IV.  APPLICATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW BY THE UNITED NATIONS to apply fully in situations of armed conflict.” It also emphasized that dwellings, refuges, hospital zones and other installations used by civilians should not be the object of military operations. Civilians should not be the victims of reprisals, forcible transfers or other assaults on their integrity. The General Assembly also declared that providing international relief to civilian populations is in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. In recent years the General Assembly has been actively involved in the progressive development of human rights in all contexts, particularly through the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals. In their Millennium Declaration, the Heads of State and Government resolved “[t]o ensure the implementation, by States Parties […] of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and call[ed] upon all States to consider signing and ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court”.137 At their 2005 World Summit, the Heads of State and Government reiterated their commitment to protecting human rights, including the responsibility of each individual State to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This responsibility entails preventing such crimes, as well as incitement to commit them. The Heads of State and Government declared that “[t]he international community should, as appropriate, encourage and help States to exercise this responsibility and support the United Nations in establishing an early warning capability.” They further stressed the need for the General Assembly to continue consideration of the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and its implications, bearing in mind the principles of the Charter and of general international law. They reaffirmed their commitment to helping States build their capacity to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and to assisting those which are under stress before crises and conflicts break out.138   General Assembly resolution 55/2, para. 9.   General Assembly resolution 60/1, paras. 138–139. 137 138 95

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