76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UNGA sideevent “International Humanitarian Law – Enhancing Monitoring, Improving Compliance”
Statement by Political Director Mr Lembit Uibo
September 22, New York
Dear Excellences, Colleagues,
I would like to thank France, Germany and the European Union, the organizers of this event and keynote speakers for highlighting the importance of International Humanitarian Law and the need for improved compliance with it.
The conflicts are growing in number and being more protracted – The more than a decade long conflict in Syria, the sudden and regrettable turn of developments in Myanmar, the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the continued tensions around Gaza, the fighting and increased military activity in Yemen and the list goes on and on, have all caused enormous human suffering and widespread violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law – that in turn have raised the humanitarian needs globally to an all-time-high.
It is the duty of all of us to protect the most vulnerable in the conflicts, including women and children. Also, the Security Council has to fulfil its duties and step up efforts to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian and health-care workers and humanitarian space. The COVID-19 pandemics has put an extra layer of suffering to the people already in vulnerable situations. This crisis has placed the frontline medical and humanitarian workers at especially high risk and the humanitarian organizations to an extremely difficult situation, whereas access to the people they need to assist has been severely affected. Attacks against hospitals and health workers have been particularly horrific considering the fragile state of health-care systems in many places.
To respond adequately to the new means and methods of warfare, like the weaponization of new technologies, cyber threats and other emerging issues, and to the new challenges like COVID-19, we need to be creative in finding new and innovative ways to ensure that the IHL is implemented, including by making the new technologies work for us. Accurate data about the violations of IHL and the humanitarian needs can often be a question of life and death. This is why we should focus more on how to secure the data needed to enhance the monitoring and compliance with the IHL. Harmonized and consolidated data management could help improve the efforts to minimize the harm and suffering caused by armed conflicts.
Accountability remains one of the main key instruments of prevention and thereby compliance with IHL and the international law more broadly. All efforts to provide international humanitarian law training to armed forces prior to their deployment should consistently be encouraged and supported. Estonia commends also the ICC and other international mechanisms for their work in helping bring about accountability.
Finally, allow me to reiterate Estonia’s continued commitment to honour our obligation to respect and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and to promote universal adherence to the IHL instruments. Better respect for IHL is an indispensable prerequisite for minimising negative humanitarian consequences.
I thank you.