STATEMENT BY
H.E. MR. AHMAD FAISAL MUHAMAD
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE
UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE
“PROTECTING CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: ADDRESSING EMERGING THREATS, ENSURING THE SAFETY OF CIVILIANS, HUMANITARIAN AND
UNITED NATIONS PERSONNEL, JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS AND ENHANCING ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS”
Mr. President,
Thank you for convening this open debate. We thank the briefers for their sobering insights.
Mr. President,
- The Secretary-General’s recent report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict paints a grotesque and appalling picture, with civilians, including women and children, continuing to bear the brunt of armed conflict all around the world. Malaysia unequivocally condemns violent attacks on civilians in armed conflict. We deplore the targeting of humanitarian and medical personnel, journalists and media workers in conflict situations.
- We continue to call on all parties to armed conflict to comply fully with their obligations under international law. We also call on all parties to facilitate safe and unimpeded passage for medical and humanitarian personnel and respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. We also call on the Security Council as custodian of peace and security to ensure the principles of the UN Charter and international law be consistently applied in all conflicts.
- The unacceptable harm civilians are being subjected to in situations of armed conflict is a result of a culture of impunity, and the failure of this Council to discharge its Charter-mandated responsibility. The Council has heard numerous briefings on the dire situation faced by civilians in conflict situations, from the Middle East to the Sudan to Myanmar. While in some cases, the Council was able to speak in one voice and take decisive action, regrettably in some instances, the Council is grappled in paralysis. A case in point is the plight of civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr. President,
- The atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank defy imagination. Nowhere else has international humanitarian law or even international law as a whole been brazenly trampled upon than in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In the past 20 months, Israel has inflicted unspeakable suffering on Palestinian civilians, in addition to its close to 58-year oppressive occupation. In Gaza, more than 53,000 civilians have lost their lives, while over 120,000 injured. Civilian objects and critical civilian infrastructure have been deliberately destroyed. Humanitarian aid and basic necessities for survival are being blocked from entering the Strip. Israel has also set shameful new records in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with the highest number of medical personnel, journalists and UN staff killed. Is this a behaviour of a ‘moral’ country, the self-proclaimed “only democracy in the region”?
Mr. President,
- As the UN commemorates its 80th anniversary this year, it is regrettable that the solemn oath of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war remains unfulfilled. We must step up efforts to end the armed conflicts raging around the world. We must not normalise civilian casualties in armed conflicts. We must do more to uphold international humanitarian law and implement relevant UN resolutions, to ensure the protection of civilians. Malaysia will continue to do its part in contributing constructively in this endeavour.
Thank you, Mr. President.
News From Mission