- Maleeha supports UN chief’s call for a surge in diplomacy for peace; says Pakistani peacekeepers carefully protect civilians in different parts
At the UN, Pakistan called for addressing the root causes of conflicts and finding peaceful settlement of disputes to ensure the protection of civilians in conflict situations.
Speaking in the Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians and healthcare in armed conflict, Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi voiced Pakistan’s support to the secretary general’s call for a surge in diplomacy for peace.
“A culture of prevention is after all, the best assurance to sustainable and enduring peace and security,” she said, adding that the goal of protection of civilians was best served by preventing the outbreak of armed conflicts in the first place.
“This entails addressing the root causes of conflicts, and finding inclusive political solutions to disputes and seeking peaceful settlement of conflicts,” she said. She also called for prioritisation of protection of civilians in UN peacekeeping operations.
As one of the world’s leading troop contributors, Ambassador Maleeha said Pakistan has proudly and conscientiously performed the task of protecting civilians in different parts of the world including in missions in the Congo, Darfur, Central African Republic and Liberia.
Arguing that the protection of civilians in armed conflict was a basic tenet of international humanitarian law, she regretted that despite an established normative framework, compliance was unfortunately sporadic and accountability mechanisms remained weak.
“Non-combatants continue to be treated as fair game at the hands of warring parties to further their strategic interests. Collateral damage is still considered an unfortunate but inevitable byproduct of conflict,” she said, and pointed out that the plight of the vulnerable including women and children, remains particularly acute.
She referred to the secretary general’s latest report, which noted that more than 20 million people in conflict situations including 1.4 million children are on the brink of famine. She emphasised that there was an ever greater need for humanitarian assistance and protection for people displaced by conflict.
She pointed out that this challenge was compounded by an inadequate global response to address the suffering of civilians in armed conflict. She described as unfortunate the spate of recent attacks against medical facilities, both by state and non-state actors, in conflict situations. Essential health services including hospitals and medical personnel play a critical role, both as providers of vital life support as well as sustainers of hope and optimism, she said.
“Any attack on medical facilities and staff, jeopardizes life and exacerbates suffering. It is therefore, not only an egregious breach of international law, but also a betrayal of humanity itself,” she said. Recalling the landmark Security Council Resolution 2286, adopted last year, which unequivocally condemned attacks or threats against medical and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, she urged the 15-member council to translate this political resolve into tangible action.
Calling for an end to the culture of impunity, Dr Maleeha said that criminal prosecutions and other forms of accountability for the perpetrators of attacks on health service providers were equally essential. She said that parties to an armed conflict must also ensure a safe, unimpeded passage and sustained humanitarian access. She said that human misery could not be mortgaged at the altar of political objectives.
