The photo taken on May 23, 2019 shows the United Nations Security Council open debate on the protection of Civilians in armed conflict at the UN headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday asked for compliance with rules of war in order to protect civilians in conflict. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday asked for compliance with rules of war in order to protect civilians, and deplored the fact that protection is deteriorating.
"Chief among our challenges is enhancing and ensuring respect and compliance for international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities," Guterres told a Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
"In many cases, our information suggests that respect for those bodies of law is at best questionable; in others ... blatant violations."
While the normative framework for civilian protection has been strengthened, compliance has deteriorated, he said, noting that civilians continue to make up the vast majority of casualties in conflict.
In 2018 alone, the United Nations recorded more than 22,800 civilian casualties in just six countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, said Guterres.
Most recently in Idlib in northwest Syria, there was a new wave of shelling and airstrikes against hospitals, schools, markets, and camps for the displaced, killing, wounding and creating panic among the civilian population, he said.
In all conflicts, when explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 90 percent of those killed and injured were civilians, he said.
Conflicts also displace millions of people -- both internally and across national borders, he said.
Widespread access constraints jeopardize humanitarian and medical assistance to civilians in need. Violence against humanitarian and medical workers and facilities persist. And starvation of civilians is used as a method of warfare, as well as rape and sexual violence, said the UN chief.
But he also noted some progress over the last 20 years since the Security Council took the protection of civilians as an important item on its agenda.
A culture of protection has taken root in the Security Council and across the United Nations. A comprehensive protection framework now exists, based on international law and Security Council practice, he said.
The protection of children and of all civilians from the loathsome acts of sexual violence in conflict has been strengthened through the deployment of specialist advisors in peace operations.
Monitoring and reporting on grave violations of the rights of children in conflict and engagement with warring parties have led to the demobilization and reintegration of thousands of child soldiers. And Security Council-mandated UN peace operations have protected and saved countless civilian lives, he said.
War criminals, from Cambodia to the former Yugoslavia, have been tried and convicted.
Despite these advances, grave human suffering is still being caused by armed conflicts and lack of compliance with international humanitarian law, he said.
Guterres asked for the development of national policy frameworks that establish clear institutional authorities and responsibilities for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
He also asked for principled and sustained engagement by humanitarian organizations and others with non-state armed groups to negotiate safe and timely humanitarian access and promote compliance with the law.
He stressed the need for accountability for serious violations.
Greater attention must be paid to those who are already vulnerable during peacetime, such as the elderly, children and the disabled, who are rendered all the more vulnerable and in need of protection during flight and conflict, said the UN chief.
He called for urgent action to reduce the humanitarian impact of urban warfare and, in particular, of explosive weapons.
Member states should do more to condition arms exports on respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law. And they must call for greater respect for the law and protection of civilians by parties to conflict and, in particular, partner forces, including in the context of multinational coalition operations, said Guterres.
The UN Security Council, he said, can do much to enhance compliance with the laws of war, including the provision of financial and technical assistance to support the investigation and prosecution of war crimes.
He asked the Security Council to be more consistent in how it addresses protection concerns within and across different conflicts.
As bleak as the current state of protection is, there is considerable scope for improvement if the rules are promoted and implemented. "We have the rules and laws of war. We all now need to work to enhance compliance," he said.
