BEST SUPPORT SECURITY COUNCIL CAN PROVIDE TO HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES IS SECURING DURABLE PEACE, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STATES
Press Release
DSG/SM/17
SC/6581
BEST SUPPORT SECURITY COUNCIL CAN PROVIDE TO HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES IS SECURING DURABLE PEACE, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STATES
19980929 Louise Fréchette Introduces to Council Meeting Secretary-General's Report on Protection for Humanitarian Assistance in Conflict SituationsFollowing is the text of the statement by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette at today's Security Council meeting on protection for humanitarian assistance to refugees and others in conflict situations:
I am pleased to present to the Security Council the Secretary-General's report on "The Protection of Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees and Others in Conflict Situations". This report, which you requested, sets out the challenges and obstacles which confront humanitarian agencies operating in violent and dangerous environments. Operating on the front lines of numerous conflicts, humanitarian agencies are all too aware that their ability to be effective -- to staunch suffering -- is extremely limited when defenceless civilians are deliberately targeted and access to humanitarian assistance is denied.
What is happening to civilians in today's war zones is an abomination. Never before have we seen such widespread and deliberate attacks against people, who are massacred in their homes, have their villages flattened, have their schools and crops destroyed, and are essentially treated as "the enemy". Terrorized and traumatized by armed violence, millions are obliged to flee and abandon their farms to become refugees or internally displaced. An unknown number are trapped in war zones unable to escape or to be reached by those who could offer assistance. Notwithstanding the positive achievements in the ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, these weapons are still being used with tragic consequences for civilians. They are also a direct impediment to the provision of humanitarian assistance.
This phenomenon of directly targeting civilians, and the use of scorched earth tactics, is not new but the scale of such atrocities, and the horrendous cost in human suffering, has reached an unprecedented level. In recent days,
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you had before you the situation in Afghanistan, in Kosovo, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to name just a few of the conflicts where the pitiless slaughter of civilians and destruction of their means of survival is commonplace.
When the killing, maiming, and displacement of civilians is not an incidental element of a political or military strategy but constitutes its major objective, the limitations of humanitarian action become all too apparent.
Humanitarian action is not designed or equipped to stop the slaughter and deliberate displacement of civilians. As noted by various speakers at the open debate of the Security Council last year on this issue, there is a dramatic need to rethink what is meant by "humanitarian action" in today's war zones and to reformulate our understanding of what is required to protect and safeguard the well-being of civilians.
No one will dispute that warfare reflects a breakdown of political structures. It is the responsibility of the Security Council to be bold, committed and determined when confronted by such crises. Unquestionably, securing a durable peace is the most important role of the Council and represents the best support it can provide to humanitarian agencies struggling with the humanitarian consequences of warfare. There is no substitute to ending conflict, putting an end to abusive practices, and generating the conditions essential for lasting peace.
It is against this background -- the essential role of the Security Council in addressing the immediate and underlying causes of conflict -- that the report before you has been prepared. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been instrumental in the preparation of this report, which also benefited from consultation with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, other United Nations humanitarian agencies, the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Office of Legal Affairs and the United Nations Security Coordinator.
This report draws on the experience of humanitarian agencies operating in conflict situations. They, more than anyone else, are aware that one of the most compelling and problematical challenges confronting humanitarian actors is the difficulty of operating in hostile environments, where civilians are directly targeted and the work of relief agencies is deliberately obstructed. The changed nature of warfare means that every day humanitarian personnel must deal with the consequences of massive violations of basic humanitarian norms as armed groups avoid direct confrontation and attack unarmed civilians.
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Disrespect for basic humanitarian norms implies added risk for relief workers. As the number of civilian casualties rises, so too does the number of workers who have been killed, wounded, kidnapped and assaulted while trying to carry out their humanitarian task. Lawlessness and contempt for humanitarian norms imperil humanitarian personnel and their ability to help people in need and further endanger the women and children who constitute the bulk of the population dependent on assistance for survival. As you are no doubt aware, this year has seen more United Nations civilians than United Nations military personnel killed in the line of duty.
The report before you explains why the changed nature of warfare is so alarming and what should be done to protect the millions who are internally displaced or trapped in war zones. It also sets out specific measures to enhance the protection of refugees.
Holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable will not end war but it will definitely help in ending some of the most egregious abuses. The establishment of the International Criminal Court is central to ending a culture of impunity; every effort should be made to accelerate the establishment of the Court. As recommended by the Secretary General in his report on Africa, combatants should be held financially liable when civilians are made the deliberate target of aggression. To this end, a trust fund to support reparations to victims should be established.
The Secretary-General is pleased that the Council is giving serious attention to this issue. Humanitarian agencies are equally appreciative of the interest shown by the Security Council in the enormous hurdle they face in contemporary war zones. They look to the Council for concrete action, particularly in situations where civilians are deliberately targeted.
The need to address the fact that conflicts with horrendous humanitarian consequences are increasing in number, duration and severity is now pressing. The Secretary-General has put forward a number of recommendations for your consideration, and stands ready to assist with any action which will give peace a chance and reduce the bulging statistics of human misery.
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