Twenty Years After Resolution on Protection of Civilians, United Nations Security Council Still Lacks Political Will

Twenty years on from the first UN Security Council (UNSC) thematic resolution addressing protection of civilians in armed conflict (PoC), it would be difficult to argue that civilians are better protected today than they were then, writes SARAH ADAMCZYK.
Civilians account for the vast majority of conflict casualties, both as collateral and as direct targets of conflict violence, she writes in a policy brief titled ‘Twenty years of protection of civilians at the UN Security Council’, published by the Overseas Development Institute’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG).
In 1999, the UNSC introduced protection of civilians in armed conflict as a thematic agenda item through Resolution 1265 and, pursuant to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, for the first time authorized the use of force by UN peacekeepers “to afford protection to civilians under imminent threat of physical violence”.
Since then, UNSC policy and practice on PoC has significantly expanded, including in the mandates of UN peacekeeping operations – of the 14 current UN peacekeeping missions, eight operate under an express PoC mandate – as well as through thematic and country-specific resolutions.
These developments in the normative framework, however, have yet to fully translate into systematic and consistent protection of civilians on the ground. “On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Resolution 1265, it is important to both reflect on what has been achieved, but also to critically examine where progress has fallen short,” she writes.
The UNSC has a range of mechanisms and procedures for engaging with the PoC agenda along with enforcement tools to ensure compliance with international law, yet often lacks the political will to do so, states ADAMCZYK, a research fellow with the HPG.
PoC faces substantial challenges, related both to changes in the geopolitical context in which conflicts take place, and to more specific difficulties around definitional clarity, fragmentation of the PoC agenda and the lack of inclusive and sustained engagement, she writes.
To translate the normative progress made over the past 20 years into demonstrable improvements in civilian protection outcomes, the UNSC and the wider international community must advocate for stronger reporting on civilian harm, more robust accountability and enforcement, consistent and transparent use of vetoes within the UNSC and implementation of national level policy frameworks.
Regarding UN peacekeeping operations, the UNSC should provide greater support through increased clarity in mandates and expectations, matched by commensurate resources and funding.