Protection of Civilians
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The Informal Experts Group on Protection of Civilians met yesterday (Tuesday, 8 March) to discuss Afghanistan ahead of the renewal of UNAMA’s mandate. Council experts covering protection as well as the country-specific experts on Afghanistan attended the meeting. China, however,...
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It seems possible that in February Council members will informally review the progress of the Council’s thematic work under the general rubric of protection. It is unclear whether this will lead to any decisions.
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Tomorrow, Council members will have informal consultations on three thematic areas on the Council’s agenda–protection of civilians, women, peace and security and children and armed conflict. This is the first time Council members will be considering these three areas together....
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There is talk that under the Brazilian presidency in February there will be consultations on how the Council can work more efficiently on protection issues. The aim appears to be to find ways of streamlining the Council’s work on these...
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In November, the Council is expecting a report from the Secretary-General and is scheduled to hold its biannual open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict.
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This is SCR’s third Cross-Cutting Report on Protection of Civilians. It builds on our previous reports and offers a resource for systematically tracking the Security Council’s work on this issue. This 2010 report reviews developments at the thematic level (focusing on events of 2010) since our last cross-cutting report of October 2009 and offers a statistical analysis of Council action in country-specific situations in 2009 compared with the previous five years. (It also touches on important developments in 2010.) Two case studies are presented—on Chad and Somalia—offering a more in-depth view of the dilemmas the Council faces in addressing protection needs. There is also a section on special issues related to protection in the peacekeeping context. As always in SCR’s publications, some future possible options for the Council are outlined. The options section is not intended as an exhaustive list, but rather offers some suggestions. In the period covered by this report, protection of civilians has remained a major issue in the Council’s work. While there were perhaps fewer acute conflict-related crises than identified in our last report, the situation for civilians in Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Chad in particular, but also elsewhere, remained serious or deteriorated.
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The biannual open Council debate on protection of civilians initially expected in June is now scheduled for early July. It will feature a briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes. As this will be Holmes’ last briefing on protection of civilians before leaving his post in July, he is expected to offer some reflections on his tenure.
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In November the Council is expected to hold an open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict. (It normally takes up this issue twice a year; the last debate was on 26 June.) The foreign minister of Austria, which holds the Council presidency for the month, is expected to chair the meeting.
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Security Council Report published its first Cross-Cutting Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in October 2008. It provided background on relevant provisions of international humanitarian law and on Security Council involvement in the issue of protection of civilians starting in the 1990s. It also analysed the way that the Council had implemented its thematic decisions on protection of civilians in specific cases following the adoption of its first thematic decisions in 1999 through to the end of 2007 and examined protection issues in the context of implementation of UN peacekeeping mandates. This 2009 Cross-Cutting Report builds on this historical background and analysis and looks specifically at developments since the end of 2007, both at the thematic level and in country-specific situations. As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Council’s first thematic decision on protection of civilians as well as the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, there has clearly been greater focus on the Council’s role in relation to protection issues. Several ongoing and recent crises have also highlighted the wider implications of attacks against civilians for international peace and security. In addition to analysing recent Council action related to the protection of civilians agenda, including through case studies of the situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gaza and Sri Lanka, and identifying key challenges, the present report suggests some possible future options for the Council. This and future annual cross-cutting reports on protection of civilians should enable stakeholders to begin to systematically track progress in the Council’s handling of this issue.
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In June the Council will hold an open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict. (It takes up this issue twice a year; the last debate was on 14 January.) At press time the Secretary-General’s seventh report on the issue was expected.
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In January the Council will hold an open debate (delayed from November) on protection of civilians in armed conflict. It will most likely be preceded by an Arria formula meeting. (It is Council practice to take up this issue twice a year; the last debate was held in May 2008.)
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In the Security Council the thematic focus on protection of civilians in armed conflict is relatively recent and dates from the late 1990s. However, the issue has been a concern for many Council members over the years. The disproportionate burden that war imposed on civilian populations in the twentieth century has been a key factor. In the past century, the ratio of civilian casualties to military casualties as a result of conflict rose steadily until civilian deaths surpassed those of combatants. Causes included not only direct violence but also malnutrition and disease precipitated by war.
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In May the Council is expected to hold an open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict. (In recent years, there has been an understanding in the Council that there would be two major public meetings on protection of civilians each year.) Under Secretary-General John Holmes will update the Council on developments since the Secretary-General’s last report on the topic in October.
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The Council will hold an open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Tuesday, 20 November. It seems that the Secretary-General and Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes will address the Council. Members are expected to discuss recent findings and recommendations contained in
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The Council will hold an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict on 22 June, following a briefing by the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes.
