Statement by

H.E. Ambassador Bui The Giang,

Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam,

at the SC Open Debate on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict

(26 June 2009)

 

Mr. President,

On 14 January this year, in this Chamber, the Security Council held an open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict. Less than six months have passed since then. Our presence here today to discuss the same topic for the second time within such short span of time is self-evident of the importance of this topic. And therefore, I thank you, Mr. President, for your initiative to convene this meeting. I also thank the Secretary-General for his report and Under-Secretary-General John Holmes for his briefing.

Mr. President,

Joining other members of the Council in celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the Security Council’s consideration of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict as a thematic issue, my Delegation commends the progress recorded so far thanks to the aggregate endeavors of all stakeholders, particularly those women and men of UN missions dispatched to the field, contributing to lessening sufferings of civilians in certain parts of the world.

We are, however, deeply concerned about the persistent and pervasive violations as well as increasing indiscriminate and excessive use of force against civilians in conflict situations. We continue to be disturbed by the growing number of deaths and injuries inflicted upon the civilian populations. We also continue to be preoccupied by the widespread displacement of civilians in most conflicts for fear that it may provoke another conflict as a consequence of the resulting social tensions and a myriad of problems to the host location. While aware of the many reasons that have been made to explain for this situation, we are convinced that the most visible and undeniable reason is the common failure to comply with international law, especially international human rights and humanitarian laws, and the common failure to ensure humanitarian access for civilians, especially access to food, fuel and medical treatment, as clearly mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report and its annex. In this connection, my Delegation wishes to see a more structural manner in which the situations of civilians in armed conflict are presented in the report, so that, supported by the Aide-Memoire on Protection of Civilians and with more weight given to analyzing situations on the ground, such a more structural report would provide a better ground for more adequate, timely and convincing recommendations.

Mr. President,

Like in all Security Council debates and other meetings on this topic, my Delegation reiterates Viet Nam’s consistent view that the State must bear the primary responsibility in protecting its civilians, and that - as the largest and most representative organization of States - the United Nations system has a critical role to play, particularly in political mediation, peacekeeping operations, and humanitarian and development assistance. In this connection and given the comprehensive nature of any feasible solution, we wish to underline the imperative to enhance coordination among UN bodies, first of all between OCHA and UNHRC, the DPKO, the SRSG on children and armed conflict, and all UN field missions in responding to the needs of civilians in armed conflict, not only in physical security terms, but in political and socio-economic terms as well.

Mr. President,

Realities have proved that while possibly effective in certain cases, dialogue with non-State armed groups must be carefully considered and must be put in the overall framework of cooperation with States in question to avoid unintended legitimization of illegal or even internationally recognized terrorist groups. Similarly, for impunity to end as called for by Resolution 1674 (2006), we are supportive of, among others, the implementation of both justice and reconciliation mechanisms, including national, international and “mixed” criminal courts and tribunals, and truth and reconciliation commissions, as appropriate. Nonetheless, we believe that reference of situations to international criminal courts or similar mechanisms should be considered on a case-by-case basis to avoid the risk of infringement of national sovereignty resulting from generalization. Furthermore, having attended informal meetings of the Expert Group and benefited in certain measures from the information provided by OCHA before the renewal of the mandate of some UN missions, my Delegation remains affirmative in our view that the establishment of any new mechanism within the Security Council must be thoroughly studied before a decision is made to avoid operational and institutional duplication as well as financial implications. This is all the more necessary in the context of the ongoing UN reform to improve efficiency of each and every UN body, including the Security Council.

Mr. President,

Recalling the six reports considered by this Council that contain more than 100 recommendations, and 8 presidential statements adopted by  this Council over the last 10 years, I wish to conclude by joining with the Secretary-General in calling for a greater focus on the effective actual translation of these documents into improvements in the protection of civilians on the ground, so that civilians can eventually be freed from the scourge of armed conflicts mushrooming in many parts of the world in this 21^st century.

I thank you, Mr. President.