New York – Information Office - June 25
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 today by HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani at the first official session of the United Nations General Assembly on "Responsibility to Protect (R2P)".
Her Excellency, 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.
HE 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, HE the 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.
HE 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.
Her Excellency said that the prevention of atrocities was crucial to protect human rights and called on member states to make better use of the UN system in order to effectively prevent and respond to atrocities.
In the statement, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani called for joint efforts to continue to report on progress towards the implementation of the responsibility to protect, stressing the need to draw the attention of the Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to cases of imminent danger of atrocities.
Stressing the importance of the periodic review of the Human Rights Council in supporting prevention efforts, she called on member states to use the universal periodic review appropriately as a mechanism for prevention.
Her Excellency 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.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations 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.
Emphasizing the need to mobilize all available resources and expand the circle of actors involved in the prevention of atrocities, HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani welcomed the efforts made by the General Assembly and the Security Council to recognize youth participation in conflict prevention, resolution and promotion.
While noting that the accountability of perpetrators of heinous crimes was one of the most effective ways to prevent recurrence of such crimes, she added that states had the primary responsibility for investigating international crimes within their jurisdiction, while calling for the encouragement and support of national accountability efforts, including the promotion of judicial cooperation among states.
Her Excellency also urged states to comply with their international legal obligations and to investigate thoroughly and prosecute persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious violations of international law, stressing the importance of strengthening judicial cooperation with other states.
She noted that international investigative mechanisms, including fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry, could support efforts to strengthen accountability and draw the attention of states to situations of concern. She also highlighted the importance of the availability of international tribunals and hybrid courts, including the International Criminal Court, in addition to the provision of complementary means in appropriate conditions to enable accountability.
Her Excellency commended the important role that international civil society could play in supporting further progress and implementation in the area of risk protection, in particular the role played by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect as the secretariat of the Group of Friends in New York and Geneva.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani concluded by saying that at a time when more than 68.5 million people have been displaced as a result of armed conflict, atrocities and persecution throughout the world, we hope that through this debate we will be able to identify implementable strategies that can effectively prevent atrocities and protect the world's population from atrocities.