she was honoured to be offered the role and said, "The challenge is enormous. I intend to bring all of my energy and political experience to bear on it. This is an issue which I regard as one of the most important and yet one of the most overlooked and ignoredd in modern conflicts." The Commissioner has often campaigned for womens rights and a greater representation in government, including the 50/50 50-50 campaign for democracy, a Europe–wide  initiative to increase the presence of women in the decision-making process. She has also applied pressure for a more gender balanced Commission.

Speaking about her new role, she stated that, "Violence against women is the most common but least punished crime in the world. It continues in every continent, country and culture and the results are devastating on women’s lives as well as on their families and on the fabric of society as a whole. In recent years it has been sickening to see sexual violence become a tool of modern warfare. In far too many parts of the world women are excluded from the decision-making process and from conflict resolution and peacekeeping. This absolutely has to change and I am determined to play my part in making that change happen."

According to the UN, "Sexual violence in conflict is a serious, present-day atrocity affecting millions of people, primarily women and girls. It is frequently a conscious strategy employed on a large scale by armed groups to humiliate opponents, terrify individuals and destroy societies. Women and girls may also be subjected to sexual exploitation by those mandated to protect them. Sexual violence during conflict remains vastly under-addressed due to weak national mechanisms for protection and judicial redress and inadequate health and social support services. Many still view sexual violence as an inevitable, if regrettable, consequence of conflict and displacement – an attitude which encourages impunity for perpetrators and silences survivors. Rape during conflict is a war crime and a serious violation of human rights and humanitarian law, which has received widespread condemnation."