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Canada’s National Statement for the Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict

Thank you to China for convening today’s important Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians.

Canada welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict and his call for political will to prioritize the Protection of Civilians in conflict settings.

We commend the important progress that has been made to advance and expand this agenda including through specific Council resolutions on the protection of medical missions (UNSCR 2286), conflict and hunger (UNSCR 2417), the protection of persons with disabilities in armed conflict (UNSCR 2475) and the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population (UNSCR 2573).  

However, there remains a glaring gap between the commitments expressed and the practical steps taken to respond to protection challenges. Scrupulous adherence to international humanitarian law (IHL), international human rights law (IHRL), and international refugee law is urgently needed.

Civilians are disproportionately impacted by conflict, particularly women, girls, and gender-diverse persons, and their protection challenges have been further compounded by COVID-19 and its secondary impacts. We reaffirm our support for the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire in accordance with UNSCR 2532 and for full implementation of UNSCR 2565 on the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Canada is appalled that, as the world continues to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19, some parties to conflict continue to conduct unlawful, indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians, humanitarian and medical workers, hospitals, and schools, and humanitarian access is obstructed or hindered, including in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

Deliberate attacks and violence on medical personnel and facilities have serious implications for humanitarian operations and adverse consequences for vulnerable populations in accessing healthcare, especially women and girls. They endanger healthcare providers and undermine health systems and long-term public health goals. Worst still, national and local responders, often on the front lines of humanitarian responses, continue to bear the brunt as they respond to life-saving needs of communities.

As we mark the fifth anniversary of the UNSC Resolution 2286, we reiterate our call for the full implementation of this resolution and for greater accountability for attacks on health services.

Conflict-related sexual violence continues to be perpetuated by some parties to conflict as well as the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

While climate change is intensifying humanitarian and protection needs and, along with conflict, fueling acute food insecurity and famine.

These trends all highlight the urgency for bold action and a strong political will by the Council, Member States, and parties to armed conflict to prioritize the protection of civilians and implementation of this critical agenda.

We must collectively step up our efforts on a number of fronts.

First, we must ensure accountability for violations. We urge the Council to call for full accountability for violations of IHL and IHRL, including through swift and transparent investigations into violations. Canada is fully committed to supporting the prevention of, and accountability for, attacks in accordance with its obligations under international law, including through the International Criminal Court, independent investigative and fact-finding missions, and commissions of inquiry, among others. For example, Canada is contributing to the Joint Mission of the Ethiopian Human rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate human rights violations committed in the context of the Tigray conflict and to ensure perpetrators are held accountable.

Second, we must step up our efforts to ensure more nuanced and context-specific action through time-sensitive and disaggregated data. From Canada’s experience, data and reporting helps to inform analyses and decision-making processes, and ultimately improves protection outcomes. Canada is proud to support organizations like the International NGO Safety Organization, whose work is critical to a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics in humanitarian context that help assess risks and plan for protection of staff.

Third, gender-responsive approaches are needed to effectively respond to the diverse and distinct protection needs and priorities of civilians including the unique needs of women—including young women—and girls. This includes the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in all their diversity in the development of protection strategies and approaches, including those mandated by the Council, as well as supporting the empowerment and protection of women peacebuilders and human rights defenders in situations of armed conflict.

Finally, the full implementation of Protection of Civilians mandates by UN peace operations, including specialized mandates for the protection of children and women must be prioritized. Protection mandates need to be effectively matched with sufficient resources and progressive policies, including by better aligning the Council, C34, and Fifth Committee in this regard. The Protection of Civilians must be prioritized through mission drawdowns, transitions, and exit strategies.

Canada is proud to have played a pivotal role in securing the Protection of Civilians on the agenda of the Security Council over twenty years ago.

Canada remains principled in our approach and persistent in our advocacy to uphold and advance the Protection of Civilians agenda.

We are working to implement a comprehensive Protection of Civilians agenda through foreign policy, humanitarian, peacekeeping, legal, and military efforts. This includes our endorsement of key political commitments including the Kigali Principles and the Paris Principles and Commitments, as well as leadership on initiatives like the Vancouver Principles. This is in addition to our national-level implementation of other resolutions, such as UNSCR 2286.

We will continue working to meet the life-saving needs of civilians that have been impacted by conflict and displacement when violations occur. Last year, Canada supported over 60 countries and territories with bilateral humanitarian assistance, and responded to 37 natural disasters. Canada’s funding helped provide a range of support from reproductive-health services to more than 330,000 Yemeni women and girls to emergency shelter protection, clean water and life-saving food assistance to an estimated 7.1 million crisis-affected people in South Sudan.

You can count on Canada to continue to keep civilians at the centre of our protection efforts.