UN SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCR 1265 (1999)
22 May 2024
Remarks by H.E. Mr James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Thank you, Mr President.
Australia thanks Mozambique for convening today’s debate, and we thank the contribution many by our briefers.
We very much appreciate the Secretary-General’s engagement in providing his important report on protection of civilians in armed conflict.
As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Protection of Civilians item on the Security Council agenda, we urge all parties to conflict to comply with their obligations under international law.
The safety and security of all civilians must be upheld.
Colleagues, we stand on the precipice of a worsening crisis for civilians.
This past year has seen widespread and harrowing human suffering.
Australia remains gravely concerned for civilians in many parts of the world - including in Gaza, Sudan, and those affected by the ongoing impacts of Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.
We recall that most victims of Hamas’s abhorrent terror attacks on 7 October were civilians. The abduction of civilians and use of sexual violence is never justified.
We are particularly alarmed that in 2023, civilian deaths rose by 72 per cent from the previous year.
This includes almost 30,000 civilians who were killed or injured by the use of explosive weapons, across just six conflicts.
Attacks on schools, including 408 directly hit or damaged in Gaza, and more than 3,000 in Ukraine, further compound the physical and psychological burden children bear in conflict.
The reprehensible destruction of critical infrastructure, including hospitals and water supply in Gaza, Sudan and Burkina Faso, and the Kakhovka (Ka-hov-kah) Dam in Ukraine, increases health risks faced by civilians in conflict.
This is unacceptable.
We urge all states to endorse the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and the Safe Schools Declaration, and ensure their full implementation.
We note the protection of civilians would not be possible without first responders. The death of at least 262 aid workers in Gaza alone underscores the need to ensure greater protection for humanitarian and aid workers.
We commend Switzerland’s leadership in drafting a resolution in this regard.
We must never again witness the tragedies of Rwanda and Srebrenica that set the backdrop for Resolution 1265.
For all the sobering trends in this year’s report, nevertheless, there is hope.
Timely action and protection mandates in peacekeeping missions have saved countless lives.
We must use this anniversary to reaffirm our collective commitment to the protection of civilians.
We must all do better.
Thank you.