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Security Council Open Debates on the Protection of Civilians --Reports and Excerpts from the Nine Open Debates
Semi-annual open debates of the Security Council on the protection of civilians around the world and the Security Council’s response to these crises have become a regular follow-up to the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict resolutions. Some governments hope that these regular briefings, high-lighting situations where civilians are in danger around the world and giving Member States the opportunity to make statements on the Security Council’s role in protecting civilians, will be a new mechanism to spur better and earlier responses to these crises. A few governments have noted Security Council Resolution 1612 on Children in Armed Conflict as a possible model.
First Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 28 June 2006
The Security Council held its first open debate on the protection of civilians following the inclusion of RtoP in Security Council Resolution 1674 on 28 June 2006. Many governments positively reacted to the RtoP reference in 1674. Some governments commented on the connection between the Security Council taking concrete actions in accordance with the Protection of Civilians resolutions and the realization of the commitment to the Responsibility to Protect. Click here for more information about the 28 June 2006 open debate on the Protection of Civilians, including links to Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland’s briefing before the Security Council and what governments said at the debate.
For excerpted government statements referencing RtoP at the first open debate, click here.
Second Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 4 December 2006
The second debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict took place on 4 December 2006. Mr. Jan Egeland reminded member states of their pledge to accept the responsibility to protect civilian populations. He remarked that this pledge is still far away from being translated into predictable and adequate action to provide for the protection of threatened communities. He insisted that the responsibility to protect must be de-politicized, that it must become a truly shared interest and must then translate into joint action by all members of the Council and the UN.
For excerpted government statements referencing RtoP at the second open debate, please click here.
Third Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 22 June 2007
The third debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict took place on 22 June 2007. Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Security Council, referring to the responsibility to protect in his opening and closing comments.
Apart from China, who continued to express reservations with RtoP, governments continued to be overwhelmingly positive in expressing their support for the Responsibility to Protect and urging the Security Council to consider ways to operationalize RtoP. Of the twenty-eight nations that made statements at the Open Debate, twenty-three referred to the principle of the “responsibility to protect.” Countries expressing support for RtoP in their statements included: the UK, Panama, Italy, Congo, Slovakia, Ghana, Belgium, Japan, Argentina, Germany on behalf of the European Union and associated States, Nigeria, Canada, Liechtenstein, Korea and Rwanda.
This Open Debate indicates the Security Council’s continued commitment to operationalizing the principle of “the responsibility to protect” in order to promote the protection of civilians from the most heinous of crimes in armed conflict.
For excerpted government statements referencing RtoP at the third Open Debate click here.
For the full Security Council transcript of the third Open Debate click here.
Fourth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 20 November 2007
The fourth debate on the protection of civilians took place on 20 November 2007. RtoP was one of its central themes, as touched on by Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon in his opening remarks to the Security Council. The Secretary-General started the debate by saying that UN member states need to move the RtoP concept from word to deed. He also called for a working group on the protection of civilians in conflict, the goal of which is to make the consideration of protection of civilians more systematic and timely, by giving members a special forum for in depth examination and discussion of protection issues facing the international community. The Secretary-General hopes this will lead to more decisive action by the UNSC and which will lead to practical improvements on the ground.
After that opening statement, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes presented the report of the Secretary-General, which highlighted the problems that still remain for the protection of civilians. Almost every member of the UNSC made a statement mentioning RtoP, and a large portion of non-SC members also referenced RtoP in their statements. Most of these statements were positive, echoing the Secretary-General’s ideas, although some states cautioned that the RtoP still needed to be discussed, in the capacity of the UNGA, however, and not the UNSC. Member states also embraced the idea of a new working group on the protection of civilians, and vowed their commitment to the establishment of such a group.
For excerpted government statements referencing RtoP at the fourth Open Debate click here
For the full Security Council transcript of the fourth Open Debate click here Resumption: click here
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.
Fifth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 27 May 2008
The fifth open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict was held on 27 May 2008. The delegates in the Security Council Chamber condemned all violations of international law and reaffirmed the inalienable responsibility of sovereign states and the international community to protect their populations. In the course of the meeting, many governments supported the development of RtoP as agreed from the 2005 World Summit. John Sawers, President of the Security Council, re-emphasized on behalf of the Council "the responsibility of States to comply with their relevant obligations to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of international humanitarian law (...)."
To access excerpts of statements on RtoP at the fifth open debate, please view the following document compiled by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect.
Sixth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 14 January 2009
On 14 January 2009, the Security Council held the Sixth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians. The President of the Security Council, France’s Ambassador Jean Maurice-Ripert, re-affirmed the need for states to respect all relevant international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law, and refugee law to enhance protection of civilians in armed conflict.
The connection between the protection of civilians in armed conflict and R2P was noted by many states. Out of the 50 member states that spoke at the debates, 19 mentioned RtoP, and 17 did so positively. Only Sudan and China expressed opposing views, arguing the necessity of respecting sovereignty and allowing international action solely with content of the state in question.
To see excerpted statementsof R2P related comments in government statements, please see the following compiled by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect.
