General Assembly Security Council

 Statement by Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on 'Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', on January 19, 2016

 

 
Mr. President,
 
Thank you for continuing the tradition of offering an opportunity early in the year to articulate views on the important subject of 'Protection of Civilians'.  
 
The Security Council has in the post-millennial world stretched the canvas of mandates and broadened the ambit of action to include the requirement to 'protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence' in most UN Peacekeeping Operations established since 1999. Hence we see this debate as an ongoing 'lessons learnt' exercise.
 
Mr. President
 
Permit me to encapsulate our views on this subject:
 
First, India condemns the oppressive use of violence on civilian populations, regardless of who commits it. This malaise is not new. Wars in pursuit of imperial ambitions testify to a history of scant respect for civilian lives in times of military campaigns. However, the nature of threats faced by civilians in UN Peacekeeping situations has undergone significant changes in recent years. 
 
Second, we believe that Protection of Civilians is primarily a national responsibility. Hence, contribution to national capacity building rather than intervention mechanisms should be the priority. Local societies have developed coping strategies for protection before the deployment of a UN Mission and will apply these after the withdrawal of a Mission. Approaches that are drawn up during Peacekeeping should therefore be built on an appreciation for the social capital of host communities to manage their own protection. 
 
Third, solutions to threats of violence to civilian populations should be sought within the framework of international law.  The response of the international community must be based on use of appropriate methods in proportion to the perceived threat.
 
Mr. President
 
It is our experience that peacekeepers often rise to the occasion when required. Let me recall the example of Capt Salaria who led an Indian Infantry Brigade Group as part of ONUC(Congo) in November 1961. In operations against the Katangese Gendarmerie Forces for the establishment of the Neutral Zone in North Katanga to restore peace for the civilian population at Elizabethville, Capt Salaria and the majority of 45 Indian Peacekeepers who died in ONUC paid with their lives.  Even though the notion of 'Protection of Civilians' was not part of the mandate. India, in 1962, recognized this effort of a 'blue helmet' to protect civilians by posthumously awarding its highest award for bravery - the Param Veer Chakra. It took the UN more than 35 years to decide on and confer the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal for the same deed of protecting civilians.
 
Mr. President,
 
As a developing country with years of peacekeeping experience, we feel   frequent and regular consultation between the Council, the Secretariat and Troop Contributing Countries will enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the Council in protecting civilians.
 
Absence of consultation hurts everyone - the country hosting the Peacekeeping Mission; the Troop Contributing Countries who put their troops lives at risk in the service of the UN; the Council as an institution; and the UN. It is ultimately the UN as a body that gets a bad name when the Council's decisions go wrong. 
 
Finally, Mr. President, by definition peacekeeping is a temporary and transitional measure. The time has, therefore, perhaps come to consider disaggregating the complex multidimensional nature of the UN peacekeeping mandates, and address issues confronting Protection of Civilians in armed conflict situations through focused peacebuilding activities, so that the transition to a post-conflict society can be sustainable. Efforts at peace building should be initiated right at the beginning and the cause of the armed conflict addressed through national reconciliation and inclusive political processes giving all sections of society a stake in peaceful co-existence. 
 
I thank you, Mr. President.