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Security Council, senior UN officials say conflict parties must respect, protect civilians

12 February 2014 – With civilians now routinely targeted and subjected to indiscriminate brutality in most current conflicts – from the civil war in Syria to ethnic and political strife in Central African Republic and South Sudan – the Security Council joined senior United Nations officials today to once again urge greater protection for the countless men, women and children caught in the crossfire of war.

Holding its first open debate on the topic since the release of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's most recent report, in which he notes sombrely that "the current state of the protection of civilians leaves little room for optimism," the Security Council sounded the alarm on behalf of desperate civilians and examined the core challenges the international community faces, from enhancing compliance with civilian protection regimes by non-State actors to improving humanitarian access to people in need.

The day-long debate will hear briefings by Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights; Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; as well Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross. All 15 Council members as well as diplomats from among the wider UN membership are also expected to participate in the meeting.

A Presidential Statement adopted by the meeting will, among other aims, reaffirm the Council's commitment to its range of civilian protection measures approved since 1999, and also reaffirm that parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of affected civilians.

The Council will urge such conflict parties to meet the "basic needs, and give attention to the specific needs of women and children, refugees, internally displaced persons, as well as other civilians who may have specific vulnerabilities."