Qatar stresses importance of protection of civilians

Qatar has underlined that the continuing trend of record high civilian casualties, forced displacement, mass migration and the risks of instability in the world makes the implementation of the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) an issue of utmost importance.Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United National Ambassador Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani stressed that the protection of civilians from terrible crimes is based UN Charter as well as the provisions of the international humanitarian law, the international human rights law and international law for refugees.Alya said the security of mankind is a collective responsibility of all member states, and added that the UN Security Council, by virtue of its mandate under the Charter, shoulders a special responsibility to prevent the terrible crimes and should carry out this responsibility by refraining from the use of veto in cases involving egregious crimes.She added that the progress that has been made in building international consensus on the principle of the R2P offers a glimmer of hope for the protection of the lives of millions of people suffering from conflicts and grave violations of human rights, the international humanitarian law and relevant international conventions.However, Alya noted, what has been achieved has not lived up to the expectations of the international community to prevent such terrible crimes, which are increasing in more than one region in the world, and which are likely to continue unless the international community was more determined and consistent to take action to fulfil its responsibility to protect civilians.She pointed out that the R2P principle addresses the crimes of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, which are among the most heinous acts that are rejected by the conscience of mankind, whatever the circumstances.Tolerating such crimes is contrary to human nature. Those crimes require concerted collective efforts to put an end to them, through the international commitment to the realisation of this principle, and to protect the future of humanity.