Forum: International Peace and Security Issue: Measures to ensure the safety of civilians in conflict regions Student Officer: Katja Osterwalder Position: President Chair Introduction Wanton killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism - Noam Chomsky From the Roman era to modern day civilians in conflict regions have been unwillingly involved in various ways that were due to conflict. Today s conflicts are rarely fought on battlefields away from populous areas, but are fought in the streets and in public areas. The quote above my Noam Chomsky emphasizes the urge for measures to protect civilians in conflict regions, since it has taken a large negative toll on many people. Currently from Afghanistan to Yemen there are over 40 armed conflicts currently in progress around the globe and it is vital that solutions be found to provide humanitarian relief for civilians faced with targeted attacks or trapped in the midst of active fighting. Civilians have been involved in stonings, enslavement, rape and forced suicide bombings mostly affecting girls and women. Involving civilians in conflict regions can also include the use of child soldiers, large-scale forced displacement and ethnic cleansing; overall, the number of threats in war zones to the lives of local and international staff members of international organizations is growing exponentially. Other ways civilians can be affected in war zones are as follows: deliberate and target attacks, abduction, denial of property and land rights and family separation. In addition, the proportion of war victims who are civilians has increased to an estimated 75 per cent and in some cases even more (Secretary General s Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict). There are quite a few nations in which civilians are under threat in many conflict-affected environments, such as; Haiti, where there is lawlessness and criminal gang activity; Somalia, in which the nation has a terrorism problem and major collateral damage and Myanmar, where violence is inflicted on civilians and ethnic marginalization (Stimson). Ongoing crises in the Syrian Arab Republic and new conflicts in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ukraine and Iraq have caused suffering and massive displacement. Thus, the combined number of refugees and internally displaced persons assisted by the UNHCR has risen to a record 11 million (World at War).
Furthermore, the most refugees stem from Syria and Afghanistan; the number of refugees coming from Syria has particularly increased in the past year. As of 2014 there are an estimated 13.9 million displaced due to conflict or persecution, including 11 million persons newly displaced within the borders of their own country. In addition, approximately 42,500 individuals per day are force to leave their homes due to conflict. Developing regions host about 86% of the world s refugees and LDCs provide asylum to 3.6 million refugees (World at War). Definition of Key Terms Collateral Damage: Unintentional damage to civil property and civilian casualties caused by military operations (Dictionary.com) Civilian: A person not in the armed services or the police force Forced Displacement: The act of one being obligated without their own consent to move from their own usual location/home Ethnic Cleansing: The violent removal of one ethnic group of other ethnic groups from the population of a particular area Lawlessness: Not restrained or controlled by law; illegal. Safety: The condition of being protected from danger or risk Conflict Region: An area in which a battle; war; a conflict between two parties is or has occurred Human Rights: As stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Whatever the nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other statues everyone is entitled to the inherent universal rights for simply being a human being. Refugee: According to the UNHCR, refugees are persons fleeing armed conflict or persecution. These are people for whom the denial of asylum has potentially deadly consequences. Asylum: The protection granted by a state to an individual that left their home country as a political refugee.
Background Information Case Studies Afghanistan In 2014, conflict-related violence in Afghanistan took an extreme toll on civilians. There were over 10,000 civilian casualties, making a 22% increase in civilian casualties compared to 2013 (Annual Report on Protection of Civilians). In Afghanistan alone between January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2014 the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded 47,745 civilian casualties (Annual Report on Protection of Civilians). Civilian casualties in Afghanistan are primarily due to high explosive weapon systems, such as rockets and grenades in civilian-populated areas. Most of the civilian casualties were due to Anti-Government Elements and partly due to Pro-Government Forces. The UNAMA recorded the highest number of women s deaths and injuries from conflict-related violence in 2014. In addition, it was found that women who were left as sole income-providers for their households after the death of their husbands experienced long-lasting social and economic consequences (Annual Report on Protection of Civilians), long-term problems included forcing many women to give their daughters in marriage in exchange for debts or to take their children out of school to work. The leading cause of civilian casualties in 2014 was ground fighting in civilian-populated areas with parties using mortars and other explosive weapons that led to harmful consequences for citizens (Annual Report on Protection of Civilians). There was a 54% increase in civilian casualties from ground fighting in 2014 as opposed to 2013. Central African Republic Since 2012 the extreme levels of violence against civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR) have increased and illustrate the failure of international efforts to protect these civilian populations. Individuals are fleeing their homes, since they feel it is the only option to avoid slaughter (International Efforts to Protect Civilians in Central African Republic Failing to Stop Slaughter). Within CAR, civilians of both main religious communities are being held hostage to violence instigated by armed groups. For instance, a team from the Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) went to Bozoum and found 17 injured people by gunshot, machete or grenade wounds, who were too afraid to go to the hospital, in case they were going to be attacked again (International Efforts to Protect Civilians in Central African Republic Failing to Stop Slaughter). MSF reports that the organization has dealt with many issues regarding attacks on hospitals further discouraging civilians to seek help and thus are left to die. Thus, this causes strain on organizations like MSF, which are trying to help and in return are not able to.
