On 11th September 2013, the UN General Assembly convened for an informal, interactive dialogue on the “Responsibility to Protect (R2P): State Responsibility and Prevention”, based on the Secretary-General’s fifth report on R2P. Delegates, including 68 member states, one regional organisation and two civil society organisations, were encouraged to ask questions and share their own experiences and perspectives on upholding their primary responsibility to prevent mass atrocities.
In anticipation of the dialogue, UNA-UK corresponded with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, urging the UK delegation to, among other things, reaffirm its commitment to implementing R2P and assisting states to build capacity and national resilience to atrocity crimes. The letter also asked for more information on the role and activities of the national UK Focal Point who has been appointed within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to promote R2P within the UK government and support international cooperation on atrocity prevention.
In his speech, Ambassador Wilson of the UK Mission to the United Nations firmly stated that the UK is “fully committed to implementing the Responsibility to Protect.” He also emphasised that members of the UNSC must “shoulder their responsibility” when it comes to R2P crimes, acknowledged that “increased focus on preventive aspects of R2P is critical” and encouraged all governments to appoint a national Focal Point.
Ten more member states participated this year than in 2012 and eighteen states reported that they had recently appointed a national R2P Focal Point. Overall, the dialogue was a useful forum for discussing how states can fulfil their primary responsibility to protect their populations from atrocity crimes and translate the principle into practice.
Read UNA-UK's letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
Read the UK's statement given by Ambassador Wilson of the UK Mission to the UN.
Update
The Minister for Conflict Issues, Mark Simmonds MP, has responded to UNA-UK.
