98
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICT
The Security Council has developed a practice of adopting periodic and
thematic resolutions on the protection of particular categories of persons
in armed conflicts, including civilians, children and women. For example,
in its resolution 1265 (1999), it urged parties to comply strictly with their
obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee
law. More recently, in its resolution 1894 (2009), it demanded “that
parties to armed conflict comply strictly with the obligations applicable to
them under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law”.
The Security Council has used similar language in its aides-memoires.146
In all these instruments, the Security Council increasingly requires the
United Nations to take action to implement and protect standards of both
international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Furthermore, in its resolution 1612 (2005) the Security Council requested
the Secretary-General to implement a monitoring and reporting mechanism
on children and armed conflict and established a working group to review
the mechanism’s reports. The mechanism monitors in particular six grave
abuses: (a) killing or maiming of children; (b) recruiting or using child
soldiers; (c) attacks against schools or hospitals; (d) rape and other
grave sexual violence against children; (e) abduction of children; and
(f) denial of humanitarian access for children. The working group makes
recommendations to the Security Council on possible measures to promote
the protection of children affected by armed conflict and addresses requests
to other United Nations bodies for action to support the implementation of
the Security Council resolution.147
There are no similar Security Council working groups for civilians and
women in armed conflicts. However, in its resolution 1888 (2009) on
women and peace and security, the Security Council requested the
Secretary-General “to devise urgently and preferably within three
See, for example, the aide-memoire annexed to the Statement by the President of the
Security Council (S/PRST/2002/6, updated in 2003).
147
For more information on the mechanism, see the action plan presented by the SecretaryGeneral (A/59/695–S/2005/72). See also www.un.org/children/conflict/english/
index.html (accessed 30 June 2011).
146
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents