Security Council resolution 1894 (2009) [on protection of civilians in armed conflict]
Symbol: S/RES/1894(2009)
Date: 2009-11-11
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/64 [189] CIVILIAN PERSONS--ARMED CONFLICTS
Subjects: UN. Security Council > Resolutions and decisions|International Fact-Finding Commission|International Committee of the Red Cross|Aide Mémoire for the Consideration of Issues pertaining to the Protection of Civilians during the Security Council's Deliberation of Peacekeeping Mandates (2002)|CIVILIAN PERSONS|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT|INTERNATIONAL LAW|INTERNATIONAL SECURITY|SIGNATURES, ACCESSIONS, RATIFICATIONS|PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION|INFORMATION DISSEMINATION|TRAINING PROGRAMMES|CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS|WOMEN IN ARMED CONFLICTS|IMPUNITY|STATE RESPONSIBILITY|ACCOUNTABILITY|JURISDICTION|RELIEF PERSONNEL|HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE|HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING|GUIDELINES|TROOP-CONTRIBUTING STATES|INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION|SMALL ARMS|MINE CLEARANCE|MATERIAL REMNANTS OF WAR|REPORT PREPARATION|COOPERATION BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: AUSTRIA
vote: yes
country: BURKINA FASO
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: COSTA RICA
vote: yes
country: CROATIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA
vote: yes
country: MEXICO
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: TURKEY
vote: yes
country: UGANDA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

                United Nations                                                                   S/RES/1894 (2009)*
                Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                 11 November 2009




                Resolution 1894 (2009)
                Adopted by the Security Council at its 6216th meeting, on
                11 November 2009

                     The Security Council,
                     Reaffirming its commitment to the continuing and full implementation, in a
                mutually-reinforcing manner, of resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000),
                1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and
                1889 (2009), and all relevant statements of its President,
                      Reaffirming its commitment to the Purposes of the Charter of the United
                Nations as set out in Article 1 (1-4) of the Charter, and to the Principles of the
                Charter as set out in Article 2 (1-7) of the Charter, including its commitment to the
                principles of the political independence, sovereign equality and territorial integrity
                of all States, and respect for the sovereignty of all States,
                      Noting that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the progressive
                consideration by the Security Council of the protection of civilians in armed conflict
                as a thematic issue; and acknowledging the enduring need for the Security Council
                and Member States to strengthen further the protection of civilians in armed
                conflict,
                      Noting further that this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Geneva
                Conventions of 1949, which together with their Additional Protocols constitute the
                basis for the legal framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflict,
                     Recognizing that States bear the primary responsibility to respect and ensure
                the human rights of their citizens, as well as all individuals within their territory as
                provided for by relevant international law,
                      Reaffirming that parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to
                take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians,
                     Reaffirming the relevant provisions of the 2005 World Summit Outcome
                Document regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflict, including
                paragraphs 138 and 139 thereof regarding the responsibility to protect populations
                from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,
                     Reiterating its deep regret that civilians continue to account for the vast
                majority of casualties in situations of armed conflict,

            * Reissued for technical reasons.


09-60245* (E)
*0960245*

S/RES/1894 (2009)


