Qatar has said that protecting civilians in armed conflicts is one of its top priorities on the national, regional and international levels. This came in the statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani during the Open Debate on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, at the UN Security Council in New York.
HE Sheikha Alya pointed that Qatar has adopted a clear strategy and policy in this context, and has made significant and continuous international efforts in the context of preventing conflicts, reducing them, and mitigating their effects, in addition to mediation and peace-building efforts in the region and the world, in accordance with its firm commitment to the principles of international law and international humanitarian law, especially the Four Geneva Conventions, and the Additional Protocols attached to them, which are included as part of the national law of Qatar.
HE the Permanent Representative said that the world is witnessing a continuous increase in conflicts, along with changes in their nature and frequency, and their catastrophic humanitarian impacts on civilians, especially women and children. This is happening despite a century having passed since the establishment of legal provisions related to the protection of civilians. At the same time, there is a serious and widespread deterioration in the respect for legal frameworks concerned with the protection of civilians worldwide, which poses a real test for the effectiveness and relevance of international law and international humanitarian law.
The ongoing Israeli occupation aggression against the Gaza Strip, for over seven months, which has inflicted the worst humanitarian disaster on the Palestinian people, is clear example of this, she added, pointing out that the Israeli occupation continues to carry its aggression against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip, and uses the policy of forced displacement, starvation, collective punishment, and targeting humanitarian and medical workers. It also threatens a broader military operation in Rafah, in blatant defiance of the will of the international community, she said.
HE Sheikha Alya voiced Qatar's strong condemnation to the Israeli occupation forces' bombing of the municipality of Rafah, its invasion of the land crossing and the threat to displace citizens from shelter and refuge centres. Qatar calls for urgent international action to prevent the invasion of the city and the commission of the crime of genocide, and for providing full protection for civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, she added.
She also said that Qatar warns against forced displacement of civilians, as it represents a serious violation of international laws, and called on the Security Council to assume its responsibility in this regard, and to work to implement its resolutions related to Gaza, the latest of which is Resolution 2728.
In the context of protecting civilians, HE Sheikha Alya explained that Qatar continues its life-saving relief and humanitarian efforts for the brothers in the Gaza Strip. She pointed out that the mediation efforts carried out by Qatar in partnership with Egypt and the United States of America succeeded last November in reaching a temporary humanitarian truce, under which dozens of prisoners and detainees from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides were released, in addition to the entry of relief convoys, which contributed to protecting civilians in the sector.
She confirmed that Qatar remains committed to these efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, in order to release more prisoners and detainees, ensure the continuous delivery of more humanitarian aid, and protect civilians. HE Sheikha Alya affirmed that Qatar emphasizes the need for a close link between the protection of civilians and preventive efforts to prevent conflicts.
She stressed the importance of including the issue of civilian protection in the Charter of the Future Summit scheduled to be held in September 2024, and emphasized that the protection of civilians should be at the forefront of the priorities in the process of reviewing the UN's peacebuilding structure next year. HE Sheikha Alya renewed Qatar's call to refrain from using the veto in cases involving heinous crimes and serious human rights violations. (QNA)
