Our obligation to respect and enforce respect for international humanitarian ...

Our obligation to respect and enforce respect for international humanitarian law requires us not only to make use of the instruments at our disposal to ensure peace, security and international justice, but also to formulate a robust culture of respect that does away with impunity and repairs the harm inflicted on civilians in armed conflict. During my delegation's presidency of the Security Council in June, we held a debate on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law (see S/PV.6347), at which, through the adoption of a presidential statement (S/PRST/2010/11), we recognized that “respect for international humanitarian law is an essential component of the rule of law in conflict situations” and reaffirmed that “the protection of the civilian population in armed conflict should be an important aspect of any comprehensive strategy”. I wish to conclude by expressing the support of the Mexican delegation for the presidential statement adopted earlier (S/PRST/2010/25), including the updating of the aide-memoire, which is itself a useful tool for the establishment of a common basis for the responsibility of the Security Council and Member States to protect civilians in armed conflict. We hope that the Security Council will in the future adopt more forceful measures in response to the humanitarian impact of the use of explosives in densely populated areas and areas identified by the Secretary-General in his report on this issue.