                    Stressing the particular impact that armed conflict has on women and children,
               including as refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as on other civilians
               who may have specific vulnerabilities including persons with disabilities and older
               persons, and stressing the protection and assistance needs of all affected civilian
               populations,
                    Noting the adoption of the African Union Convention for the Protection and
               Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (2009),
                     Noting with grave concern the severity and prevalence of constraints on
               humanitarian access, as well as the frequency and gravity of attacks against
               humanitarian personnel and objects and the significant implications of such attacks
               for humanitarian operations,
                    Recognizing the need for States in or emerging from armed conflict to restore
               or build accountable security institutions and independent national judicial systems,
                     Recalling the inclusion of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
               in the statutes of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals and the Rome Statute of
               the International Criminal Court, and emphasizing in this regard the principle of
               complementarity,
                     Recognizing the importance of reparations programmes in response to serious
               violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations,
                    Recognizing the importance of empowering vulnerable civilians through
               education and training as a means to support efforts to halt and prevent abuses
               committed against civilians in situations of armed conflict,
                     Recognizing the valuable contribution to the protection of children in armed
               conflict by the SRSG on Children and Armed Conflict and the Security Council
               Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, including its conclusions and
               recommendations issued in line with resolution 1612 (2005), and recalling
               resolution 1882 (2009), which aims to strengthen the protection of children in
               situations of armed conflict,
                    Recalling its decision in resolution 1888 (2009) to address violence against
               women and children in situations of armed conflict by requesting the Secretary-General to appoint a special representative and to identify and take the appropriate
               measures to deploy rapidly a team of experts to situations of particular concern with
               respect to sexual violence in armed conflict,
                   Noting the practice of briefings to Security Council members by the Office for
               the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on behalf of the United Nations’
               humanitarian community, both through formal and informal channels,
                     Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the protection of
               civilians of 29 May 2009 (S/2009/277) and its annex on constraints on humanitarian
               access, which identify the core challenges to the effective protection of civilians,
               namely enhancing compliance with international law; enhancing compliance by
               non-State armed groups with their obligations under international law; enhancing
               protection through more effective and better resourced United Nations peacekeeping
               and other relevant missions; enhancing humanitarian access; and enhancing
               accountability for violations,




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      Welcoming the proposals, conclusions and recommendations on the protection
of civilians included in the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping
Operations and its Working Group (A/63/19) and the important work conducted by
the Security Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations, including its
efforts aimed at enhancing the implementation of protection mandates,
     Recalling the statement of its President of 5 August 2009 (S/PRST/2009/24)
and welcoming ongoing efforts to strengthen UN peacekeeping,
      Noting that United Nations peacekeeping missions constitute one of several
means at the United Nations’ disposal to protect civilians in situations of armed
conflict,
      1.    Demands that parties to armed conflict comply strictly with the
obligations applicable to them under international humanitarian, human rights and
refugee law, as well as to implement all relevant decisions of the Security Council
and in this regard, urges them to take all required measures to respect and protect
the civilian population and meet its basic needs;
     2.    Reiterates its condemnation in the strongest terms of attacks in situations
of armed conflict directed against civilians as such and other protected persons or
objects as well as indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks and the utilisation of
the presence of civilians to render certain points, areas or military forces immune
from military operations, as flagrant violations of international humanitarian law
and demands that all parties immediately put an end to such practices;
      3.   Notes that the deliberate targeting of civilians as such and other protected
persons, and the commission of systematic, flagrant and widespread violations of
applicable international humanitarian and human rights law in situations of armed
conflict may constitute a threat to international peace and security, and reaffirms in
this regard its readiness to consider such situations and, where necessary, to adopt
appropriate steps;
      4.   Reiterates its willingness to respond to situations of armed conflict where
civilians are being targeted or humanitarian assistance to civilians is being
deliberately obstructed, including through the consideration of appropriate measures
at the Security Council’s disposal in accordance with the Charter of the United
Nations;
      5.   Reiterates its call on States that have not already done so to consider
signing, ratifying or acceding to the relevant instruments of international
humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, and to take appropriate legislative,
judicial and administrative measures to implement their obligations under these
instruments;
     6.    Demands that all States and parties to armed conflict fully implement all
relevant decisions of the Security Council and in this regard cooperate fully with
United Nations peacekeeping missions and Country Teams in the follow-up and
implementation of these resolutions;
     7.    Calls upon all parties concerned,
      (a) to ensure the widest possible dissemination of information about
international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law;