Syrian Arab Republic Over 200,000 Syrians have died during the four-year long armed conflict that began with antigovernment protests before escalating into a civil war. Over 11 million Syrians have been forced from their homes, as loyal forces to President Bashar al-assad battle those opposed to his rule, while simultaneously fighting against ISIS (Syria The story of the conflict). In March 2011 pro-democracy protests erupted after the arrest of teenagers who were prorevolutionary. Al-Assad willingly fired on his people, killing several; and by July thousands began protesting. As violence escalated, the conflict rose into a full-scale civil war and by March 2015 nearly 220,000 Syrians have died due to the war (The story of the conflict). The rise of jihadist groups has added a further dimension to the conflict. The image below highlights Syria s death toll throughout the war. Over the course of the conflict, al-assad has committed war crimes against his people, including the use of chemical weapons. Since the war began, nearly 2 million Syrians have fled and neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have been struggling to accommodate the new arrivals. Furthermore, 7.6 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and the escalating rise of the jihadists will increase this number and continue to decrease the nations safety (Figure 1: Syria The story of the conflict).
Major Countries and Organizations Involved Civilians in Conflict Is a project/organization that is focused on understanding why institutions fail to protect civilians; and attempts to ensure that individual states and organizations are able to effectively prevent and respond to violence against civilians. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ICRC works to help protect civilians in conflict both on their own as an organization and by working with various bodies such as MSF. Switzerland Since the First Geneva Convention in 1864, Switzerland has committed itself to providing assistance and protection to victims of conflicts as state party to the Geneva Conventions and its own actions of supporting humanitarian organizations, such as the Swiss Red Cross and the ICRC. Syria; Haiti; Libya; Sudan and South Sudan; Afghanistan; Somalia; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Central African Republic; Myanmar/Burma; Kyrgyzstan; Yemen The primary nations in which civilians are being harmed due to military conflicts. UN Security Council The UN Security Council has played an active role in trying to combat and urging nations to accept asylum seekers. Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) MSF is a medical NGO, whose mission is to give assistance to populations in crisis without regard to race, religion or political ideology. MSF has played a fundamental role in aiding displaced civilians and in lending a hand to those citizens in conflict regions. Human Rights Watch (HRW) HRW is a nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization, which meet with governments, the UN, regional groups, like the EU to press for changes that promote human rights and justice worldwide. The HRW has been pivotal in helping civilians in conflict regions, while simultaneously advocating for the root of these human rights violations to cease. Amnesty International Amnesty International is another human rights NGO, who advocates for human rights and thus also plays a pivotal role in advocating for the safety of civilians in conflict regions. UNHCR UNHCR is the UN agency for Refugees. The UNHCR has attempted to fund and provide safety for civilians in conflict regions, refugees and displaced persons. The UN branch has created numerous annual reports on current situations involving refugees, such as The World At War 2014 UNHCR Report (cited in the bibliography).
Relevant UN Treaties and Events The Geneva Conventions: The Geneva Conventions are a series of treaties on the treatment of civilians, prisoners of war and soldiers who are otherwise rendered hors de combat, or incapable of fighting (Geneva Conventions). S/RES/2222: This resolution was submitted by the Security Council on the protection of journalists that focused on the need to combat impunity for attacks against them. S/RES/2150: This resolution was submitted by the Security Council and called on all states to prevent and fight against genocide and other serious crimes under international law, reaffirming the principle of responsibility to protect populations from war crimes, ethnic cleansing. S/2012/376: This was the Secretary General s 9 th report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. S/2013/689: This was the Secretary General s 10 th report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. S/2011/278: This was a report of the Secretary General on the protection of civilians in Chad. International Humanitarian Law Rule 156: Definition of War Crimes (Customary IHL - Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes) Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue There have been numerous resolutions written and activated to help resolve this issue, particularly by the UN Security Council. For instance, a resolution (S/RES/2150) was submitted in April 2014 discusses the reaffirmation of the principle of responsibility to protect populations from war crimes, thus urging all member states to help and take responsibility to a greater extent on this issue. This resolution tackled this issue by discussing the importance of educational programs that will help inculcate future generations to help prevent further war crimes. The Geneva Conventions was also an attempt to solve this issue, since these conventions almost all mention the protection and obligation to help civilians and others in conflict. These conventions, although they were started in the mid 19 th century, have since been updated in 1949 after WWII (Geneva Conventions). The Geneva Conventions made sure that armed groups have a direct responsibility according to Article 3 to protect civilian populations in armed conflicts. International instruments require not only Governments but also armed groups to behave responsibly in conflict situations (Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict).
