Submitted by
Mira Donaldson
As a young Canadian passionate about human rights and global affairs, I want to share that passion with others.
As an intern for the Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, my eyes were opened to the tragic atrocities of the world, and I will continue advocating in my new position of Youth Ambassador.
There are many aspects of R2P and human rights studies that are impossible not to discuss. As well, there are many humanitarian crises in the world that are neglected by news headlines, and sadly, many don’t get the help they need.
There currently are more than 60 million people in the world who have been displaced due to conflict. And this number is growing.
In this time of death and destruction, it is more important than ever to protect populations from such tragedy. The “responsibility to protect,” or R2P, is an international norm that aims to use peaceful measures to protect populations in distress.
Although implemented by the UN General Assembly in 2005, its premise lies a few more years back.
In 1999, members of the African Union got together to revise their constitution and, on the advice of Dr. Francis Deng, decided that when it comes to atrocities such as genocide, each member state should take a stance of “non-indifference,” rather than “non-interference.”
This important distinction asks each country to take action to prevent horrible mass crimes inside and outside its borders. Deng went on to publish a report entitled “Sovereignty as Responsibility,” further defining this radical principle.
In 2001, a group called the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) was formed, greatly assisted by Canadian Lloyd Axworthy (at the time, the minister of foreign affairs). It published a report entitled “The Responsibility to Protect,” defining how the ideas of the AU constitution and Deng’s report could be implemented at the UN level.
Finally, at the 2005 World Summit, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to the principle of R2P. The exact definition can be read in paragraphs 138-140 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document.
Simply, the international community has the responsibility to protect all populations from atrocity crimes, defined as genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes.
Peaceful measures should be taken first, such as diplomacy or economic sanctions, and any military action taken in the name of R2P must be collective.
R2P, while accepted in theory by most, has in practice been controversial. What scale of atrocity crime necessitates action? Can the international community violate the independence of a state to protect the innocent?
What about those who are not in direct danger of violence, but face threat from disease, weather, or unsanitary water?
Should the UN Security Council veto bills for action under the name of R2P? What about the changing economic world; how will that affect the future of R2P?
In a series of articles, I’ll examine these questions and share what happens “beyond the news”; the places we don’t hear about, the people we don’t know are suffering, and what is–or isn’t–being done to help.
For more information about CCR2P, visit ccr2p.org or contact me at mira.c.donaldson@gmail.com