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                     (b) to provide training for public officials, members of armed forces and
               armed groups, personnel associated to armed forces, civilian police and law
               enforcement personnel, and members of the judicial and legal professions; and to
               raise awareness among civil society and the civilian population on relevant
               international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, as well as on the
               protection, special needs and human rights of women and children in conflict
               situations, to achieve full and effective compliance;
                    (c) to ensure that orders and instructions issued to armed forces and other
               relevant actors are in compliance with applicable international law, and that they are
               observed, inter alia, by establishing effective disciplinary procedures, central to
               which must be the strict adherence to the principle of command responsibility to
               support compliance with international humanitarian law;
                     (d) to seek, where appropriate, support from United Nations peacekeeping
               and other relevant missions, as well as United Nations Country Teams and the
               International Committee of the Red Cross and, where appropriate, other members of
               the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, on training and awareness
               raising on international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law;
                    8.    Emphasizes the importance of addressing in its country specific
               deliberations the compliance of parties to armed conflict with international
               humanitarian, human rights and refugee law; notes the range of existing methods
               used, on a case by case basis, for gathering information on alleged violations of
               applicable international law relating to the protection of civilians and underlines the
               importance in this regard of receiving information that is timely, objective, accurate
               and reliable;
                    9.   Considers the possibility, to this end, of using the International Fact-Finding Commission established by Article 90 of the First Additional Protocol to the
               Geneva Conventions;
                     10. Affirms its strong opposition to impunity for serious violations of
               international humanitarian law and human rights law and emphasizes in this context
               the responsibility of States to comply with their relevant obligations to end impunity
               and to thoroughly investigate and prosecute persons responsible for war crimes,
               genocide, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of international
               humanitarian law in order to prevent violations, avoid their recurrence and seek
               sustainable peace, justice, truth and reconciliation;
                    11. Recalls that accountability for such serious crimes must be ensured by
               taking measures at the national level, and by enhancing international cooperation in
               support of national mechanisms, draws attention to the full range of justice and
               reconciliation mechanisms to be considered, including national, international and
               “mixed” criminal courts and tribunals, and truth and reconciliation commissions, as
               well as national reparation programs for victims and institutional reforms; and
               underlines the Security Council’s role in ending impunity;
                    12. Reaffirms the Security Council’s role in promoting an environment that is
               conducive to the facilitation of humanitarian access to those in need;
                     13. Stresses the importance for all, within the framework of humanitarian
               assistance, of upholding and respecting the humanitarian principles of humanity,
               neutrality, impartiality and independence;



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      14. Stresses the importance for all parties to armed conflict to cooperate with
humanitarian personnel in order to allow and facilitate access to civilian populations
affected by armed conflict;
     15.   Expresses its intention to:
     (a) Call on parties to armed conflict to comply with the obligations
applicable to them under international humanitarian law to take all required steps to
protect civilians and to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of relief
consignments, equipment and personnel,
     (b) Mandate UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions, where
appropriate, to assist in creating conditions conducive to safe, timely and unimpeded
humanitarian assistance,
     16.   Further expresses its intention to:
     (a) Consistently condemn and call for the immediate cessation of all acts of
violence and other forms of intimidation deliberately directed against humanitarian
personnel,
     (b) Call on parties to armed conflict to comply with the obligations
applicable to them under international humanitarian law to respect and protect
humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations,
    (c) Take appropriate steps in response to deliberate attacks against
humanitarian personnel;
     17. Invites the Secretary-General to continue the systematic monitoring and
analysis of constraints on humanitarian access, to include as appropriate
observations and recommendations in his briefings and country-specific reports to
the Council;
      18. Recalls its determination to upgrade the strategic oversight of
peacekeeping operations mindful of the important role peacekeeping operations play
for the protection of civilians and reaffirms its support to the efforts made by the
Secretary-General to review peacekeeping operations and to provide enhanced
planning and support and renews its encouragement to deepen these efforts, in
partnership with troop and police contributing countries and other relevant
stakeholders;
      19. Reaffirms its practice of ensuring 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, stresses that mandated protection
activities must be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and
resources, including information and intelligence resources, in the implementation
of mandates; and recognizes, that the protection of civilians when and as mandated
requires a coordinated response from all relevant mission components;
      20. Reaffirms also the importance of entrusting peacekeeping and other
relevant missions that are tasked with the protection of civilians with clear, credible
and achievable mandates, based on accurate and reliable information on the
situation on the ground, and a realistic assessment of threats against civilians and
missions, made in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and further reaffirms
the importance of a greater awareness in the Security Council of the resource and