International organizations have also been involved and have independently or cooperated with governments to help tackle this issue. For instance ICRC has been involved in numerous case studies trying to help civilians and journalists forcefully involved in armed conflict. Possible Solutions One could implement proposed action programs that could assess and help to the extent of the needs of the citizens. For instance, following ICRC s protection action plan steps: 1. Problem analysis and setting of priorities; 2. Definition of goals and strategy; 3. Definition of objectives and plan of action; 4. Implementation; 5. Monitoring and evaluation (Enhancing Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict). In addition it should be made sure that organizations and governments carry out activities to prevent and putting an end to the continuous harm that happens to civilians in conflict regions. Such protection activities should address the treatment of people by the authorities and the way force is used in the conduct of hostilities and in law enforcement during armed conflicts and other situations of violence. All member states should be further urged to follow and abide by the Geneva Conventions in accordance to the protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War published in 1949. Denial of amnesty for serious crimes should also be urged among all member states; since recently former or current heads of States have allowed prosecutors to further penetrate the shield of immunity, therefore by denial of amnesty this would not be allowed to continue occurring and further disrupt the abuse of civilians in conflict regions (Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict). Moreover, all member states should permit extradition of those accused by international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), so those accused can be tried. Member States should also be encouraged to introduce or strengthen domestic legislation and arrangements providing for the investigation of those responsible for systematic violations of international criminal law. In addition the Security Council should be encouraged to conduct more frequent fact-finding missions to conflict areas with a view to identifying the specific requirements for humanitarian assistance and in particular obtaining safe access to vulnerable/weak populations (Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict). To further enact methods to resolve this issue, it is vital to acknowledge and incorporate the civilians affected. Governments and NGOs should work with organizations like Center for Civilians in Conflict who put primary emphasis on developing civilian response corps that deploy into crises to enable whole of government or comprehensive approaches, as well as researching how civilian
expertise can be harnessed to prevent violence against civilians. Center for Civilians in Conflict have created a project titled Civilians in Conflict, in which the NGO attempts to promote solutions for civilians mixed up among conflict. Bibliography and Useful Links "Center for Civilians in Conflict." Tracking Civilian Harm. Web. 26 Sept. 2015. <http://civiliansinconflict.org/our-work/research-documentation/tracking/>. "Customary IHL - Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes." Customary IHL - Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes. Web. 26 Sept. 2015. <https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule156>. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/collateral+damage>. "Geneva Conventions." Geneva Conventions. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2015. <https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/geneva_conventions>. International Committee of the Red Cross. Enhancing Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict. PDF. ICRC. 2008. "International Efforts to Protect Civilians in Central African Republic Failing to Stop Slaughter." MSF USA. N.p., 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Aug. 2015. <http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/newsstories/press-release/international-efforts-protect-civilians-central-african-republic-failing>. "Protecting Civilians." International Committee of the Red Cross. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 15 Aug. 2015. <https://www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/protecting-civilians>. "Refugees." UNHCR News. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. <http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c125.html>. "Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict." ICRC. Web. 14 Aug. 2015. <https://www.icrc.org/casebook/doc/case-study/united-nations-protection-civilians-casestudy.htm>. Stimson. Civilians in Conflict. PDF. Washington D.C.: Stimson, n.d. Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Strategy on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. PDF. Bern: Swiss Government, 2013. "Syria: The Story of the Conflict - BBC News." BBC News. Web. 26 Sept. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868>. "UN Documents for Protection of Civilians." UN Documents for Protection of Civilians. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2015. <http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/protection-of-civilians/>. UNAMA. Afghanistan: Annual Report on Protection of Civilians. PDF. 2014.
"What Are Human Rights." What Are Human Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/pages/whatarehumanrights.aspx>. "World at War." UNHCR News. UNHCR, 2014. PDF. 25 Sept. 2015. <http://unhcr.org/556725e69.html>.