Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity at the 80th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.
Delivering remarks to the General Assembly on the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world is facing “the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War.”
Guterres added that these crises are “marked by rising identity-based violence, widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and deepening impunity.”
Guterres stressed that the principle of the Responsibility to Protect – commonly referred to as R2P – remains central to the UN’s mission. “On this anniversary, we must recognize that the Responsibility to Protect is more than a principle – it is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the UN Charter,” he said.
The Secretary-General presented his seventeenth report on the Responsibility to Protect, which reviews two decades of international efforts and outlines the need for renewed action. “We found that the principle holds strong support among Member States. Communities affected by violence see it as offering a ray of hope. But they also call for effective implementation at all levels,” Guterres said.
The UN chief also reiterated that the world still falls short of delivering on the promise of protecting populations from atrocity crimes. “Twenty years on, the Responsibility to Protect remains an urgent necessity, a moral imperative, and an unfulfilled promise,” Guterres declared. “Let us keep that promise. Let us deepen our commitment. Let us strengthen our cooperation. And let us make the prevention of atrocities and the protection of populations a permanent and universal practice.”
The Responsibility to Protect, endorsed by UN Member States in 2005, affirms that governments have an obligation to shield populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. It also tasks the international community with taking collective action when states fail to do so.