Member States also noted the unique role that the Security Council has to play in invoking RtoP, and highlighted it as a mechanism for timely and dynamic action. Countries envisioned the incorporation of RtoP into the Security Council’s agenda through good office missions, support for the ICC and international criminal tribunals, and the Peacebuilding Commission. Promotion of peace and justice through preventative aspects of RtoP were emphasized, as well as the need to reconcile sovereignty and RtoP internally within the General Assembly. Many States spoke of the need for a common conceptual understanding and agreed strategy on how to implement RtoP principles. In that regard, states expressed that they were looking forward to the report of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on implementing the Responsibility to Protect, released 12 January 2009.
For the full Security Council transcript of the sixth Open Debate click here.
Seventh Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 26 June 2009
On 26 June 2009, the Security Council held its Seventh Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians. The Seventh Open Debate focused on sexual violence and rape as frequent tactics of war, and governments acknowledged the need for such abuses to be treated as war crimes.
With regard to continued violations against civilians in conflict, many governments reiterated the primary responsibility of states to protect their own populations. 15 Member States (out of 42) mentioned the RtoP in their statements. Among them, the Czech Republic (on behalf of the EU), France, Mexico and Guatemala called for an urgent operationalization of the concept. The representatives from France, Peru and Italy expressed their anticipation of a
UN debate on RtoP at the General Assembly which was held on 23, 24 and 28 July 2009. A couple of governments emphasized the prevention aspect of the norm and called for the strengthening of early-warning mechanisms. China was the only state who offered a more cautious note on RtoP, reminding the international community to respect sovereignty.
See excerpted statements compiled by the Global Centre for R2P mentioning the norm: click here.
For the full Security Council transcript of the Seventh Open Debate, click here
Eighth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians: 11 November 2009
The Eighth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians was held on 11 November 2009. Reiterating its commitment to prevent the victimization of civilians in armed conflict and putting an end to the continued violence against civilians, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1894, which makes specific reference to RtoP and paragraph 138-139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document.
RtoP principles were significantly featured during the debate by fourteen States. In fact, Italy called RtoP a “cardinal achievement of the UN" while Ireland called it “an important vehicle” for advancing the Protection of Civilians agenda. Of the fifty-six States who participated in the debate, many mentioned the primary responsibility of each State to protect populations from mass atrocities, and the role of the international community to assist States in fulfilling their protection obligations. Some States, mainly European, also welcomed the July 2009 GA debate on RtoP and the consequent GA Resolution
on RtoP. Only Sudan and Sri Lanka, while recognizing the responsibilities of each State towards the protection of populations, called on the international community to respect the principle of sovereignty.
Echoing the July GA debate on implementing RtoP, the POC debate discussed three important themes related to the norm, namely
- A focus on the prevention of mass atrocities and on the need to strengthen UN early warning mechanisms.
- A majority of States mentioned the need to fight impunity by addressing violations of international humanitarian law and holding individuals accountable for mass atrocities, through national mechanisms or international ones such as the ICC.
- States called on the Security Council to act without selectivity to protect civilians from mass atrocities, emphasizing on the context of the crisis in Gaza.
Other themes in the debate included the need to provide peacekeeping operations with more effective protection mandates, training and resources and the need to obtain access and security for humanitarian groups in nations experiencing armed conflict, as expressed in the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2009/277). View the official transcripts from the morning and afternoon sessions of the debate, and the excerpted statements of Member States on RtoP.
Ninth Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 7 July 2010
On 7 July 2010, Members of the UN Security Council participated in the ninth open debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. Forty Member States spoke during the proceedings, and eight States made specific reference to RtoP in their speeches. Italy mentioned its support for RtoP as “an instrument available to the international community to overcome crises”, and welcomed the upcoming informal interactive dialogue of the General Assembly on early warning and assessment planned for 23 July 2010 (ICRtoP will send further information on the dialogue on Monday). While Venezuela questioned whether RtoP had achieved the necessary consensus to become operational in the protection of civilians, Bangladesh re-emphasized how important the principle of RtoP was in preventing harm to civilians in armed conflict. Peru mentioned that the international community needed to focus on pillar I and II of the Responsibility to Protect, namely the responsibilities of the States and assisting the state with these responsibilities and capacity building. While Turkey and Sri Lanka underlined that RtoP and the protection of civilians in armed conflict were distinct initiatives that should not be compounded, the EU delegation recalled that “there is a clear linkage between them because, when populations are properly protected, they will not fall victim to genocide, war crimes, crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing”.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also spoke at the debate. They and Members States involved in the POC debate vocalized three main themes during the debate that are closely related to RtoP:
- Accountability for perpetrators of crimes, in particular through strengthening national judicial mechanisms and working in concert with UN-mandated commissions and the International Criminal Court when necessary.
- Humanitarian access is paramount in the protection of civilians, especially those in protracted situations. The debate condemned the targeting of humanitarian aid workers, and urged further thought on coordinating with non-state armed groups in ensuring civilians can access humanitarian aid in times of crisis.
- Peacekeeping missions must be given robust mandates, and the Council must provide UN operations with sustained political support and the adequate resources to protect civilians.
Click here to view the UN News Centre’s article on the debate.
See here our page on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict and on previous debates.
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