Civilian populations continue every day to bear the brunt of conflicts [fr]

Mr. President,

I would like to thank China for convening this debate and Mr. Lowcock and Mr. Maurer for their briefings, as well as Dr. Nemat.

I would like to highlight three points.

Firstly, little has changed for several years: civilian populations continue every day to bear the brunt of conflicts, particularly in Syria, in the Tigray region, in Myanmar and in Yemen. We welcome the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, but long-term arrangements must be implemented to ensure a lasting cease-fire and that civilians are protected.

The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the existing conflicts, exacerbating inequalities and increasing risks for civilians, with as a result a sharp increase in humanitarian needs. As mentioned by the Secretary-General in his report, forced displacement, famine and food insecurity, as well as medical and humanitarian shortages have had a great impact on civilians in conflict zones. This is even more true for vulnerable or marginalized communities. The adverse consequences of climate change and environmental degradation also require an urgent collective response.

The past year saw a surge in violence against children, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as violations of international humanitarian law. Attacks against the press and against journalists remained high. We bear a collective responsibility to respond to these protection needs.

We continue to support the Secretary-General’s call for a cessation of hostilities to facilitate the fight against the pandemic. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is essential, even more so given the fact that people affected by conflict risk being left behind. We reiterate the importance of safe and unhindered humanitarian access to facilitate vaccination campaigns, in accordance with this Council’s resolution 2565.

The protection of civilians remains at the heart of peacekeeping operations, which must implement their mandates taking into account the analysis of threats to civilians, including threats of sexual and gender-based violence and threats of grave violations against children. It is crucial that UN missions have sufficient capacity and human resources to respond to these specific needs.

Secondly, this Council must remain mobilized to ensure that parties respect their obligations under international humanitarian law: this is a priority. The increase in attacks against humanitarian and medical personnel in the context of the pandemic is particularly worrying, at a time when populations need these personnel more than ever. These attacks must not go unpunished. In addition, the humanitarian call for action, presented by France and Germany in September 2019, puts forward concrete commitments that States can implement to better respect international humanitarian law. We encourage all Member States to endorse this call, which is now supported by 47 Member States and the EU.

Finally, the contribution of this Council to the fight against impunity must be strengthened, so that the protection of civilians is more effective. The Council must call for cooperation with fact-finding missions, commissions of inquiry and instruments of international criminal justice, first and foremost the ICC for the most serious crimes.

We also reiterate our call for better use of the tool of sanctions for those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, including violence against children and sexual violence.

Thank you.