CASIN Delegate was in audience for the 6th Annual Interactive Dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P): United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held its 6th annual interactive dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) at UN headquarters in New York City on 8 September 2014, following the release of the Secretary-General’s (UNSG) report, “Fulfilling our Collective Responsibility: International Assistance and the Responsibility to Protect” (A/68/947). The report and the dialogue focused on the second pillar of R2P, the responsibility of the international community to assist other states in protecting their populations, and explored various forms of assistance as well as different partnerships that could be established to fulfill this obligation and thus strengthen overall implementation of R2P. Interactive dialogue on R2P A panel of experts included Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Mr. Adama Dieng; Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson; Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, former Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Jean Ping, former Chair of the African Union (AU) Commission; and Dr. Jennifer Welsh, UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect; following which 67 Member States, one regional organization (Pan African Lawyers Union) and four civil society organizations delivered statements. Rwanda offered a statement on behalf of 45 Member States belonging to the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect, reiterating “our common understanding that R2P reinforces, rather than alters or undermines, state sovereignty, and that R2P is indeed a preventive commitment at its core.” Member States including New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, Uruguay, and Nigeria stated support for the inclusion of the “national ownership” principle and acknowledged the role of regional organizations, highlighting the need for greater cooperation with regional and civil society organizations which are in position to better understand realities on the ground and poised to take timely action. Several Member State interventions highlighted how international assistance in related thematic areas, such as disarmament and women, peace and security, could strengthen implementation of Pillar II. Ecuador, New Zealand, Finland, Montenegro, Burundi, and Sierra Leone endorsed the Arms Trade Treaty as essential to denying perpetrators the means to commit atrocities which necessitate R2P. Others, including the UK, Germany, Italy, Finland, Canada, Norway, Thailand, and Namibia, underlined the importance of including women’s perspectives when implementing R2P. Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Egypt, and Bolivia expressed deep concern with the implementation of R2P, noting apprehension that the norm could be used to justify external military intervention and some stating that the three pillars should be implemented in a sequential manner. The majority of states participating in the dialogue, however, reaffirmed their belief that the R2P pillars are mutually reinforcing while reminding that military force under R2P is a measure of last resort and must be authorized by the UN Security Council. ICRtoP used the opportunity to highlight the role of civil society, particularly in implementing Pillar II, as such actors are “already providing all three main forms of assistance, with the goal of building inclusive, resilient and transparent societies”. Both Asia-Pacific Centre on R2P and ICRtoP specified the necessity of shifting the R2P discourse from focusing on women as primarily victims of atrocity crimes to include a holistic approach that also recognizes and empowers women as able agents of protection. Asia-Pacific Centre echoed the need for States to ratify and implement the Arms Trade Treaty as a means to monitor and regulate the means with which actors commit atrocity crimes and to strengthen States’ ability to uphold R2P. Next steps for R2P Implementation As the 10 year anniversary of the adoption of R2P approaches in 2015, several states suggested that the international community reevaluate the successes and challenges of R2P. 14 states identified the P5 veto in the Security Council as a major impediment to implementation of R2P, exhorting these members to use their veto wisely and with restraint when mass atrocities arise on the Council’s agenda. Czech Republic, Chile, Finland, Hungary, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Uruguay, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and Georgia encouraged the UNGA to add R2P to the formal agenda, reaffirming the GA’s enduring commitment to the norm. Civil society also reflected on actions undertaken within the UN system and raised points on next steps for R2P’s advancement, including expressing support for formalizing R2P onto the formal agenda of the UNGA and made a strong appeal for restraint of the P5 veto. Find the statements made by the panelists, Member States, and civil society organizations which participated in the dialogue here: responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/component/content/article/136-latest-news/5597-icrtops-summary-of-the-general-assemblys-sixth-informal-interactive-dialogue-on-rtop
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 00:22:28 +0000
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