Sherwin Bryce-Pease, New York  

The United Nations Security Council has again been urged to embrace the recommendations of the Goldstone Report. The matter was raised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights during a debate on a resolution to strengthen protections for civilians caught up in conflict zones.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan were mentioned as hotspots, as the Council seeks to strengthen its hand in dealing with violations of international human rights law. A decade since the Council first discussed protecting civilians in armed conflicts and the gaps between rhetoric and reality remains.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said: “This failure demands a reinvigorated commitment by the Security Council, Member States, and the United Nations to the principles of international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law. It requires the Council to guard against the perception that only some situations are of concern”. The council has been urged to be consistent in how it deals with rogue parties and states.

Lack of compliance

Under Secretary-General John Holmes said: “From Afghanistan to Chad to the DRC, the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Sudan Yemen and beyond, the lack of compliance with the law by parties of conflict, both state and non-state, results in thousands of civilians killed and injured every month”.

The General Assembly endorsed Goldstone Report which accuses Hamas and Israel of war crimes, was again put before the Council.

Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-Wha Kang said: “Until meaningful steps are taken to end impunity for these violations and assert the applicability of international law, peace and security will remain illusive for all the people of the region. The Council is urged to embrace the recommendations in the report so as to secure accountability for all perpetrators and to fully integrate human rights guarantees into peacemaking efforts.”

A Council resolution to protect civilians in conflict zones has now become an annual event. The latest reaffirming previous statements but most notably demanding that parties to conflicts comply with international human rights law. Enforcing this, remains an often elusive task for the council.