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               field support implications of its decisions and stresses the necessity to ensure the
               execution of the afore-mentioned mandates to protect civilians in the field;
                     21. Recognizes the necessity to take into account the protection needs of
               civilians in situations of armed conflict, in particular women and children, in the
               early phase of mandate drafting and throughout the lifecycle of United Nations
               peacekeeping and other relevant missions and in this regard underlines the
               importance of engagement with the countries concerned and of close consultation
               with the Secretariat, troop and police contributing countries, and other relevant
               actors;
                     22. Recognizes also the need for comprehensive operational guidance on
               peacekeeping missions’ tasks and responsibilities in the implementation of
               protection of civilians mandates and requests the Secretary-General to develop in
               close consultation with Member States including troop and police contributing
               countries and other relevant actors, an operational concept for the protection of
               civilians, and to report back on progress made;
                     23. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with relevant actors, to
               ensure that peacekeeping missions with protection of civilians’ mandates, in keeping
               with the strategic plans that guide their deployment, conduct mission-wide planning,
               pre-deployment training, and senior leadership training on the protection of civilians
               and requests troop and police contributing countries to ensure the provision of
               appropriate training of their personnel participating in UN peacekeeping and other
               relevant missions to heighten the awareness and responsiveness to protection
               concerns, including training on HIV/AIDS and zero tolerance of sexual exploitation
               and abuse in UN peacekeeping missions;
                     24. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all relevant peacekeeping
               missions with protection mandates incorporate comprehensive protection strategies
               into the overall mission implementation plans and contingency plans which include
               assessments of potential threats and options for crisis response and risk mitigation
               and establish priorities, actions and clear roles and responsibilities under the
               leadership and coordination of the SRSG, with the full involvement of all relevant
               actors and in consultation with United Nations Country teams;
                    25. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that United Nations missions
               provide local communities with adequate information with regard to the role of the
               mission and in this regard ensure coordination between a United Nations mission
               and relevant humanitarian agencies;
                     26. Takes note of practical measures taken by ongoing peacekeeping
               missions and United Nations Country Teams to enhance the protection of civilians
               in the field, and requests the Secretary-General to include best practice in his next
               report on protection of civilians to the Council;
                     27. Reaffirms its practice of requiring benchmarks, as and where appropriate,
               to measure and review progress made in the implementation of peacekeeping
               mandates and stresses the importance of including indicators of progress regarding
               the protection of civilians in such benchmarks for relevant missions;
                    28. Emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to facilitate the
               implementation of protection mandates through promoting economic growth, good
               governance, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for, and protection of human



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rights, and in this regard, urges the cooperation of Member States and underlines the
importance of a coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approach by the principal
organs of the United Nations, cooperating with one another and within their
respective mandates;
      29. Notes that the excessive accumulation and destabilizing effect of small
arms and light weapons pose a considerable impediment to the provision of
humanitarian assistance and have a potential to exacerbate and prolong conflicts,
endanger civilians and undermine security and the confidence required for a return
to peace and stability, calls on parties to armed conflict to take all feasible
precautions to protect the civilian population, including children, from the effects of
landmines and other explosive remnants of war, and in this regard, encourages the
international community to support country efforts in clearing landmines and other
explosive remnants of war and to provide assistance for the care, rehabilitation and
economic and social reintegration of victims, including persons with disabilities;
      30. Reiterates the importance of the Aide Memoire on the protection of
civilians (S/PRST/2009/1) as a practical tool that provides a basis for improved
analysis and diagnosis of key protection issues, particularly during deliberations on
peacekeeping mandates and stresses the need to implement the approaches set out
therein on a more regular and consistent basis, taking into account the particular
circumstances of each conflict situation;
      31. Recognizes the important role of the Secretary-General in providing
timely information to the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed
conflict in particular through thematic and country specific reports and through
briefings;
      32. Requests the Secretary-General to include in his reports to the Council on
country-specific situations more comprehensive and detailed information relating to
the protection of civilians in armed conflict, including on protection-related
incidents and actions taken by parties to armed conflict to implement their
obligations to respect and protect the civilian population, including information
specific to the protection needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, women,
children and other vulnerable groups;
      33. Requests the Secretary-General to develop guidance for UN
peacekeeping and other relevant missions on the reporting on the protection of
civilians in armed conflict with a view to streamlining reporting and enhancing the
Council’s monitoring and oversight of the implementation of protection mandates of
UN peacekeeping and other missions;
      34. Stresses the importance of consultation and cooperation between the
United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other relevant
organisations including regional organisations to improve the protection of civilians
in armed conflict;
     35. Requests the Secretary-General to submit his next report on the
protection of civilians in armed conflict by November 2010;
     36.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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