Intervention by H.E. Ambassador Katalin Annamária Bogyay Permanent Representative at the open debate of the Security Council on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict”, on 19 January 2016.
Always thinking the unthinkable!
Always expecting the unexpected!
Being totally vulnerable.
Living the solitude of the global world.
Just being a non-military, ordinary, private citizen in armed conflict...
Your Excellency, Mr. President, Honorable members of the Security Council, Dear Colleagues,
Thousands of civilians are not only suffering from the impacts of armed conflicts, but are becoming subjects of military strategies of different parties to conflicts. The international community must step up all its efforts to enhance the respect of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Hungary hopes that the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will end with an agreement on a mechanism to strengthen compliance with IHL, although discussions will continue on the issue.
Mr. President,
We must also take into account that the lines that separate international and internal armed conflicts have been increasingly blurred, which may lead to uncertainty regarding the applicable rules and their interpretation. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that we continue this dialogue on current IHL issues.
Hungary attaches especially great importance to the protection of women and children. We support international initiatives aimed at combating sexual violence in conflicts, particularly against women and girls, and have contributed to UN projects for the elimination of all forms of such crimes. The Hungarian Government has also provided assistance to international projects aimed at the protection of children affected by armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, including for children in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
We firmly believe that the protection of civilians should be integral to the whole of UN peace operations having such a mandate. It is important to keep continuous consultations and enhance communication between the Security Council, the Secretariat and contributing countries about possible gaps in mission mandates.
As we always stress, accountability and ending impunity are key for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
Hungary wishes to actively contribute to the initiative on a multilateral treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance and extradition in domestic prosecution of atrocity crimes, an initiative that is supported by the ICC and a number of states and aimed at enhancing and making horizontal cooperation among states more effective in the process of prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Mr. President,
Hungary believes that the best way to protect civilians is through the prevention of armed conflicts. The UN should use all available tools for early warning and for political mediation in order to prevent the outbreak and reverse the escalation of hostilities.
We would also like to reaffirm the relevance of the Responsibility to Protect for today’s discussions. In order to ensure more timely and decisive response by the Security Council, Hungary actively participated in the elaboration of the “Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes”. As my closing remark, I would like to strongly encourage those Member States, who have not done it yet, to join this initiative, which represents a unique chance to not only improve the Security Council’s ability to prevent and respond to atrocities, but also an opportunity to preserve the Council’s legitimacy as the guardian of international peace and security.
Mr. President,
Hungary aligns itself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the European Union.
I wish to thank Uruguay for organizing today’s open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
As this is the first time for me to speak in the Security Council this year, let me congratulate the new members of the Council and wish the Council members successful deliberations!
I thank you for your attention.
