File photo of the logo of the United Nations is seen on the outside of their headquarters in New York. Reuters
New York: The State of Qatar, on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect, called upon member states of the United Nations to develop an implementable strategy to prevent atrocities and protect the civilian population from atrocities throughout the world.
This came in a statement delivered on Monday by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani at the first official session of the United Nations General Assembly on “Responsibility to Protect (R2P)”.
The ambassador, who spoke on behalf of the group which is chaired by the State of Qatar and Italy and includes 50 States and the European Union, said the inclusion of the item “Responsibility for protection” in the work of the General Assembly reflects the will of the wide United Nations membership to prevent genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
She stressed the importance of dialogue among member states that would enhance reaching consensus so that the international community could act to prevent such horrific crimes.
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations noted the importance of the 2005 world summit in accepting the document on responsibility to protect, saying that this is a major commitment by the international community to protect populations at risk of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing, stressing that protection would strengthen the sovereignty of states rather than undermining it, while referring to the Secretary-General’s statement calling for overcoming the false contradiction between human rights and national sovereignty.
“Since 2005, the United Nations, member states and other stakeholders, including organizations of the international community, have made significant progress in activating commitments towards responsibility to protect at national, regional and international level,” Ambassador Sheikha Alya said, adding that international and national actors have successfully developed frameworks for identifying risks, developing early warning mechanisms, identifying the risks of terrible crimes and establishing new institutional mechanisms.
In this context, she noted the expansion of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect in New York and Geneva, the establishment of the Global Network of R2P Focal Points and its inclusion in some 69 UN Security Council resolutions, including resolutions relating to the mandates of a number of peacekeeping operations, as well as resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council.
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations said that the Group of Friends of Responsibility to Protect had supported important initiatives such as the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
She appealed to the UN General Assembly to play an active role in supporting states in their efforts to carry out their primary responsibility for the protection of their populations, calling on the Security Council to consider situations involving the potential for mass atrocities at an early date.
She also stressed the role of women in preventing terrible crimes by saying that their role is crucial in early warning, peace-building, enhanced cooperation, capacity-building and the creation of more harmonious and inclusive societies, urging that concrete steps be taken to end gender discrimination and empower women as a tool to prevent atrocities including ensuring that all girls have equal access to quality education.
