75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council Arria meeting on Overcoming Challenges in situations of armed conflict and counter-terrorism operations
Statement by DPR Andre Lipand
August 11, New York
I thank Kenya for organizing this important meeting today, and our briefers for their insightful presentations addressing today’s topic from the perspective of counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance. We need to ensure that both contribute positively to peace and security, including the protection of civilians.
The intersection between the two is delicate. A grave example is Syria, where we have witnessed a multitude of attacks against humanitarian locations. The findings of the Secretary General’s Board of Inquiry, as well as other independent investigations, indicate that the targeting of schools and medical facilities in Syria is a deliberate military strategy of the Syrian regime.
As the Security Council has stated, all counter-terrorism measures must be conducted in full compliance with international law, in particular international humanitarian law and human rights law. They cannot become or be used as obstacles to humanitarian activities or undermine the principles of humanitarian assistance.
Limiting humanitarian assistance has the strongest impact on those most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly and displaced persons. In many places of the world a whole generation of children is growing up without knowing anything but war. The last two years have seen 5700 children killed and maimed in Afghanistan, and now the situation there has deteriorated even further.
We strongly condemn terrorist attacks against humanitarian and health workers, contributing to the deterioration of humanitarian space. It is clear that effective solutions are required, given that both state and non-state actors are increasingly comfortable with exploiting protracted civilian suffering.
The Security Council in its resolutions 2462 and 2482 requested Member States to ensure that counter-terrorism measures complied with their obligations under international humanitarian law and took into account their potential effects on humanitarian activities.
Humanitarian safeguards, such as the one the Council included in the Somalia sanctions regime, can help to minimize the impact of counterterrorism on principled humanitarian action. This objective is shared by the EU, which has reaffirmed its continued commitment to preserving humanitarian space, including inter alia through the development of best practices and the adoption of appropriate mitigating measures.
A crucial part of prevention is ensuring accountability at the earliest stages possible. We must make sure that no one is above the law; No perpetrator should escape justice. International investigations remain important and the Security Council has enabled different mechanisms to that end. One of such success stories has been the work of UNITAD, which has uncovered ISIL atrocities in Iraq.
To conclude – terrorism cannot be defeated only through military means. Institution-building and compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law remain key to successful conflict resolution.