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Roundup: UN Deputy Chief decries decaying respect for civilians in war

Xinhua, January 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

From airstrikes targeting hospitals and schools, to sieges used to cause starvation, respect for civilians during wartime is decaying, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said here Tuesday.

"We have seen, recently, unbearable sieges and use of food as a method of starvation, which constitutes a war crime," Eliasson spoke to journalists after addressing a UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

"We have seen the attacks on hospitals and schools in Yemen and Afghanistan," he said. "We have seen the indiscriminate use of explosives in populated areas."

Around the world there is a decay in respect for human life during conflict, alongside deteriorating understanding of international humanitarian law, said Eliasson.

"I find it disturbing that there is even a lack of knowledge and awareness of these Conventions -- the Geneva Conventions, Refugee Conventions," he said.

One hundres and ninty-six countries have ratified the Geneva conventions of 1949, which include rules about the protection of civilians in war zones.

Over 70 UN member states and observers addressed the Security Council debate convened by Uruguay, which holds the rotating presidency of the council for the month of January.

Uruguay's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs,Jose Luis Cancela told the council that escalating violence towards civilians in conflict has helped fuel the worst refugee crisis in history.

"As a result of this escalation of violence, today we face unprecedented refugee and humanitarian crises," said Cancela. "There are now more than 60 million refugees, internally displaced persons and asylum seekers worldwide."

Christine Beerli, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also addressed the council, calling for greater respect for existing humanitarian laws rather than creating new ones.

"The ICRC continues to believe that the current legal framework for the protection of civilians remains relevant and that the main challenge in protecting civilians centers on greater compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties to armed conflicts," said Beerli.

The United Kingdom's Ambassador to the UN Peter Wilson said that new disturbing trends have emerged in the treatment of civilians during conflict.

"There are also new, disturbing trends; the targeting of medical staff and facilities, the increasing use of siege and starvation as a method of warfare, and the distressing allegations against UN peacekeepers themselves," said Wilson.

"All parties to an armed conflict should fulfill their responsibility to protect civilians, "Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN told the council. He stressed that in cases of human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed during armed conflicts, the countries concerned should investigate and punish the act according to law. Enditem