STATEMENT BY
H.E. AMBASSADOR HASMY AGAM
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICTWEDNESDAY, 19 APRIL 2000
Mr. President
My delegation commends Canada for putting the emphasis on the issue of human security during its presidency of the Council for this month. We believe that the subject of the Council’s meeting today, "Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict", is a clear reflection of Canada’s continuing commitment to the promotion of human security for, after all, the underlying need to maintain peace and security around the world is to preserve the security and well-being of the human person. My delegation is also gratified that you have made this an open meeting to allow for the participation of the general membership of the Organisation, thereby contributing further to the openness and transparency in the work of the Council to which Canada and others in the Council, are also strongly committed. We are particularly pleased to see you, Sir, preside over today’s meeting. Your active participation in the meetings of the Council has set a benchmark for your ministerial colleagues to follow. My delegation is appreciative of the important remarks made by the Secretary-General and Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, the President of the ICRC. Their very pertinent observations and proposals deserve the serious consideration of this Council. My delegation is also appreciative of Dr. Kellenberger’s comments on the humanitarian impact of sanctions – which is equally pertinent to the discussion at hand. We note that the Secretary-General has also touched on this aspect in his Report.
Mr. President
2. The seriousness and emphasis placed by the Security Council on the protection of civilians affected by armed conflict is evidenced by the number of meetings already devoted to this subject. Only last month the Council had an open meeting to discuss the important subject of humanitarian aspects of issues before the Security Council in the context of the maintenance of peace and security. We had also discussed, in February this year, the issue of the Protection of United Nations and Associated Personnel, and Humanitarian Personnel in Conflict Zones. The Report of the Secretary General to this Council on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, which forms the basis of the draft resolution we will be adopting later today, is a response to the need for a set of guidelines on how to better protect civilians that have become ever increasing targets of violence by combatants and armed elements in armed conflicts.
3. The international community is becoming increasingly alarmed at the increasing number of civilians caught up in armed conflicts around the world, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, the aged and the infirm. They constitute some 90% of conflict casualties around the world. What is more disturbing is the fact that they have increasingly become deliberate targets of combatants, as part of their war strategy. This is a deplorable development in the history of warfare. Such inhumane acts are unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms. They are criminal and cruel acts for which the perpetrators must not be allowed to go scott-free as this will only strengthen the culture of impunity that is so pervasive in so many areas of armed conflict around the world.
4. My delegation believes that the protection of civilians in armed conflicts should be all-encompassing. They should not only be assured of their physical security in situations of armed conflict but also be provided with legal protection under international law. This point has been underscored by the Secretary-General and the President of the ICRC and previous speakers. There are in existence a number of international instruments/conventions that provide a legal basis for their protection but these have not stopped civilians from being attacked and targeted with impunity. The perpetrators of these crimes must be warned that they are accountable for their actions and cannot hope to escape the full penalty of the law even after the conflict is over. Only through such stern warnings by the international community and actual prosecution and punishment of the guilty could these criminal acts, hopefully, be brought to an end. We must singly and collectively demonstrate our resolve to mete out punishment of those responsible.
5. As a practical measure to ensure the protection of civilians in armed conflict, it is important that United Nations personnel, both military and civilians involved in peacekeeping missions, be appropriately sensitised on the subject and provided with adequate training and instructions on international humanitarian and human rights laws so as to be better able to handle actual situations on the ground. It is imperative that they have unimpeded access to civilians in need of assistance and protection.
6. The physical protection of civilians in armed conflict has become even more urgent than before in respect of the hundreds of thousands of refugees in the refugee camps around the world. The Secretary-General has stressed this point, just now. Serious efforts must be made to ensure that armed elements are not allowed into refugee camps without them being first disarmed. This is to ensure that the civilians are not harassed or intimidated by these elements in their midst. This is a particularly difficult task to undertake but an extremely important one if we are to ensure that refugee camps remain refugee camps and not recruiting grounds for combatants or for the fomenting of violence and disorder.
7. The protection to civilians in armed conflicts requires a comprehensive approach on the part of international community. It also requires coordinated and concerted efforts on the part of all concerned—peacekeepers, United Nations humanitarian workers, and personnel of other international relief agencies and non-governmental organisations. They are indispensable partners in the field. While performing its own specialised duties, each plays a supportive and reinforcing role in ensuring the physical, legal and psychological protection and well-being of the hapless civilians caught in the traumas of armed conflict.
Mr. President
8. The Secretary-General in his Report had made a number of recommendations. He has, this morning, highlighted three of them which my delegation wholeheartedly supports. The Council has also adopted Resolution 1265 (1999) which, inter-alia, set up a mechanism to review the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s Report. These recommendations have been examined and incorporated in the draft Resolution before the Council which, if fully implemented, will make a major contribution towards fulfilling the goal of ensuring the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Malaysia, therefore, strongly supports the draft resolution and will play its part towards its effective implementation.
Thank you, Mr. President.