The Secretary-General 12 days ago presented an unprecedented report to the Security Council on the protection of civilian population in conflict. On 20 September his speech at the opening of the General Assembly and the very lively debate it provoked also illustrates that it is growing more and more difficult for sovereignty to be invoked as a shield behind which human rights abuses can be perpetuated unchallenged. Humanitarian actors have been much less successful with regard to advocating for prevention. There have been many seminars, many books, papers and speeches but too seldom do we get beyond debate. It is easy to extol prevention's virtues but much harder to find examples of where it has been successfully undertaken.
Prevention is as important as it is difficult.
There are abductions, killings, arbitrary detention, forced expulsions, harassment and threats. These abuses have in turn created humanitarian needs. Over 150,000 Serbs have fled to other parts of Serbia. Thousands are displaced within Kosovo. Some of those that remain in their habitual place of residence, such as the Serbs living in Orahovac, are effectively besieged and thus dependent on humanitarian aid.