References to RtoP in Security Council Open Debates on the Protection of Civilians
On 28 April 2006, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1674 on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. Resolution 1674 contains the historic first official Security Council reference to the Responsibility to Protect. On 28 June 2006, the Council held its first open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which it has since held twice yearly. The purpose of these semi-annual debates is to take stock of developments in the area of protection of civilians, particularly situation-specific information and assess progress in the implementation of commitments made in Res. 1674. Discussions on RtoP have been an important component of these debates, and governments have used the debates to express their support for RtoP. See our page on the Protection of Civilians debates and all references to RtoP

Security Council Resolution on Darfur: 31 August 2006
The government of Sudan has flagrantly disregarded its responsibility to protect the people of Darfur and the alarm bells have been ringing for years for the international community to take on its responsibility to protect Darfuri citizens from mass atrocities and mass violations of human rights. On 31 August 2006, UN Security Council passed Resolution 1706 authorizing the deployment of 17,300 UN peacekeeping troops to Darfur. Although the mandate met resistance by Khartoum which prevented its deployment, the resolution referred to par. 138-139 on RtoP in the 2005 World Summit outcome Document as well as Resolution 1674 on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. On 31 July 2007, the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1769 authorized the deployment of a 26,000-strong joint UN-AU force for Darfur. While it was an important step toward providing much needed protection to mistreated civilians, it did not refer to the Responsibility to Protect or to the Open debate on the Protection of Civilians, a setback from earlier RtoP advances. See our page on RtoP and the crisis in Darfur

Burma resolutions in the Security Council
In September 2006, the UN Security Council had their first meeting on the situation in Burma and, in January 2007, proposed a resolution calling for the cessation of grave violations of human rights, including the campaign of systematic rape and other forms of sexual violence. However, China and Russia both used their veto to block this resolution claiming that the internal affairs of a state did not belong in the Security Council and that the situation did not constitute threats to international peace and security. See our page on the crisis in Burma.

The Joint Office of the Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and RtoP
The post of Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide was created by Security Council Resolution 1366 in response to the failure of the international community to prevent the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The first Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Mendez, was appointed by Kofi Annan in April 2004. On 29 May 2007, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Dr. Francis Deng as the Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide, who was assigned Under-Secretary-General status and received a full-time post in December 2007 (whereas Mendez was an Assistant Secretary-General and employed part-time). The mandate of the SAPG is to collect existing information, particularly from within the UN system, act as an early warning mechanism, and make recommendations to the Security Council through the Secretary General. A post for the Special Adviser with a focus on the Responsibility to Protect was established on 21 February 2008 following the appointment of Dr. Edward Luck. Dr. Luck’s primary role is to develop conceptual clarity and consensus for the evolving norm, while working closely with the Office of the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide. See our page on the Joint Office.

Secretary-Generals report on the Responsibility to Protect 
Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon released a report on 12 January 2009 entitled Implementing the Responsibility to Protect , the first comprehensive UN document on the RtoP. The report clarifies how to understand RtoP and outlines measures and actors involved in rendering the norm operational. Based on paragraph 138-139 of the World Summit, the Secretary-General suggested a hree-pillar approach namely 1) the protection responsibilities of the state, 2) international assistance and capacity building, and 3) timely and decisive response to prevent and halt genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Secretary-General recommended that the General Assembly meet to consider, based on this report, how Member States will take the 2005 World Summit commitment forward. See our summary of the report

General Assembly July 2009 Debate on the Responsibility to Protect 
The General Assembly Debate on RtoP started on 23 July 2009 and continued the full two days of 24 July and 28 July 2009. The 92 Member States (and 2 observers) which spoke on RtoP demonstrated strong interest in the norm and made an important show of support for implementing the 2005 commitment to prevent and halt genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Governments demonstrated that they were conscientiously considering the proposals in the Secretary-General’s report and also raised important issues and recommendations for the General Assembly, the Security Council, the UN departments, regional bodies and governments. Many recognized the important role of civil society in preventing and reacting to these most serious international violations. Click here to view statements and media coverage on the event.  View the Coalition's report on the July Debate and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect's assessment of the debate .

UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/63/308 on the Responsibility to Protect
The first resolution on the Responsibility to Protect was adopted by the General Assembly on 14 September 2009. The resolution (A/RES/63/308) was introduced on September 14, 2009 by the delegation of Guatemala and was co-sponsored by 67 Member States. The GA took note of the report of the Secretary-General and of the debate in the General Assembly, and decided to continue its consideration of RtoP.  View the summary of statements on the adoption of the resolution.

UN General Assembly Interactive Dialogue on Early Warning, Assessment and the Responsibility to Protect
On 9 August 9 2010 the General Assembly (GA) held an informal interactive dialogue on Early Warning, Assessment and the Responsibility to Protect, in response to July 14 Secretary General Ban ki Moon’s report on the issue. The dialogue took place in follow up to the July 2009 GA debate on the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), where Member States agreed (resolution A/RES/63/308) to continue consideration of RtoP. A total of 42 Member States, 2 representatives from regional organizations and 2 representatives from civil society spoke at the dialogue. View our summary of the dialogue and permanent missions’ statement.