Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, November 2011

More than 10 years have passed since the first debate was held in the Security Council on this issue, yet armed conflicts still affect millions of persons who are deprived of basic necessities and who are vulnerable to violations of their rights, displaced from their homes, targeted through indiscriminate attacks and other violations. In many cases, the principal victims of armed conflicts are women and children.

The protection of civilians in armed conflict cannot be achieved without promoting respect for and observance by States of their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, first and foremost with a view to ensuring accountability in the event of grave violations. Special attention should also be given to those in vulnerable situations, such as women and children, who face great and multiple risks during conflicts.

Peacekeeping operations are one of the most important tools available to the United Nations to protect civilians in armed conflict. Resolution 1894 (2009), resolutions relating to children and armed conflict and to women and peace and security, the mandating of peacekeeping missions to protect civilians, the creation of the informal expert group on the protection of civilians and the adoption of aides memoire on the protection of civilians have been important steps forward.

During its annual debate on women and peace and security last month (see S/PV.6642), the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2011/20) on women's participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, in which it reiterated its condemnation of all violations of applicable international law committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. As I commend those developments, may I add that the presence of uniformed female personnel may also play a pivotal role in a State's ability to protect its citizens. I take this opportunity to refer to the efforts of the allfemale formed police unit from Bangladesh working in the peacekeeping Mission in Haiti.

Similarly, support should also be given to self-protection initiatives by civilian populations. That also includes strengthening the leadership role that women take on during reconciliation processes. Women are agents of change in cases such as that of Guatemala, where they are able to create spaces for conflict prevention, mediation and resolution, as well as for peacebuilding.

Peacekeeping operations are one of the most important tools available to the United Nations to protect civilians in armed conflict. Resolution 1894 (2009), resolutions relating to children and armed conflict and to women and peace and security, the mandating of peacekeeping missions to protect civilians, the creation of the informal expert group on the protection of civilians and the adoption of aides memoire on the protection of civilians have been important steps forward.

During its annual debate on women and peace and security last month (see S/PV.6642), the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2011/20) on women's participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, in which it reiterated its condemnation of all violations of applicable international law committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. As I commend those developments, may I add that the presence of uniformed female personnel may also play a pivotal role in a State's ability to protect its citizens. I take this opportunity to refer to the efforts of the allfemale formed police unit from Bangladesh working in the peacekeeping Mission in Haiti.

On the implementation side, we welcome the new monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangement on conflict-related sexual violence requested under resolution 1960 (2010), which now is operational. We also very much welcome the recent progress made by DPKO on the completion of new training modules on protection issues for peacekeeping personnel and we look forward to their roll-out in the near future. In this context, it is also of special importance to engage local communities, including women, especially in discussions on protection requirements by taking gender-sensitivities into account when planning and carrying out peacekeeping mandates.

We welcome the fact that in the past the Security Council made several important decisions regarding the protection needs of vulnerable groups during armed conflicts. Unfortunately, despite the existence of international legal instruments and normative mechanisms, innocent civilians — including women and children, refugees and internally displaced persons — and international humanitarian personnel, continue to suffer in conflict situations.

Let me use this opportunity to thank OCHA and DPKO for their consistent work and support in enhancing the implementation of protection mandates. The training modules on the protection of civilians as well as on sexual violence will be crucial for better preparing UN peacekeeping personnel for these tasks. Furthermore, we look forward to the guidance on reporting on the protection of civilians for UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions. It will contribute to ensuring systematic and comprehensive reporting on the protection of civilians and thus allow for appropriate action and firm responses by the Council in case of serious violations committed against the civilian population.

Third, we must be persistent in denouncing violence directed against women and girls such as sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization. We will continue to promote the empowerment of women and girls. In Afghanistan, for example, Canada has frequently stressed the need for the Afghan government to promote and protect human rights, including freedom of expression and religious belief. Canada is supporting programs that implement the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and help Afghan human rights institutions promote equal rights for all citizens and to investigate and act on violations.

On the implementation side, we welcome the new monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangement on conflict-related sexual violence requested under resolution 1960 (2010), which now is operational. We also very much welcome the recent progress made by DPKO on the completion of new training modules on protection issues for peacekeeping personnel and we look forward to their roll-out in the near future. In this context, it is also of special importance to engage local communities, including women, especially in discussions on protection requirements by taking gender-sensitivities into account when planning and carrying out peacekeeping mandates.

We welcome the commitment of the Security Council to establish a stronger protection framework against sexual violence in conflict and for children in armed conflict, most recently through the resolutions 1960 and 1998.

We share the general consensus on the importance of drawing up realistic mandates for the protection of civilians and ensuring they are adapted to the real situation on the ground and compatible with the capacity and human resources available to the respective peace keeping missions. Whether, in Darfur or in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the safety of thousands of civilians, many of whom are women and children, largely depends on peace keeping missions with a mandate to protect them. We also deem it necessary to closely involve the main troops and police contributing countries in the definition of these mandates.

