Security Council resolution 2573 (2021) [on protection of civilian infrastructure in armed conflicts]
Symbol: S/RES/2573 (2021)
Date: 2021-04-27
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/76 [189] CIVILIAN PERSONS--ARMED CONFLICTS
S/ X Protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Subjects: HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW|HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE|PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: ESTONIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: INDIA
vote: yes
country: IRELAND
vote: yes
country: KENYA
vote: yes
country: MEXICO
vote: yes
country: NIGER
vote: yes
country: NORWAY
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
vote: yes
country: TUNISIA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                       S/RES/2573 (2021)
               Security Council                                                   Distr.: General
                                                                                  27 April 2021




               Resolution 2573 (2021)
               Adopted by the Security Council on 27 April 2021

                     Reiterating its primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations
               for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in this context, the need
               to promote and ensure respect for international humanitarian law,
                    Recalling all relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 1265
               (1999), 1894 (2009), 1998 (2011), 2175 (2014), 2286 (2016), 2417 (2018), and its
               Presidential Statements of 12 February 1999 (S/PRST/1999/6), 12 February 2013
               (S/PRST/2013/2), 9 August 2017 (S/PRST/2017/14), 20 August 2019
               (S/PRST/2019/8), and 29 April 2020 (S/PRST/2020/6),
                    Reaffirming the full respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political
               independence of all States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
                    Reiterating the primary responsibility of States to protect the population
               throughout their territories,
                     Gravely concerned about the level of violence against civilians in situations of
               armed conflicts, including indiscriminate attacks and establishment of military
               positions in densely populated areas, and their devastating impacts upon civilians,
                     Emphasising with deep concern that ongoing armed conflicts have devastating
               impacts on civilians and civilian objects, including civilians engaged in duties related
               to the operation, maintenance or repair of civilian infrastructure that is critical to the
               delivery of essential services to the civilian population and their assets that are
               civilian as such, and on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian
               population, exacerbate existing socio-economic fragilities and vulnerabilities,
               overstretch limited resources, resulting in reduced access to essential services such as
               health care, water, sanitation, energy, posing devastating consequences for the civilian
               population, and hindering an effective humanitarian response,
                    Recognizing the interconnectedness of certain essential services, as well as the
               vulnerabilities of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population that
               can be damaged in situations of armed conflict,
                     Reiterating the call on all parties to armed conflict to comply with their
               obligations under international humanitarian law including regarding respecting and
               protecting civilians and taking constant care to spare civilian objects, including such
               objects critical to the delivery of essential services to the civilian population,
               refraining from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects that are




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               indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and respecting and protecting
               humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations,
                     Further expressing concern about the misuse of objects indispensable to the
               survival of the civilian population in contravention of applicable international law,
               that may endanger civilians and their ability to access essential services in situations
               of armed conflict,
                     Recalling its deep concern at the military use of schools in contravention of
               applicable international law, recognising that such use may render schools legitimate
               targets of attack, thus endangering children’s and teachers’ safety as well as children’s
               education,
                     Noting with concern the threats posed to civilian infrastructure, incl uding that
               which supports essential services to the civilian population, by the use of any means
               or methods of warfare in violation of international humanitarian law, and the
               potentially devastating humanitarian impact of such use in situations of armed
               conflict,
                     Noting that armed conflicts, violations of international humanitarian law and
               international human rights law, and destruction of or other damage to objects
               indispensable to the survival of the civilian population can reduce or deprive civilians
               of access to essential services in situations of armed conflicts, and can be drivers of
               or aggravate forced displacement, compound the spread of infectious diseases in these
               contexts and hamper an effective public health response,
                     Reiterating its commitment to pursue all possible avenues to prevent and end
               armed conflicts, including through addressing their underlying root causes in an
               inclusive, integrated and sustainable manner,
                     Reiterating the need to strengthen efforts to resolve armed conflict and build
               sustainable peace and convinced that the protection of civilians in armed conflict and
               the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population
               should be an important aspect in this regard,
                     Reiterating deep concern at the increasing number of civilians in ongoing armed
               conflict and related violence facing the threat of conflict -induced food insecurity and
               the threat of famine,
                    Noting that the humanitarian situation in many armed conflicts can also be
               compounded by economic crises, increasingly frequent and severe weather events,
               and natural disasters and has deteriorated as a result of the impacts of the COVID -19
               pandemic and, in this regard, reaffirming the need for combatting and sustainably
               recovering from the pandemic,
                     Recalling the obligations of all parties to armed conflicts under international
               law, including international human rights law, as applicable, and international
               humanitarian law including the prohibition of attacks directed against civilians and
               civilian objects, medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged
               in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, hospitals, and other
               medical facilities,
                     Underlining the obligations of all parties to armed conflicts under international
               humanitarian law related to protecting civilians and civilian objects, meeting the basic
               needs of the civilian population within their territory or under their control, and
               allowing and facilitating the rapid and unimpeded passage of impartial hu manitarian
               relief to all those in need,
                    Stressing the particular impact that armed conflict has on women, children,
               including as refugees and internally displaced persons, and other civilians who may


