Civilians Shoulder Burden Of Conflicts Worldwide - Kuwait Diplomat

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, May 24 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Tareq Albanai said late Tuesday that civilians always bear the brunt of the burden of conflicts worldwide.
Albanai made the remark in a speech he delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict at the Security Council Open Debate on "Ensuring the security and dignity of civilians in conflict: addressing food insecurity and protecting essential services" under the agenda item "Protection of civilians in armed conflict".
"Civilians are consistently shouldering the burden of conflicts around the world. Today, 2 billion people - a quarter of humanity - live in places affected by armed conflict. Record numbers of civilians are facing the humanitarian consequences of conflict, including displacement, and food and nutrition insecurity," he said.
"Among all civilians who are affected in armed conflicts, those who require our particular attention are people in vulnerable situations that are disproportionally prone to suffering, especially children," he added.
He called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to redouble its efforts to break the cycle of armed conflict, which drives and sustains many humanitarian crises around the world.
"And together, as the United Nations, we must do all we can to use the full range of tools at our disposal to prevent and end conflicts," he said.
He added that this yearآ's Secretary-General Protection of Civilians report focuses strongly on conflict and hunger and identifies a continuously high number of persons facing crisis levels of acute food and nutrition insecurity, primarily caused by the consequences of armed conflicts.
It notes that in 2022, more than a quarter of a billion people faced acute hunger in 58 countries and territories, many of which were in armed conflict.
Furthermore, conflict and insecurity were the most significant driver of high levels of acute food insecurity for around 117 million people in 19 countries and territories. Stronger efforts are required to prevent and alleviate hunger in armed conflicts, including by protecting food sources and respecting and protecting humanitarian relief objects and personnel in line with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), he added.
The Kuwiti diplomat went on to say armed conflicts also inevitably contribute to the degradation of the environment, which in turn affects essential services such as those related to the delivery of food and water. Those consequences for civilians are compounded by the effects of climate change, food systems and supply chains collapse.
The Group of Friends echoes the Secretary-Generalآ's concern, which is described in his report, about the humanitarian consequences resulting from armed conflicts involving the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Protection of civilians must also be strengthened through the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the population, which include the civilian infrastructure critical to the delivery of interconnected and essential basic services. Too often, the lack of electricity, water and other basic commodities, hamper the delivery of the most essential services such as education and medical care, placing the health and welfare of civilians at risk, he emphasized.
It is important to recall that this Council has adopted Resolution 2286, which strongly condemns attacks against medical facilities and personnel in conflict situations, Resolution 2573 on the protection of civilian infrastructure, and Resolution 2601, on the protection of schools, educational facilities, and civilians connected with schools, including children and teachers, Albanai added.
The Group of Friends calls on Member States and other relevant actors to advance the implementation of these important resolutions of the Council and the IHL obligations that underpin them, he said.
Humanitarian organizations work tirelessly to preserve and re-establish access to essential services for the affected civilian population, he siad, adding there is an urgent need to redouble efforts, including in this Council, to allow and facilitate full, safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, and the safety and security of all humanitarian personnel, in accordance with IHL.
The Group of Friends commends the Security Council on the adoption of Resolution 2664, regarding humanitarian exemption to asset freezes under UN sanctions regimes. This is a pivotal step for the facilitation of humanitarian assistance in some of the most complex circumstances, he pointed out.
"We are deeply concerned about the growing number of missing persons as a result of armed conflict. Efforts to prevent family separation and disappearances, to search and identify the missing and the dead, and to address the needs of affected families, should be an integral part of our response," he added.
Albanai underlined that taking early action at the onset of an armed conflict is crucial and the regional and national implementation of relevant IHL and IHRL obligations, as well as of UNSC Resolution 2474 on missing persons, is key.
Lastly, the use of new technologies is becoming increasingly important for efficient and effective humanitarian operations and the protection of civilians. However, modern technologies, including social media, are all too often misused for false narratives about humanitarian organizations and their work, as well as the work of UN missions, he noted.
Misinformation and disinformation endanger the security of humanitarian and UN mission staff as well as of those they are supposed to serve. It has to be vigorously combatted, including by advocating for IHL and humanitarian principles, he concluded. (end)
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