Let me use this opportunity to thank OCHA and DPKO for their consistent work and support in enhancing the implementation of protection mandates. The training modules on the protection of civilians as well as on sexual violence will be crucial for better preparing UN peacekeeping personnel for these tasks. Furthermore, we look forward to the guidance on reporting on the protection of civilians for UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions. It will contribute to ensuring systematic and comprehensive reporting on the protection of civilians and thus allow for appropriate action and firm responses by the Council in case of serious violations committed against the civilian population.

Third, we must be persistent in denouncing violence directed against women and girls such as sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization. We will continue to promote the empowerment of women and girls. In Afghanistan, for example, Canada has frequently stressed the need for the Afghan government to promote and protect human rights, including freedom of expression and religious belief. Canada is supporting programs that implement the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and help Afghan human rights institutions promote equal rights for all citizens and to investigate and act on violations.

On the implementation side, we welcome the new monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangement on conflict-related sexual violence requested under resolution 1960 (2010), which now is operational. We also very much welcome the recent progress made by DPKO on the completion of new training modules on protection issues for peacekeeping personnel and we look forward to their roll-out in the near future. In this context, it is also of special importance to engage local communities, including women, especially in discussions on protection requirements by taking gender-sensitivities into account when planning and carrying out peacekeeping mandates.

The efforts of the Council to better protect children in armed conflict and to fight against sexual violence in conflict form an integral part of the protection of civilians agenda.

We welcome the commitment of the Security Council to establish a stronger protection framework against sexual violence in conflict and for children in armed conflict, most recently through the resolutions 1960 and 1998.

Let me use this opportunity to thank OCHA and DPKO for their consistent work and support in enhancing the implementation of protection mandates. The training modules on the protection of civilians as well as on sexual violence will be crucial for better preparing UN peacekeeping personnel for these tasks. Furthermore, we look forward to the guidance on reporting on the protection of civilians for UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions. It will contribute to ensuring systematic and comprehensive reporting on the protection of civilians and thus allow for appropriate action and firm responses by the Council in case of serious violations committed against the civilian population.

Peacekeeping operations are one of the most important tools available to the United Nations to protect civilians in armed conflict. Resolution 1894 (2009), resolutions relating to children and armed conflict and to women and peace and security, the mandating of peacekeeping missions to protect civilians, the creation of the informal expert group on the protection of civilians and the adoption of aides memoire on the protection of civilians have been important steps forward.

During its annual debate on women and peace and security last month (see S/PV.6642), the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2011/20) on women's participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, in which it reiterated its condemnation of all violations of applicable international law committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. As I commend those developments, may I add that the presence of uniformed female personnel may also play a pivotal role in a State's ability to protect its citizens. I take this opportunity to refer to the efforts of the allfemale formed police unit from Bangladesh working in the peacekeeping Mission in Haiti.

On the implementation side, we welcome the new monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangement on conflict-related sexual violence requested under resolution 1960 (2010), which now is operational. We also very much welcome the recent progress made by DPKO on the completion of new training modules on protection issues for peacekeeping personnel and we look forward to their roll-out in the near future. In this context, it is also of special importance to engage local communities, including women, especially in discussions on protection requirements by taking gender-sensitivities into account when planning and carrying out peacekeeping mandates.

Malaysia reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that our peacekeepers are trained to face, to the best of their ability, the multitude of challenges that are prevalent in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Last week, our peacekeeping training centre jointly organized a course with the United Nations Development Programme entitled “Promoting peace through mainstreaming gender in peacekeeping operations”, which I am pleased to note included the protection of civilians as part of its syllabus

We share the general consensus on the importance of drawing up realistic mandates for the protection of civilians and ensuring they are adapted to the real situation on the ground and compatible with the capacity and human resources available to the respective peace keeping missions. Whether, in Darfur or in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the safety of thousands of civilians, many of whom are women and children, largely depends on peace keeping missions with a mandate to protect them. We also deem it necessary to closely involve the main troops and police contributing countries in the definition of these mandates.

Third, we must be persistent in denouncing violence directed against women and girls such as sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization. We will continue to promote the empowerment of women and girls. In Afghanistan, for example, Canada has frequently stressed the need for the Afghan government to promote and protect human rights, including freedom of expression and religious belief. Canada is supporting programs that implement the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and help Afghan human rights institutions promote equal rights for all citizens and to investigate and act on violations.

We wish to highlight in particular the recent advances in fostering the principle of accountability in two important areas of the Council's work, notably in protecting women and children. Here, we wish to reference the adoption on 28 October of a presidential statement in which the Council noted “that the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern committed against women and girls has been strengthened through the work of the International Criminal Court, ad hoc and mixed tribunals, as well as specialized chambers in national tribunals” and reiterated “its intention to enhance its efforts to fight impunity and uphold accountability for serious crimes against women and girls” (S/PRST/2011/20, p. 2).

