| Security Council reaffirms R2P in Resolution on Protection of Civilians |
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| Friday, 28 April 2006 12:36 |
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Background The protection of civilians agenda is a framework for the UNs diplomatic, legal, humanitarian, and human rights activities directed at the protection of populations during armed conflict. The Security Council has included the protection of civilians as a thematic issue on its agenda since 1999, with a particular focus on the duties of states and the role of the Security Council in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), women and children. This agenda is directed at ensuring that all parties nderstand how their responsibilities for the protection of civilians should be translated into action (as described by the Secretary-General in his 28 November 2005 report). In this context, the World Summit Outcome Document endorsement of a responsibility to protect populations against genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing was a major development for the Security Council to consider. Inclusion of R2P in this resolution received considerable governmental support, as evidenced by the Security Council open debate on 9 December 2005 at UN HQ in New York. Twenty-one governments spoke in favor of R2P and its inclusion in the protection of civilians resolution. View a transcript of the morning and afternoon sessions of this debate or view the excerpts of statements on R2P. The resolution on the protection of civilians was expected to pass in December 2005, but reference to R2P was among the major points of disagreement among member states that stalled negotiations. Some Security Council members expressed opposition to any further codification of a responsibility to protect, seeking to undo or at least restrict the achievements of the Summit in this area. Others wanted the Security Council to refrain from discussing R2P prior to the consideration of these concepts in the General Assembly. As a result, the final resolution language on R2P is weaker than the original draft resolution. Impact of R2P Reference by the Security Council In the World Summit Outcome document, world leaders pledged that the international community, acting through the Security Council as prepared to take collective action in a timely and decisive manner when states are anifestly failing to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. This development was welcomed as one of the most significant achievements in the Summit; it was a political commitment that could be used to hold the international community accountable if a population was threatened by genocide or similar large-scale atrocities. With a reaffirmation of this provision in Resolution 1674, the Security Council itself accepts the commitment made at the September Summit and further codifies R2P principles into the UN system: according to the UN Charter, all UN member states are obligated to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. Neither the resolution nor the Summit Outcome Document, however, automatically ensure that timely action will be taken by the Security Council. The World Summit Outcome language leaves to Security Council the discretion as to when it might act (n a case by case basis). For millions of civilians suffering or at risk of violence as a result of armed conflict, Security Council action has come too late, if at all. The Security Council must work to fulfill this commitment by responding earlier to warning signals using a range of measures commensurate with the seriousness of the threat to populations. This responsibility must be a political priority for member states as they deliberate on next steps for Darfur and future crises. Reform of Security Council working methods for example, an agreement by permanent Council members to refrain from use of the veto in instances of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing is also imperative. Civil society organizations must play a key role in ensuring that this responsibility accepted first by world leaders and now by the Security Council is respected. For further analysis of the debate, visit the Security Council Report website. For a timeline of UN activities on the protection of civilians agenda, including earlier reports and resolutions, visit the OCHA website. |