Protection of Civilians in Current Conflicts – Operational Challenges and Priorities

The VII In-Depth Seminar on International Humanitarian Law organised by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian Red Cross and the Defence Command and Staff College, 23rd September 2010, Oslo

Protection of Civilians in Current Conflicts – Operational Challenges and Priorities

Opening speech
Contribution by H.E. the Minister of Defence Grete Faremo

Thank you. First, I would like to thank the Norwegian Red Cross for co-organizing this seminar with the Ministry of Defence and the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College. The protection of civilians is one of the core concerns of International Humanitarian Law, and one which is frequently under pressure. Therefore, it is important to sustain a strong focus on this issue.

I am especially pleased to note that the Ministry of Defence and the Norwegian Red Cross are cooperating on this issue. Although we may have diverging perspectives on some issues, the Red Cross is an important collaborating partner for the Ministry of Defence.

In many of today’s armed conflicts, we witness a deterioration of the protection that civilians are entitled to according to IHL. We see that it is often civilians, not soldiers, who are killed and injured. Modern conflicts are also often fought in urban areas, and increasingly civilians are caught in the midst of hostilities. In many cases, we also see that they are deliberately targeted, killed, maimed, raped and abused.

The rules and principles of IHL are as valid now as they have ever been. There is no need to re-negotiate IHL. However, there is a need for an in-depth discussion on the operational challenges and priorities we face in current armed conflicts. 

Today you will address two out of several of these challenges. Firstly, how to protect the medical mission when faced with an enemy/opponent that does not follow the rules of armed conflict.

According to International Humanitarian Law, the medical mission benefits from special protection. Wounded and sick people as well as medical facilities, vehicles and personnel must not be attacked but respected and protected at all times. The protection of the medical personnel and mission is furthermore also fundamental to securing the protection of civilians as well as combatants.

The second theme of this seminar is how to protect people, and especially women, against sexualised violence.  In my view, women’s and children’s security is the best measure of national security. Yet in conflicts across the world, the ways women are affected are not considered as real security threats. Men are shot and killed. Women are “only” being raped, widowed and displaced.

Last month we were shocked by yet another report from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a large number of women and children were raped, not far from a UN base. It illustrates more than anything the international community’s lacking ability to protect those who are the most vulnerable.

This year marks the ten year anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. There is a strong international framework in place, but we must acknowledge that we have not yet seen the results on the ground that we had hoped for – and perhaps expected. And it is, after all, the results on the ground that are the real measure of our success.

In November, the Government will launch a new strategy for the implementation of resolution 1325, with concrete measures to ensure women’s rightful roles in international peace and security.

In a broader perspective, the focus of our work must always be on the consequences felt on the ground, and on how IHL should be interpreted and implemented in order to provide effective protection for the civilians affected by armed conflict. We also need to explore ways of ensuring that those responsible for violations of IHL are held accountable, and that serious violations of IHL carry a strong stigma.

In cooperation with France, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN and civil society, we are now also starting an international process to facilitate such a discussion. Through a series of regional conferences, we will be working to bring together all relevant actors, including both military experts as well as humanitarian organisations with expertise from the field. The aim will be to reach agreement on concrete recommendations on how IHL ought to be interpreted and implemented in order to achieve adequate protection for civilians. Today’s seminar is very much in line with this purpose.

I hope the seminar today will be both challenging and fruitful – and provide you with important insights, with contributions by both academics and representatives from the armed forces who have recently returned from Afghanistan. In the struggle to continuously enhance the protection of civilians, it is important to listen to all these voices. Thank you and good luck.