Similarly, support should also be given to self-protection initiatives by civilian populations. That also includes strengthening the leadership role that women take on during reconciliation processes. Women are agents of change in cases such as that of Guatemala, where they are able to create spaces for conflict prevention, mediation and resolution, as well as for peacebuilding.

In the post-conflict phase, Sri Lanka set up special women's protection units with female police officers and women's centres in former IDP camps, and continues to provide counselling services in the north and east. The Government has given special consideration to raising the social and economic status of war widows. Bilateral assistance has already been obtained to initiate a self-employment programme for war widows in Batticaloa, in collaboration with the Self Employed Women's Association of India.

We welcome the fact that in the past the Security Council made several important decisions regarding the protection needs of vulnerable groups during armed conflicts. Unfortunately, despite the existence of international legal instruments and normative mechanisms, innocent civilians — including women and children, refugees and internally displaced persons — and international humanitarian personnel, continue to suffer in conflict situations.

Let me use this opportunity to thank OCHA and DPKO for their consistent work and support in enhancing the implementation of protection mandates. The training modules on the protection of civilians as well as on sexual violence will be crucial for better preparing UN peacekeeping personnel for these tasks. Furthermore, we look forward to the guidance on reporting on the protection of civilians for UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions. It will contribute to ensuring systematic and comprehensive reporting on the protection of civilians and thus allow for appropriate action and firm responses by the Council in case of serious violations committed against the civilian population.

Peacekeeping operations are one of the most important tools available to the United Nations to protect civilians in armed conflict. Resolution 1894 (2009), resolutions relating to children and armed conflict and to women and peace and security, the mandating of peacekeeping missions to protect civilians, the creation of the informal expert group on the protection of civilians and the adoption of aides memoire on the protection of civilians have been important steps forward.

During its annual debate on women and peace and security last month (see S/PV.6642), the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2011/20) on women's participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, in which it reiterated its condemnation of all violations of applicable international law committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. As I commend those developments, may I add that the presence of uniformed female personnel may also play a pivotal role in a State's ability to protect its citizens. I take this opportunity to refer to the efforts of the allfemale formed police unit from Bangladesh working in the peacekeeping Mission in Haiti.

Third, we must be persistent in denouncing violence directed against women and girls such as sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization. We will continue to promote the empowerment of women and girls. In Afghanistan, for example, Canada has frequently stressed the need for the Afghan government to promote and protect human rights, including freedom of expression and religious belief. Canada is supporting programs that implement the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and help Afghan human rights institutions promote equal rights for all citizens and to investigate and act on violations.

On the implementation side, we welcome the new monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangement on conflict-related sexual violence requested under resolution 1960 (2010), which now is operational. We also very much welcome the recent progress made by DPKO on the completion of new training modules on protection issues for peacekeeping personnel and we look forward to their roll-out in the near future. In this context, it is also of special importance to engage local communities, including women, especially in discussions on protection requirements by taking gender-sensitivities into account when planning and carrying out peacekeeping mandates.

Similarly, support should also be given to self-protection initiatives by civilian populations. That also includes strengthening the leadership role that women take on during reconciliation processes. Women are agents of change in cases such as that of Guatemala, where they are able to create spaces for conflict prevention, mediation and resolution, as well as for peacebuilding.

The efforts of the Council to better protect children in armed conflict and to fight against sexual violence in conflict form an integral part of the protection of civilians agenda.

Malaysia reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that our peacekeepers are trained to face, to the best of their ability, the multitude of challenges that are prevalent in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Last week, our peacekeeping training centre jointly organized a course with the United Nations Development Programme entitled “Promoting peace through mainstreaming gender in peacekeeping operations”, which I am pleased to note included the protection of civilians as part of its syllabus

We welcome the commitment of the Security Council to establish a stronger protection framework against sexual violence in conflict and for children in armed conflict, most recently through the resolutions 1960 and 1998.

We wish to highlight in particular the recent advances in fostering the principle of accountability in two important areas of the Council's work, notably in protecting women and children. Here, we wish to reference the adoption on 28 October of a presidential statement in which the Council noted “that the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern committed against women and girls has been strengthened through the work of the International Criminal Court, ad hoc and mixed tribunals, as well as specialized chambers in national tribunals” and reiterated “its intention to enhance its efforts to fight impunity and uphold accountability for serious crimes against women and girls” (S/PRST/2011/20, p. 2).

In the post-conflict phase, Sri Lanka set up special women's protection units with female police officers and women's centres in former IDP camps, and continues to provide counselling services in the north and east. The Government has given special consideration to raising the social and economic status of war widows. Bilateral assistance has already been obtained to initiate a self-employment programme for war widows in Batticaloa, in collaboration with the Self Employed Women's Association of India.