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           have specific vulnerabilities including persons with disabilities and older persons,
           including through increased risk of violence and lack of access to essential services,
           and stressing the protection and assistance needs of all affected civilian populations,
                 Recalling its practice that mandates of UN peacekeeping and other relevant
           missions include, where appropriate and on a case-by-case basis, provisions regarding
           the protection of civilians,
                Stressing the need to fight against impunity and the importance of ensuring
           accountability for serious violations of international law, including international
           humanitarian law and international human rights law,
                 Recognising the need to return as quickly as possible and in an inclusive and
           equitable manner provision of essential services, while building back better an d
           providing more resilient essential services to the civilian population, in contributing
           to advancing the comprehensive approach to sustaining peace in countries in
           situations of armed conflict and post-conflict, and in this regard, welcoming relevant
           international and regional cooperation,
                 1.   Strongly condemns attacks in situations of armed conflicts directed against
           civilians as such and other protected persons or civilian objects, as well as
           indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, resulting in the deprivation of the civilian
           population of objects indispensable to their survival, as flagrant violations of
           international humanitarian law, deplores the long-term humanitarian consequences of
           such attacks for the civilian population and demands that all p arties to armed conflict
           immediately put an end to such practices;
                 2.    Demands that all parties to armed conflicts fully comply with their
           obligations under international humanitarian law, including regarding distinguishing
           between, on the one hand, civilian populations, civilian objects and all other persons
           and objects afforded protection, and, on the other hand, combatants and military
           objectives, prohibiting indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, taking all feasible
           precautions in planning, deciding and conducting attacks to avoid, and in any event
           minimize, harm to civilians and civilian objects, and taking all feasible precautions
           to protect the civilian population and civilian objects within their control against the
           effects of attacks;
                 3.   Further demands that all parties to armed conflict fully comply with their
           obligations under international humanitarian law regarding taking due care to spare
           the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects, refraining from attacking,
           destroying, removing or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the
           civilian population, and respecting and protecting humanitarian personnel and
           consignments used for humanitarian relief operations;
                 4.  Strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare
           in a number of armed conflict situations which is prohibited by international law and
           may constitute a war crime;
                 5.    Strongly condemns the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and
           depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival in situations of armed
           conflict, as well as the misuse of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian
           population in violation of international law by all parties to armed conflict;
                  6.    Urges all parties to armed conflict to protect civilian infrastructure which
           is critical to the delivery of humanitarian aid including for the provision of essential
           services concerning vaccinations and related medical care and other essential services
           to the civilian population in armed conflict and to ensuring the proper functioning of
           food systems and markets in situations of armed conflict;



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                     7.    Reiterates its demand that all parties to armed conflict engage immediately
               in a durable humanitarian pause to facilitate safe, unhindered and sustained de livery
               of humanitarian assistance, provision of related services by impartial humanitarian
               actors, consistent with humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality
               and independence, and medical evacuations, in accordance with international law,
               including international humanitarian law and refugee law as applicable, as well as
               equitable, safe and unhindered delivery and distribution of COVID -19 vaccination in
               areas of armed conflict;
                    8.    Reiterates the important role that capacity building in international
               humanitarian law can play in supporting efforts to protect objects indispensable to the
               survival of the civilian population and welcomes efforts by all parties to integrate or
               continue to integrate measures in this regard;
                     9.    Encourages all efforts to protect objects indispensable to the survival of
               the civilian population and civilian infrastructure that is critical to enable the delivery
               of essential services in armed conflict, upon request, to meet the basic needs of the
               civilian population, including by:
                    (a) Protection of civilians operating, maintaining or repairing these objects,
               as well as their movement for the purpose of maintaining, repairing or operating such
               objects;
                    (b) Allowing and facilitating safe passage of equipment, transport and
               supplies necessary for the reparation, maintenance or operation of such objects;
                     10. Stresses the need to ensure better cooperation and coordination at the
               international level, including among the United Nations and relevant international,
               regional and sub-regional organizations, including through technical assistance and
               capacity building, with a view to supporting those affected by armed conflict to
               reduce humanitarian needs, enhance long-term recovery, protect livelihoods, improve
               access to essential services, build resilience of conflict-affected populations, and
               recover from the pandemic, while ensuring full, equal and meaningful participation
               of women in efforts to promote and maintain peace and security and promoting the
               inclusion of young people, and contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda
               for Sustainable Development;
                    11. Encourages the enhancement of technical expertise as appropriate within
               United Nations country teams so that they may, where appropriate and within their
               respective mandates and capabilities, respond effectively to support the provision of
               essential services;
                    12. Requests the Secretary-General to include as a sub-item in the reports on
               the protection of civilians the issue of protection of objects indispensable to the
               survival of the civilian population.




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