In the presidential statement, the Council highlighted the importance of the Convention of 12 August 1949 for the protection of persons affected by the consequences of armed conflicts and the need to promote and respect the rules of international humanitarian law, including those relating to civilians. The Security Council encouraged UN member states to continue their efforts to implement the law. Furthermore, the Council condemned the violations of the international humanitarian law and human rights and called on the parties to armed conflicts to fulfil their legal obligations.

The Council also emphasised the importance of combating impunity and ensuring the accountability for violations of humanitarian law. At the same time, the Council expressed its concern about the instances of non-compliance with the international humanitarian law, including the attacks on civilian population and civilian facilities, such as schools and hospitals and condemned its violations, including starving civilians as war tactics, refusing access to aid and humanitarian personnel and attacks on medical and humanitarian personnel.

The UN Security Council also called on countries who hadn’t already done it, to consider the possibility of adopting the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions as soon as possible and taking steps to comply the obligations arising from them.

As part of the Polish presidency of the Security Council, on 13 August the Council held a briefing on the international humanitarian law, chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz. The discussions were held against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, which fell on 12 August. In his speech, the minister stressed the fundamental role of the international law in safeguarding global security. “Since the conventions were ratified and adopted by almost all countries in the world, the legal norms which are set out in them are also considered customary international humanitarian law and are universally applied,” he noted. During the meeting, the participants raised the need to comply with the international humanitarian law irrespectively of the changing reality of armed conflicts.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo Tymon Markowski / MFA