United Nations Radio

Security Council

PRES: The issue of protecting civilians in armed conflict was again discussed by the UN Security Council this week.

Narr: While the 15-member Council reiterated its commitment to the protection of civilians in armed conflict, varying Member States and UN Agencies expressed concern about how the UN would accomplish this.

Addressing the Security Council Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, said protection entails the respect of human rights under international law. She said the fight against impunity must remain a central concern for the Council.

Kyung-wha Kang

The Deputy High Commissioner pointed to the UN's role in war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo where hundreds of civilians have been killed or displaced and where many women have been sexually abused.

"MONUC support to the Congolese Army in the context of these operations needs to be reviewed whenever there is a risk of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law. This situation is further compounded by concerns that well-known human rights violators, including an ICC indictee, continue to occupy high level command positions within the Congolese Army."

UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes questioned whether those affected by conflict enjoy a significantly greater degree of protection than they did a decade ago when the Security Council initially expressed its commitment to protect civilians in armed conflict.

John Holmes

"From Afghanistan to Chad, to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and beyond, the lack of compliance with the law by parties to conflict, both State and non-State, results in thousands of civilians killed and injured every month and thousands more forced from their homes into situations of dependency, destitution and yet further violations, including rape and other forms of sexual violence."

Mr. Holmes says it's essential to clarify what protection means in the peacekeeping context.

"We should be clear that, even when they have protection of civilians mandates under Chapter VII of the Charter, United Nations peacekeeping operations continue to be guided by the basic principles of peacekeeping. They are not peace enforcement operations."

While the Council expressed a willingness to respond to situations of armed conflict where civilians are being targeted or humanitarian assistance to civilians is being deliberately obstructed, Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine says this has not been the case in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Riyad Mansour

"Settler violence has also intensified with violent extremist Israeli settlers continuing to harass, intimidate and terrorize Palestinian civilians violating their rights to life liberty and security of persons and to destroy Palestinian properties and crops. Moreover in occupied east Jerusalem, the Israeli evictions of Palestinian families and the demolition of Palestinian homes have rendered hundreds of Palestinians homeless, forcing us to ask this august council when will the rights of these civilians including tht of protection be ensured?"

In response Gabriela Shalev, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, said the Council cannot ignore the reality of terrorism.

Ambassador Gabriela Shalev of Israel

"It is a reality in which terrorists intentionally draw civilians into armed conflict. It is a reality in which terrorists use civilians as shields, while they store weapons in and launch attacks from densely populated areas--from schools, mosques, and civilian structures and homes."

On the tenth anniversary of the Security Council's consideration of the protection of civilians, the Secretary-General called for the Council to look forward to ensure better ways to protect civilians even during conflicts that are not perceived by all Council members as violations of international peace and security.

Ban Ki-moon

"The past ten years have seen some major conflicts come to an end. But others have persisted, and new ones have broken out. In old and new alike we see appalling levels of human suffering and a fundamental failure of the parties involved to respect their obligations to protect civilians. This failure demands a reinvigorated commitment by the Security Council, Member States, and the United Nations to the principles of international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law."

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio

Duration: 4'23"